In this article, a Ni-Cu-P modified surface is prepared by electroless plating, and the microbial fouling resistance tests on the Ni-Cu-P surface are carried out further. The results show that the Ni-Cu-P modified surface has excellent antifouling performance. Compared with carbon steel, the microbial fouling on the Ni-P and Ni-Cu-P modified surface are decreased by 90.6% and 92.0% respectively. Further the effects of temperature, flow rate, and initial bacterial concentration on microbial fouling thermal resistance of Ni-Cu-P modified surface are investigated and analyzed. With the cooling water inlet temperature increasing (25–40°C), the fouling thermal resistance of the Ni-Cu-P modified surface is increased first and then reduced. Among experimental temperature range, there might be an “optimal” temperature for microbial fouling accumulation. With the flow rate increasing (0.2m/s–0.3m/s), the fouling thermal resistance of Ni-Cu-P modified surface is decreased by 78.3%. With the initial bacteria concentration in cooling water increasing (8.364 × 109 CFU/mL −51.456 × 109 CFU/mL), the fouling thermal resistance is increased by 57.4% accordingly. By rationally adjusting the operating conditions, the accumulation of microbial fouling on the Ni-Cu-P modified surface can be further reduced, allowing for long-term cleaning and effective heat transfer of the Ni-Cu-P modified heat exchange surface. Display omitted •A Ni-Cu-P modified surface is designed and prepared for fouling reduction.•The microbial fouling deposition on modified surface is reduced significantly.•The fouling thermal resistance is used to evaluate microbial fouling process.•The modified surface combined operation factors revision foster fouling reduction. Microbial fouling on heat exchange surface is common for large amount of microorganisms in circulating cooling water. In this article, a modified surface technology is used to suppress and reduce the accumulation of microbial fouling on the heat transfer surface. Firstly a Ni-Cu-P modified surface is prepared by electroless plating, and a Ni-P surface applied commonly in industry is also prepared as a comparison. With the help of the designed and constructed experimental system for dynamic monitoring of microbial fouling, the microbial fouling tests of the Ni-Cu-P, Ni- P and carbon steel surface are carried out. The results show that the Ni-Cu-P modified surface has excellent antifouling performance. Compared with carbon steel, the microbial fouling on the Ni-P and Ni-Cu-P modified surface are decreased by 90.6 % and 92.0 % respectively. Further the effects of temperature, flow rate, and initial bacterial concentration on microbial fouling heat resistance of Ni-Cu-P modified surface are investigated and analyzed. With the cooling water inlet temperature increasing (25–40 °C), the fouling heat resistance of the Ni-Cu-P modified surface is increased first and then reduced. With the flow rate increasing (0.2 m/s-0.3 m/s), the fouling heat resistance of Ni-Cu-P modified surface is decreased by 78.3 %. With the initial bacteria concentration in cooling water increasing (8.364 × 109 CFU/mL −51.456 × 109 CFU/mL), the fouling heat resistance is increased by 57.4 % accordingly. By rationally adjusting the operating conditions, such as regulating the temperature of cooling water far away from the suitable temperature of bacteria and increasing the flow rate of circulating cooling water as much as possible, the accumulation of microbial fouling on the Ni-Cu-P modified surface can be further reduced, allowing for long-term cleaning and effective heat transfer of the Ni-Cu-P modified heat exchange surface.