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The project aims to improve thermoelectric power plant performance through engineered superhydrophobic/slippery liquid infused porous surfaces (SLIPS) for condenser tube designs fabricated by a patented two-step electrodeposition technique. The electrodeposition process is a widely-used industrial process that is applicable to a variety of shapes, materials, and sizes. The project will demonstrate and characterize a variety of SLIPS coatings based on copper, nickel, copper/nickel, zinc, tungstite, and other materials on commonly used condenser tube surfaces, namely, copper, copper/nickel, stainless steel, and titanium alloys through a facile and cost-effective electrodeposition process. The goal is to demonstrate overall condenser heat exchanger effectiveness that is at least 50 percent higher than that of current systems while reducing condenser pressure and improving power plant efficiency.
The research conducted will broaden both fundamental and applied scientific knowledge in the fields of transport phenomena using SLIPS surfaces and the robust, scalable fabrication process of the structures. Meeting the project goal could lead to novel, industrially scalable, and low-cost fabrication of durable SLIPS coatings that will lead to improved plant efficiency and performance, and thereby to reduced carbon dioxide emissions.
