Field Testing and Analysis of Air-Cooled Condenser Components Coated with Cerium Oxide-Doped PAAMPS Polymer Nanocomposite Material

Abstract

Researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, in collaboration with Mammoth Pacific LP, formulated and field tested a new organometallic polymer coating using nanoscale cerium oxide particles for protecting air-cooled condensers from scaling and corrosion when geothermal brine is sprayed on the heat exchangers for enhanced heat transfer and increased plant output in hot weather. In an 8.5-month-long exposure test to geothermal brine, the new coating, applied to aluminum fins and steel coupons, showed significant improvements in corrosion and scaling resistance over previous coatings that did not include cerium oxide doping, and also showed that corrosion resistance improved with coating thickness. The research demonstrated the value of having rare earth metal oxides in the polymer matrix, and pointed the way to using another formulation with better performance in a field test in 2006.