Technology · Research & Innovation
Research & Innovation in High Emissivity Coatings
Emisshield's core technology was developed at NASA's Ames Research Center in the early 1990s to protect spacecraft, including the X-33 and X-34 programs, during atmospheric entry. Licensed to Emisshield, Inc. in 2001, that chemistry has since been engineered into 40+ industrial formulations, validated by independent laboratories, a university pilot program, and third-party plant audits, and recognized by induction into the Space Technology Hall of Fame in 2021.
The NASA Origins of the Technology
NASA needed a surface that could absorb intense radiant loads and re-emit them at extreme temperature, through violent thermal shock, without detaching. The materials science that answered that brief is the same science that now lines fired equipment: emissivity of at least 0.96 (M-6) constant to 1,700°C, thermal shock tolerance from -236°C to 1,500°C in 3 seconds, and adhesion of at least 10,000 PSI. The 2001 license gave Emisshield, Inc. exclusive rights to commercialize it, and the Space Foundation inducted the technology into the Space Technology Hall of Fame in 2021.
01
Ghent University IMPROOF Pilot
A third-party validation of high emissivity coatings in a steam-cracking pilot furnace under the EU Horizon 2020 IMPROOF program. With Emisshield on the radiant walls and ceiling of both cracking cells and the preheat cells left uncoated as a control, the pilot cut fuel 4.8% at steady state with no loss of conversion. Independent lab tests confirmed refractory emissivity rose from ~0.4 to ~0.95, and the program's CFD and radiative modeling projected 7 to 12% energy savings in full-scale ethylene furnaces. Case study
02
Process-Tube Coking Study
A major petrochemical company ran a continuous coking study across feeds on Incoloy tubes coated externally, in Texas. The measured coking index confirmed a large reduction in coke formation; in service, decoke intervals extended from about 9 months to more than 30, with consistent performance beyond 7 years. Case study
03
Ceramic Fiber Testing
Six tests over one month across fiber types and temperatures, twelve thermocouples on hot and cold faces. Coated modules showed shrinkage under 1% against 2 to 5% uncoated, a continuous-duty limit roughly 150°C higher, and cold-face temperatures 6 to 10°C lower. Case study
04
Third-Party Aluminium Plant Audit
An independent auditor compared a coated melting-holding furnace with an uncoated control over six months of production data: roughly 9% less dross, a 12°C higher melt temperature despite a heavier charge, and a measurable casting throughput gain. Case study
05
Laboratory and University Studies
Clemson University ran an instrumented pilot-scale evaluation of coating impact on kiln energy and cycle behavior. A thermophysical properties research laboratory measured hemispherical emissivity, the directional-integrated value that governs behavior in an enclosure. Both are indexed under Technical Papers and Test Data & Validation. Technical Papers Test Data & Validation
How Research Becomes a Customer Project
Assess the asset. Select the formulation. Project the savings from documented history. Apply, then measure against baseline.
The method is engineering-led. Every project starts with the questionnaire covering asset design, operating conditions, fuel data, and performance goals. Emisshield engineering selects the formulation from the catalog for the substrate, atmosphere, and temperature, projects savings from historical performance data on comparable installations, and certified crews apply during a planned outage. Results are measured against the plant's own baseline, which is how every case study on this site was built. Joint research with industrial partners extends the catalog with application-specific formulations and published results.
Continuous Formulation Development in Blacksburg, Virginia
- 40+
- Formulations since the 2001 license
- 1,700°C
- Sustained emissivity, current catalog
- at least 10,000 PSI
- Adhesion on prepared surfaces
- -236 to 1,500°C
- Thermal shock in 3 seconds, no failure
A dedicated R&D department develops and refines formulations continuously, matching new substrate chemistries, atmospheres, and applications, including work relevant to hydrogen firing and decarbonized process heat. Manufacturing and development stay in-house, and published work is indexed under Technical Papers with objective, method, findings, and citation, bylined by named Emisshield engineers.
FAQ
Common Questions About the Research
Is Emisshield's NASA claim real?
Yes. The technology was developed at NASA Ames and formally licensed in 2001; Emisshield was inducted into the Space Technology Hall of Fame in 2021, the recognition for space technologies successfully commercialized on Earth.
Do you publish your test data?
Key third-party results are public on this site in the Case Study Library and Test Data & Validation. Full datasets and reports are available through Emisshield engineering or your distributor.
Does the technology keep evolving?
Continuously. Formulations are added and refined as substrates and fuels change.
Next step
Need a Study or Dataset for an Engineering Review?
Tell us the asset and the question. Our engineers will point you to the documented work that answers it.