Investigation of Titanium Oxide Coating on Copper Heat Exchanger Surface for the Inhibition of Calcium Carbonate Scaling

ABSTRACT Heat exchanger fouling causes an increase in maintenance, energy usage, and cleaning costs in several industries. To reduce this fouling effect in heat exchangers, the surface of the copper heat exchanger was coated with titanium oxide (TiO x ) and investigated for the mitigation of fouling, enhancement of overall heat transfer, and reduction of air pollutant emissions. For this investigation, a cold water solution was supersaturated with 0.3 ± 0.02 gL −1 of CaCO 3 concentration. Four indicators, including heat transfer, mass deposition, fouling resistance, and reduction in air pollutant emissions, were examined and discussed systematically. The results of the investigation revealed that the TiOx‐coated surface not only decreased scaling accumulation and resistance but also enhanced the heat transfer. The findings also portrayed that the TiOx‐coated heat exchanger surface annually reduced nearly 1.788 tons of CO 2 /MW, 0.035 tons of SO 2 /MW, and 0.041 tons of NOx/MW, which indicates that with the thin layer of TiOx on the heat transfer surface, Sustainable Development Goal 7 target 7.3 can be attained.