Performance Evaluation of Nanoparticle-Based Coatings for Enhanced Protection and Surface Improvement of Metallic Materials

Abstract

Nanoparticle-based coatings offer enhanced protection and functional improvement for metallic materials; however, their performance is strongly influenced by the thermal–fluid conditions within the deposition system. This study aims to evaluate how variations in deposition column geometry and biomass fuel type affect temperature distribution, gas velocity, and radiative heat flux within a nanoparticle coating environment. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach was applied using the schematic configuration of a 2160 mm vertical deposition column. Four geometries and three biomass fuels palm kernel shell (PKS), Oil palm fronds (OPF), and empty fruit bunch (EFB) were analyzed under identical boundary conditions. The governing conservation equations were solved alongside the Discrete Ordinates (DO) radiation model to capture temperature, velocity, and irradiation behavior throughout the column. The results show that Geometry 3 produced the highest temperature field, reaching up to 2020 °C, while Geometry 4 exhibited favorable flow momentum with peak velocities of 20 m/s. Geometry 1 and Geometry 2 showed moderate thermal and flow distributions, with maximum temperatures of 1875 °C and 1950 °C, respectively. Biomass fuel analysis revealed that PKS and EFB generated significantly higher thermal and radiative outputs, with irradiation values approaching 6.5 × 10⁶ W/m², compared to PKS, which remained around 3.0×10⁶ W/m². These findings demonstrate the novelty of integrating geometric optimization with biomass combustion analysis to improve nanoparticle activation and coating uniformity. Overall, the study concludes that selecting an appropriate column geometry combined with high-performing biomass fuels can substantially enhance coating efficiency, offering a sustainable alternative to fossil-fuel-based systems.