Industries · Power Generation
High Emissivity Coatings for Power Generation
Process and utility boilers·biomass and waste-to-energy boilers·burner tips·HRSGs·overhead conductors
In steam and power generation, radiant absorption on boiler surfaces sets efficiency, and burner tips, refractory, and waterwalls degrade under the load. Emisshield raises radiant transfer to the working surfaces and protects the components that take the abuse, with documented results of 10 to 20% more steam on less fuel, NOx down 25%, and burner tip life extended 3 to 7 times. ROI is typically under a year.
How High Emissivity Coatings Help a Power or Steam Plant
- 10 to 20%
- More steam, documented boilers
- Up to 15%
- Fuel savings, documented
- 3 to 7×
- Burner tip life, documented
- Under a year
- Typical ROI
A boiler makes steam with the radiant energy its furnace section captures. Refractory walls, arches, and throats at ~0.4 emissivity reflect part of that energy into the flue path, where it raises stack temperature instead of steam. Steam output is capped, heat rate and CO2 intensity sit above target, casing losses stay high, and the plant compensates with excess air and firing rate. Meanwhile burner tips corrode and coke in black-liquor and coal service, slag builds and thermal shock cracks refractory in biomass and mass-burn units, and HRSG transition sections run uneven and slow to temperature.
Emisshield re-emits absorbed energy to the waterwalls and tubes instead of reflecting it into the flue path. The same firing rate makes more steam, or the same steam takes less fuel; combustion stabilizes, excess air falls, and NOx and CO fall with it. On components, the coating shields the metal and refractory it covers: sintered burner tips run cooler and last years instead of months, biomass walls shed slag, and HRSG zones reach temperature faster with less dusting.
Refractory formulations go on furnace walls, arches, and throats; metal-substrate formulations on tubes and waterwall panels; sintered formulations on burner tips before installation. Application fits a planned outage, and results are measured against the plant's own heat-rate and steam data, with an uncoated twin unit as control where one exists.
Where Emisshield Is Applied in Power and Steam Plants
- 7
- Documented applications
- Refractory · tubes · sintered tips
- Substrates coated
- Twin-unit control
- Apache Nitrogen comparison method
One technology across fired boilers, recovery boilers, heat-recovery steam generators, and the components inside them. Each application below has documented installations.
01Gas-fired process and utility boilers
Radiant and convective refractory and tube surfaces coated for more steam on less gas, lower shell temperature, and longer maintenance cycles.
02Biomass and CHP boilers
Castable walls, firebrick, and tubes coated to shed slag, stabilize combustion, and raise steam output while cutting NOx, CO, and particulate.
03Waste-to-energy and mass-burn boilers
Wall refractories and throat arches coated to reduce hot spots and slag adhesion and extend the maintenance cycle.
04Black-liquor recovery boiler burner tips
Stainless tips sintered for multiplied life against corrosion and coking.
05Coal-fired burner tips
Tips sintered for longer life, lower surface temperature, complete combustion, and lower NOx.
06Heat-recovery steam generators
Duct burner zones and transition sections coated for faster heat-up, lower particulate, and longer sub-component life.
07Overhead power conductors
The first high emissivity coating for transmission conductors, applied at production speed, for lower resistive loss and conductor temperature.
Documented Results in Power Generation
Every row is a published Emisshield installation with a measured result, each linked to its case study with the before and after detail.
| Asset | Case study | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Gas-fired process boiler | Apache Nitrogen | +15 to 20% steam, 4 to 5% less gas, maintenance 9 to 24+ months |
| Biomass CHP boiler | E.ON, Mora, Sweden | +10% steam, 10% less fuel, NOx down 25% |
| Black-liquor burner tips | Recovery boiler | Life 7× |
| Coal burner tips | Coal-fired plant | Life 3×, NOx reduced |
| HRSG | Combined-cycle plant | 22% faster to temperature, particulate down 20% |
| Mass-burn boiler | Waste-to-energy | Maintenance quarterly to semi-annual |
| Overhead conductor | General Cable | 4.5% less resistive loss, 40-year life |
Power Generation Case Studies
- Power Generation15 to 20%more steamProcess boiler at Apache NitrogenRead
- Power Generation+10%steam on 10% less fuelBiomass CHP boiler at E.ON MoraRead
- Power Generation7×burner tip lifeBlack-liquor recovery boilerRead
- Power Generation3×burner tip lifeCoal-fired power plantRead
- Power Generation22%faster to temperatureHRSG at a combined-cycle plantRead
- Power GenerationQuarterly → semi-annualmaintenanceMass-burn waste-to-energy boilerRead
- Power Generation4.5%lower resistive lossOverhead conductor with General CableRead
FAQ
Common Questions From Power and Steam Plants
Does it work in biomass and waste-fuel atmospheres?
Yes. Slag adhesion and corrosive-gas resistance are documented; the E.ON and mass-burn cases ran in exactly those conditions.
Can burner tips really be saved?
Sintered coatings on black-liquor and coal burner tips are among the most repeated Emisshield applications, with documented life increases of 3× and 7×.
What about combined-cycle plants?
HRSG duct burner zones and transition sections are documented, with faster heat-up and lower particulate.
Where are RTOs covered?
Both documented RTO and dryer installations are at ethanol plants; see the Ethanol page.
Next step
Steam-Limited or Fuel-Limited?
Send us the boiler's heat rate, fuel, and steam target. We project the result from comparable documented installations.