Abstract
This lecture reviews the basic concepts of the fouling of heat transfer surfaces, particularly emphasizing topics that should be of interest to the designers and users of heat transfer equipment subject to fouling. The lecture opens by defining fouling and briefly reviewing its technical and economic importance. The fundamental processes of fouling are discussed in order to provide a background for an examination of the simple fouling models that can be used to assess the effects of fouling on heat exchanger performance. The final two sections of the lecture are concerned with the design and operation of equipment exposed to fouling conditions.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Garrett-Price, B.A., et al., Industrial Fouling: Problem Characterization, Economic Assessment, and Review of Prevention, Mitigation, and Accommodation Techniques, Battelle Pacific Northwest, Report PNL-4883, UC-95f, 1984.
Thackery, P., The Cost of Fouling in Heat Exchange Plant, in Fouling — Science or Art, ed., A.M. Pritchard, 9 pp., Proceedings of a conference at the University of Surrey, Guildford, England, March 1979.
Knudsen, J.G., Cooling Water Fouling — A Brief Review, in Fouling in Heat Exchange Equipment, ed., J.M. Chenoweth and M. Impagliazzo, pp. 29–38, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, New York, 1981.
Epstein, N., Fouling: Technical Aspects (Afterword to Fouling in Heat Exchangers) in Fouling of Heat Transfer Equipment, ed., E.F.C. Somerscales and J.G. Knudsen, pp.31–53, Hemisphere Publishing Corp., Washington, D.C., 1981.
Kern, D.C., and Seaton, R.E., A Theoretical Analysis of Thermal Surface Fouling, Brit. Chem. Eng., vol. 4, pp. 258–262, 1959.
Kern, D.C., and Seaton, R.E., Surface Fouling: How to Calculate Limits, Chem. Eng.Prog., vol. 55, no. 6, pp. 71–73, 1959.
Epstein, N., Fouling of Heat Exchangers, in Heat Exchangers: Theory and Practice, ed., J. Taborek, G.F. Hewitt, and N. Afgan, pp. 795–815, Hemisphere Publishing Corp., Washington, D.C., 1983.
Epstein, N., On Minimizing Fouling of Heat Transfer Surfaces, in Low Reynolds Number Flow Heat Exchangers, ed., S. Kakaç, R.K. Shah, and A.E. Bergles, pp. 951–965, Hemisphere Publishing Corp., Washington, D.C., 1983.
Troup, D.H., and Richardson, G.A., Scale Nucleation on a Heat Transfer Surface and Its Prevention, Chem. Eng. Comm., vol. 2, pp. 167–180, 1978.
Watkinson, A.P., and Epstein, N., Gas Oil Fouling in a Sensible Heat Exchanger, in Heat Transfer--Philadelphia, Chem. Eng. Prog. Symp. Series, vol. 65, no. 92, pp. 84–90, 1969.
Baier, R.E., Early Events of Micro-Biofouling of All Heat Transfer Equipment, in Fouling of Heat Transfer Equipment, pp. 293–304, ibid.
Skelland, A.H.P., Diffusional Mass Transfer, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1974.
Crittenden, B., and Kolachowski, S., Mass Transfer and Chemical Kinetics in Hydrocarbon Fouling in Fouling — Art or Science, 19 pp./ ibid.
Newson, I.H., Bott, T.R., and Hussain, C.I., Studies of Magnetic Deposition from a Flowing Suspension, in Fouling in Heat Exchange Equipment, pp. 73–81, ibid.
Beal, S.K., Deposition of Particles in Turbulent Flow on Channel or Pipe Walls, Nucl. Sci. Eng., vol. 40, pp. 1–11, 1970.
Friedlander, S.K., and Johnstone, H.F., Deposition of Suspended Particles from Turbulent Gas Streams, Ind. Eng. Chem., vol. 49, pp. 1151–1156, 1957.
Mahato, B.K. Voora, S.K. and Shemilt, L.W., Steel Pipe Corrosion Under Flow Conditions — I. An Isothermal Correlation for a Mass Transfer Model, Corrosion Science, vol. 8, pp. 173–193, 1968.
Mahato, B.K., Steward, F.R., and Shemilt, L.W., Steel Pipe Corrosion Under Flow Conditions — II. Mass Transfer Correlation with Temperature Effects, Corrosion Science, vol. 8, pp. 737–749, 1968.
Mahato, B.K., Cha, C.T., and Shemilt, L.W., Unsteady Mass Transfer Coefficients Controlling Steel Pipe Corrosion Under Isothermal Flow Conditions, Corrosion Science, vol. 20, pp. 421–441, 1980.
Characklis, W.G., Microbial Fouling: A Process Analysis, in Fouling of Heat Transfer Equipment, pp. 251–291, ibid.
Bryers, J.D., and Characklis, W.G., Kinetics of Initial Biofilm Formation within a Turbulent Flow System, in Fouling of Heat Transfer Equipment, pp. 313–333, ibid.
Beal, S.K., Prediction of Heat Exchanger Fouling Rates — A Fundamental Approach, Paper No. 76-C, American Inst. Chem. Engrs., 65th Annual Meeting, 1972.
Somerscales, E.F.C., Corrosion Fouling, in Fouling in Heat Exchange Equipment, pp. 17–27, ibid.
Fletcher, M., The Effects of Culture Concentration and Age, Time, and Temperature on Bacterial Attachment to Polystyrene, Can. J. Microbiology, vol. 23, pp. 1–6, 1977.
Bartlett, J.M., Theory of Corrosion Product Generation, Dispersion, and Activation Processes, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission Report, BNWL 676, May 1968.
