Protect critical components. Extend useful life. Improve lifecycle value.

Reformer systems operate at the heart of hydrogen, ammonia, methanol and syngas production — often under some of the most demanding high-temperature conditions found in process industries.

Even components manufactured from specialist high-temperature alloys can be vulnerable to metal dusting, carburisation and oxidation.

Over time, these degradation mechanisms can contribute to increased inspection and maintenance requirements, premature component replacement and associated plant intervention.

Diffusion Alloys uses diffusion aluminising to engineer the surface of critical reformer components for increased resistance to these demanding environments — helping protect the high-value equipment beneath.

Discuss Your Reformer Application

What Is Limiting the Life of Your Reformer Components?

Reformer component life is influenced by many mechanical, thermal, metallurgical and environmental factors.

Where environmental degradation is one of those limiting factors, surface engineering provides an opportunity to address the problem at its source.

Metal Dusting

Severe carbon-related attack can cause susceptible alloys to progressively break down, resulting in significant localised material loss.

Explore Metal Dusting Protection →

Carburisation

Carbon ingress at elevated temperature can alter the microstructure of an alloy and affect its long-term properties and performance.

Explore Carburisation Protection →

High-Temperature Oxidation

Unstable or rapidly growing oxide scales can expose fresh material to continued environmental attack.

Explore Oxidation Protection →

Protect the Surface. Preserve the Component.

High-temperature alloys are selected to provide the structural and mechanical properties required for demanding reformer service.

But the surface of the component has a different job: it must withstand direct interaction with the operating environment.

Diffusion aluminising allows these requirements to be addressed separately.

During treatment, aluminium diffuses into and reacts with the substrate at elevated temperature, creating a metallurgically bonded, aluminium-rich diffusion layer.

Under appropriate operating conditions, this surface can form a stable protective alumina (Al₂O₃) scale, providing a barrier between the environment and the underlying alloy.

This can increase resistance to:

• Metal dusting
• Carburisation
• High-temperature oxidation
• Other relevant high-temperature degradation mechanisms

Discover Diffusion Aluminising for Reformer Components →

Reformer Protection Across Process Industries

Different plants present different operating environments and component challenges.

Hydrogen

Protect critical hydrogen reformer components operating under demanding combinations of high temperature and process chemistry.

Explore Hydrogen Reformer Protection →

Ammonia

Increase environmental resistance of selected ammonia reformer components and support longer-term asset performance.

Explore Ammonia Reformer Protection →

Methanol

Protect high-temperature equipment used within reforming and synthesis gas generation against relevant environmental degradation mechanisms.

Explore Methanol Component Protection →

Syngas & HyCO

Address metal dusting, carburisation and oxidation challenges affecting selected syngas and HyCO production equipment.

Explore Syngas & HyCO Protection →

Protecting High-Value Reformer Components

Diffusion aluminising can be considered for a range of reformer and associated high-temperature components, depending on the substrate material, operating environment and identified degradation mechanism.

Applications can include selected:

• Reformer tubes
• Catalyst tubes
• Headers and collectors
• Burner components
• Tube supports and hangers
• Heat exchanger components
• Other high-temperature process equipment

Every application is different. The starting point is understanding what is limiting the performance or useful life of the component.

Explore Reformer Tube Life Extension →

From Corrosion Protection to Lifecycle Value

The purpose of surface engineering is not simply to apply a coating.

It is to protect the value already contained within a high-performance component.

Where environmental degradation is contributing to premature deterioration, increasing surface resistance can help support:

Longer Useful Component Life

Protecting against identified degradation mechanisms can help components remain serviceable for longer, subject to the wider factors governing their operating life.

Reduced Premature Replacement

Extending useful service can help operators obtain greater value from specialist alloys and engineered components.

Maintenance & Lifecycle Planning

Understanding and mitigating known degradation mechanisms can support more informed inspection, maintenance and replacement strategies.

Plant Reliability

Where environmental degradation contributes to maintenance intervention, improved component resistance supports the broader objective of dependable plant operation.

More Efficient Use of Materials

Extending the life of high-value components can reduce the frequency with which replacement materials, manufacturing and installation are required.

Consider the Lifetime Value — Not Just the Initial Cost

The value of component protection should be considered across the operating life of the equipment.

Component manufacture + surface protection + inspection + maintenance + replacement frequency + installation + associated plant intervention

Where environmental degradation would otherwise cause a high-value component to be replaced prematurely, surface engineering can help improve the value obtained from the existing asset.

The objective is not simply to protect a surface. It is to maximise the useful life and value of the component beneath it.

Explore Reformer Tube Life & Lifecycle Costs →

Experience in Demanding High-Temperature Environments

Successful diffusion coating requires an understanding of the relationship between:

Material + Component + Environment + Degradation Mechanism

Diffusion Alloys has decades of experience developing and applying diffusion coatings for demanding high-temperature industrial applications.

Our technical team considers factors including:

• Substrate alloy
• Component geometry
• Operating temperature
• Process environment
• Existing degradation
• Service history
• Required coating characteristics

This allows the treatment to be developed around the actual application, rather than treating aluminising as a one-size-fits-all solution.

Start With Your Reformer Challenge

Not every high-temperature component requires aluminising, and not every degradation mechanism requires the same solution.

The starting point is the component itself:

What is happening? Why is it happening? What is limiting its useful life?

Where metal dusting, carburisation, oxidation or another compatible high-temperature degradation mechanism is contributing to deterioration, Diffusion Alloys can assess whether diffusion aluminising provides an appropriate protection strategy.

Protect critical components. Extend useful life. Maximise the value of the reformer.