Review of the Mitigation Scale Performance of Anti-Fouling Coatings Surface Characteristics on Industrial Heat Exchange Surfaces

Industrial heat exchangers are widely used in industries such as petrochemicals, energy and power, and food processing, making them one of the most important pieces of heat and mass transfer equipment in industry. During operation, a layer of fouling often adheres to the heat transfer surfaces, which reduces the heat transfer coefficient of the equipment and increases the thermal resistance of the surfaces. Additionally, fouling can corrode the material of the heat transfer surfaces, compromise their integrity, and even lead to perforations and leaks, severely impacting equipment operation and safety while increasing energy consumption and costs for enterprises. The application of anti-fouling coatings on surfaces is a key technology to address fouling on heat transfer surfaces. This paper focuses on introducing major types of anti-fouling coatings, including polymer-based coatings, “metal material + X”-type coatings, “inorganic material + X”-type coatings, carbon-based material coatings, and other varieties. It analyzes and discusses the current research status and hotspots for these coatings, elaborates on their future development directions, and proposes ideas for developing new coating systems. On the other hand, this paper summarizes the current research on the main factors—surface roughness, surface free energy, surface wettability, and coating corrosion resistance—that affect the anti-fouling performance of coatings. It outlines the research hotspots and challenges in understanding the influence of these three factors and suggests that future research should consider the synergistic effects of multiple factors, providing valuable insights for further studies in the field of anti-fouling coatings.