Case Study · Hydrocarbon & Chemical
Steam Cracking Furnace High Emissivity Coating: 4.8% Fuel Savings in the Ghent University IMPROOF Pilot
| Industry | Hydrocarbon & Chemical |
|---|---|
| Asset | Steam-cracking pilot furnace |
| Customer or location | Ghent University, Belgium (EU Horizon 2020 IMPROOF) |
| Products used | Emisshield on radiant walls and ceiling |
| Headline metric | 4.8% fuel reduction |
| Secondary metric | Emissivity ~0.4 to ~0.95 |
| Also measured | 7 to 12% modeled at full scale |
As part of the EU Horizon 2020 IMPROOF initiative, Ghent University ran a third-party validation of Emisshield in its steam-cracking pilot furnace. With the coating on the radiant walls and ceiling of both cracking cells and the preheat cells left uncoated as a control, fuel consumption fell 4.8% at steady state with no loss of conversion, independent tests confirmed refractory emissivity rose from about 0.4 to about 0.95, and program modeling projected 7 to 12% savings in full-scale ethylene furnaces.
01
What was the challenge?
Quantify energy savings, confirm coating performance under operating conditions, and support modeling for industrial-scale application, with energy intensity and emissions reduction at the core of the program.
02
What was applied?
Emisshield on the radiant walls and ceiling of the two cracking cells, operating from 700 to 980°C; preheat cells uncoated as control. Thickness, surface preparation, and application followed field protocols. Thermal and process data were gathered over repeated cracking cycles and benchmarked against uncoated operation under identical load and severity.
03
What were the results?
| Metric | Uncoated | Coated |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel consumption (steady state) | Baseline | −4.8% |
| Feed conversion and outlet temperature | Baseline | Unchanged |
| Refractory emissivity (independent lab) | ~0.4 | ~0.95 |
| Coating performance range | Stable 700 to 980°C | |
| Full-scale projection (CFD and radiative modeling) | 7 to 12% energy savings |
The results validate both Emisshield's performance and the predictive models used to guide industrial adoption, with lower CO2 emissions.
04
Why did it work?
Higher wall emissivity increases radiant transfer to the coils at the same firing, so the pilot met the same conversion on less fuel. See Research & Innovation.
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