In a new episode of SilcoTalk, SilcoTek’s Clay Smith shares how our coatings helped improve mercury measurement accuracy at Equinor’s Tjeldbergodden methanol plant, the largest in Europe. This real-world application highlights how surface inertness can directly impact analyzer reliability - especially in trace-level mercury detection.
The Situation
Equinor began processing gas from the Dvalin field, which contains elevated mercury levels. To protect downstream equipment and meet environmental standards, a new mercury removal unit was installed at the plant. Continuous, accurate measurement was critical to verify performance and detect any breakthrough.
The Challenge
Mercury is highly reactive with metallic surfaces. When sample transport components - like tubing or cylinders - are made from stainless steel, mercury tends to adsorb to the walls, leading to falsely low readings and delayed detection of removal failures.
This poses a serious problem in gas analysis: If your surfaces aren’t inert, your data won’t reflect reality.
The Solution: SilcoNert® Coating
To overcome this, Equinor and their engineering partner, Wood, turned to SilcoTek. We coated key analytical components with SilcoNert 2000, our chemically inert, silicon-based CVD coating.
Benefits of SilcoNert for mercury analysis:
- Prevents mercury adsorption to stainless steel
- Improves detection limits and stability
- Maintains accurate concentrations over long periods (proven in 50+ day stability tests)
- Supports compliance and minimizes production risk
The Outcome
With SilcoNert-coated parts, Equinor achieved:
- Consistent mercury readings
- Early detection of removal inefficiencies
- Successful on-time commissioning of their mercury removal system
SilcoTek's fast turnaround also helped meet tight project deadlines during a critical plant shutdown.
Key Takeaway
For trace mercury analysis, surface inertness matters. SilcoNert provides a proven solution to prevent adsorption losses and improve measurement integrity - helping operators like Equinor make smarter, faster decisions.
Check out our other SilcoTalk episodes HERE.
