Anti-coking performance of Al/Si/Cr/Ce ceramic coating during naphtha steam cracking applied on Cr25Ni35Nb alloy

To reduce the coke formation, a novel Al/Si/Cr/Ce composite ceramic coating was prepared on the surface of the Cr25Ni35Nb alloy substrate by pack cementation. The microstructure, phase composition, surface morphology and element distribution of substrate and coating were characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The results reveal that the outer layer of the coating forms a protective layer with a high proportion of AlN and Cr3Si and trace amounts of Ce. The inter-diffusion layer is mainly aluminide coating (AlNi and AlFe) and transition layer contains a small amount of AlN. The anti-coking performance of the coating was assessed using naphtha steam cracking. To study coking behavior, the morphology and microstructure of the coke layer were analyzed and characterized by SEM and Laser Micro-Raman Spectrometer. The coke layer on uncoated sample has a higher focal density and is more likely to spall and peel off when subjected to coking experiment. A large number of filamentous and granular cokes appear on the surface of the uncoated sample, whereas only less granular cokes appear on the surface of the coated sample, and the coke on the uncoated sample has a more disordered and amorphous carbon structure. The coating significantly inhibited the growth of filamentous coke and reduced coke accumulation.