Charlesworth, D.H., The Deposition of Corrosion Products in Boiling Water Systems, in Research and Development Studies in Environmental Pollution in Reactor Cooling Systems, Nuclear Engineering — Part XXI, ed., R.H. Moen, pp. 21–31, Chemical Engineering Progress Symposium Series, vol. 66, No. 104, 1970.
Visser, H., Measurement of the Force of Adhesion Between Submicron Carbon-Black Particles and a Cellulose Film in Aqueous Solution, J. Coll. Interface Sci., vol. 34, pp. 26–31, 1970.
Ross, T.K., Corrosion and Heat Transfer — A Review, British Corrosion J., vol. 2, pp. 131–142, 1967.
Taborek, J., Aoki T., Ritter, R.B., Palen, J.W., and Knudsen, J.G., Fouling — The Major Unresolved Problem in Heat Transfer, Chem. Eng. Prog., vol. 68, no. 7, pp. 69–78, 1972.
Loo, C.E., and Bridgwater, J., Theory of Thermal Stress and Deposit Removal, in Progress in the Prevention of Fouling in Industrial Plant, ed., A.M. Pritchard, Proceedings of a Conference held at the University of Nottingham, Nottingham, England, April 1–3, 1981.
Morse, R.W., and Knudsen, J.G., Effect of Alkalinity on the Scaling of Simulated Cooling Tower Water, Can. J. Chem. Eng., vol. 55, pp. 272–278, 1977.
McCabe, W.L., and Robinson, C.S., Evaporator Scale Formation, Ind. Eng. Chem., vol. 16, pp. 478–479, 1924.
Reitzer, B.J., Rate of Scale Formation in Tubular Heat Exchangers, Ind. Eng. Chem. (Proc. Design), vol. 3, pp. 345–348, 1964.
Hasson, D., Rate of Decrease of Heat Transfer due to Scale Deposition, in Dechema Monographien, vol. 47, pp. 233–252, 1962.
Watkinson, A.P., and Martinez, O., Scaling of Heat Exchanger Tubes by Calcium Carbonate, Trans. Amer. Soc. Mech. Engrs. [C] (J. Heat Transfer), vol. 97, pp. 504–508 (1975).
Watkinson, A.P., and Epstein, N., Particulate Fouling of Sensible Heat Exchangers, in Heat Transfer 1970, Proc. 4th International Heat Transfer Conference, vol. 1, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1971.
Schmid-Schönbein, K.-J., Verkrustung in Siedener Flussigkeit (Fouling in Boiling Liquid), Desalination, vol. 21, pp. 99–118, 1977.
Ritter, R.B., Crystalline Fouling Studies, Trans. Amer. Soc. Mech. Engrs. [C] (J. Heat Transfer), vol. 105, pp. 374–378, 1983.
Watkinson, A.P., Water Quality Effects on Fouling from Hard Waters, in Heat Exchangers: Theory and Practice, pp. 853–861, ibid.
Knudsen, J.G., and McCluer, H.K., Hard Water Scaling of Finned Tubes at Moderate Temperatures, in Heat Transfer Chicago, Chem. Eng. Prog. Symp. Series, vol. 55, no. 29, pp. 1–4, 1959.
Knudsen, J.G., and Story, M., The Effect of Heat Transfer Surface Temperature on the Scaling Behaviour of Simulated Cooling Tower Water, in Heat Transfer: Research and Application, ed., J.C. Chen, AIChE Symp. Series, vol. 74, no. 124, pp. 25–30, 1978.
Knudsen, J.G., Design of Heat Transfer Equipment Subject to Fouling: Basics, in Seminaire sur L’Entartrage des Equipments de Transfert de Chaleur, J.G. Knudsen and E.F.C. Somerscales, pp. 9.1–9.8, L’Institut Algerien du Petrole, Centre d’Arzew, April 27–28, 1985.
Marner, W.J., and Suitor, J.W., Fouling with Convective Heat Transfer, in Handbook of Single Phase Heat Transfer, ed., S. Kakac, R.K. Shah, and Win Aung, John Wiley & Sons, New York; 1987.
Chenoweth, J.M., General Design of Heat Exchangers for Fouling Conditions, lecture presented at NATO Advanced Study Institute, Advances in Fouling Science and Technology, Alvor, Portugal, 18–30 May, 1987.
Knudsen, J.G., Numerical Examples Showing the Effect of Fouling in Design and Operation, in Seminaire sur L’Entartrage des Equipments de Transfert de Chaleur, pp. 10.1–10.6, ibid.
Badger, W.L., and Othmer, D.F., Studies in Evaporator Design — VIII. Optimum Cycle for Liquids which Form Scale, Trans. Amer. Inst. Chem. Engrs., vol. 16, pp. 156–168, 1924.
Epstein, N., Optimum Evaporator Cycles with Scale Formation, Canadian J. Chem. Eng., vol. 57, pp. 659–661, 1979.
Epstein, N., Optimum Evaporator Cycles with Scale Formation, in Fouling of Heat Transfer Equipment, pp. 653–659, ibid.
Ma, R.S.T., and Epstein, N., Optimum Cycles for Falling Rate Processes, Canadian J. Chem. Eng., vol. 59, pp. 631–633, 1981.
McCabe, W.L., Economic Side of Evaporator Scale Formation, Chem. Met. Eng., vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 86–87, 1926.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1988 Kluwer Academic Publishers
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Somerscales, E.F.C. (1988). Fouling. In: Kakaç, S., Bergles, A.E., Fernandes, E.O. (eds) Two-Phase Flow Heat Exchangers. NATO ASI Series, vol 143. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2790-2_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2790-2_12
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-7755-2
Online ISBN: 978-94-009-2790-2
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive