Surface properties of anti-fouling and corrosion-resistant coatings at the hydrocarbon-steel interface

结垢和腐蚀是影响炼油厂高效运行的两个最有害的过程。 在结垢中，天然存在的、下游携带的或在原油中形成的固体材料粘附在钢表面上。 这可能会阻止油的流动，导致灾难性的故障，但也可能损害热交换器的热性能，导致能源成本增加，以及更频繁的维护。 由于油中的杂质或天然材料而发生腐蚀，随后会损害钢部件的完整性。 这些有害影响加在一起，每年使加拿大炼油厂损失数百万美元。 在用于减轻结垢和腐蚀的影响的策略中，有用于钢表面的涂层的应用和形成。 许多材料已被建议并用于形成这些保护屏障，但它们在分子水平上如何发挥作用的知识是不完整的。 详细了解它们的结构和功能对于提高涂层性能、最大限度地降低成本、减少所需化学品的量以及增加炼油厂钢铁部件维护和更换之间的时间至关重要。 该提案利用结构和表面敏感技术来探测油、常见污垢、钢和两种类型的保护涂层之间的详细相互作用。

Fouling and corrosion are the two most detrimental processes to the efficient operation of an oil refinery. In fouling, solid materials either naturally present, carried downstream, or formed in crude oil adhere to steel surfaces. This can block the flow of oil leading to catastrophic failures, but may also compromise the thermal properties of heat exchangers, leading to increased energy costs in addition to more frequent maintenance. Corrosion occurs as a result of impurities or native materials in the oil, and subsequently damages the integrity of steel components. Together, these deleterious effects cost Canadian refineries millions of dollars annually. Among the strategies used to mitigate the effects of fouling and corrosion are the application and formation of coatings for the steel surfaces. Many materials have been suggested and used to form these protective barriers, but knowledge of how they perform on a molecular level is incomplete. A detailed understanding of their structure and function is essential in order to improve coating performance, minimize cost, reduce the amount of chemicals required, and increase the time between maintenance and replacement of steel components in refineries. This proposal utilizes a structure- and surface-sensitive technique to probe the detailed interactions between oil, common foulants, steel, and two types of protective coatings.