Effects of Fluorolink (R) surface coating on WPC fouling of stainless steel surfaces and subsequent cleaning

摘要

It is reported here that stainless steel surfaces used for heat exchange in the food industry, once modified with Fluorolink (R) S10, show an improvement in the removal of whey protein fouling. The fouling was created under unfavorable operating conditions (i.e. at a very low fluid velocity). Whey Protein Concentrate (WPC) was used, which is a classic model foulant. Contact angle, surface energy and work of adhesion were measured to examine the surface changes due to the Fluorolink S10 modification. Surface free energy was reduced from 46.38 to 19.00 mN m(-1). In contrast to some reports in the literature, little effect on the extent of fouling was observed here. However, extent of fouling removal was increased similar to 75 to 98%. It is suggested that Fluorolink (R) S10 can be used to improve the cleaning properties of heat exchange surfaces, despite of its much lesser impact on minimizing fouling. (C) 2019 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.