On 12 November, at PowerGen Europe 2019 plastocor-international and The Chemours Company announced details of their joint collaboration into tackling the specific problem of biofouling, aimed at further reducing unscheduled downtimes and high maintenance costs for plant operators.
plastocor-international SA CEO Felicia Kreiselmaier said: “plastocor® technology protects condensers against corrosion and erosion and we wish to enhance this system by specifically tackling the problem of fouling. This is where we join forces with The Chemours Company and the outstanding anti-stick surface properties of a Teflon addition to plastocor® coating systems.”
Minimising maintenance costs and repairs in condensers and heat exchangers, plus loss of equipment life while optimising operational budgets is a driving force behind plastocor® technology.
The research collaboration with The Chemours Company allows plastocor-international to continue to seek out new ways to enhance condenser performance and efficiency and explore sustainable alternatives at the same time.
Kreiselmaier added: “Within power plants, condenser maintenance costs make up 15% of overall maintenance costs. The main problems experienced within condensers are related to fouling, corrosion and erosion, so solving problems due to biofouling holds huge potential for improving the plastocor® portfolio.”
The Chemours Company Global Product Manager Coatings Wilbert Broeksmit said: “We are trying to reduce costs for power plant operators. So less cleaning, less need for chemical cleaning of condensers and a reduction of overall costs. We do this through the properties of the coating we are trying to develop. We want it to be anti-fouling, to have excellent thermal conductivity, to be non-stick and we need to have good corrosion resistance and abrasion resistance so you can operate for a longer period. We look forward to making this a reality in the very near future.”
plastocor-international SA, global provider of best-in-class plastocor® long-term corrosion and erosion protection and repair solutions for condensers, heat exchangers and cooling water cycle equipment and The Chemours Company, global leader in non-stick coatings and owner of the Teflon™ brand, look forward to further developing this research and sharing their next steps into anti-fouling solutions for the energy market.