Silica coated heat exchanger
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Alfa Laval Lund AB |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 1 410 210 |
| Project duration | September 2016 - March 2019 |
| Status | Completed |
| Venture | Eurostars |
Important results from the project
The purpose of the SIBRA Project is to achieve a sustainable solution for brazed plate heat exchangers in hard water installations by coating the heat exchanger channels inside the plate heat exchanger with a very thin antistick coating material that prevents clogging by scaling. The coating must be very thin, below 1 micron, in order to maintain good heat transfer. The target is to prolong the lifetime from 6 months to more than 2 years in hard water installations.
Expected long term effects
The very positive results of the coating material after several field installations is that the brazed plate heat exchanger does not need to be cleaned frequently or replaced every year. Now the coated brazed plate heat exchanger is commercialized and the first quotation is of 150 coated brazed plate heat exchangers to a danish customer. The futur effect in the market place is a reduction of the lifecycle cost.
Approach and implementation
SiOx has developped an application process of the coating material and applied it inside the brazed plate heat exchanger. Alfa Laval has tested the coating in the laboratories both mechanically and chemically with good result. Several coated brazed plate heat exchangers has been installed in customer installation with good result after 2 years in operation and the analysis show that they can manage several years more without maintenance.