A review of crystallization fouling in heat exchangers

Berce, Jure (author), Zupančič, Matevž (author), Može, Matic (author), Golobič, Iztok (author)

A vast majority of heat exchangers suffer from unwanted deposition of material on the surface, which severely inhibits their performance and thus marks one of the biggest challenges in heat transfer. Despite numerous scientific investigations, prediction and prevention of fouling remain unresolved issues in process engineering and are responsible for large economic losses and environmental damage. This review article focuses specifically on crystallization fouling, providing a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art of fouling in heat exchangers. The fundamentals of the topic are discussed, as the term fouling resistance is introduced along with distinct fouling behaviour, observed in laboratory and industrial environments. Insight into subsequent phases of the fouling process is provided, along with the accompanying microscale events. Furthermore, the effects of fluid composition, temperature, flow velocity, surface condition, nucleate boiling and composite fouling are comprehensively discussed. Fouling modelling is systematically reviewed, from the early work of Kern and Seaton to recently used artificial neural networks and computational fluid dynamics. Finally, the most common fouling mitigation approaches are presented, including design considerations and various on-line strategies, as well as off-line cleaning. According to our review, several topics require further study, such as the initial stage of crystal formation, the effects of ageing, the interplay of two or more fouling mechanisms and the underlying phenomena of several mitigation strategies.

• Language: English
• Keywords: heat exchanger, fouling, energy efficiency, crystallization, fouling modelling, fouling mitigation
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FS - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: 24 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 9, iss. 8, art. 1356
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-128872
• UDC: 536.24:532.78
• ISSN on article: 2227-9717
• DOI: 10.3390/pr9081356
• COBISS.SI-ID: 72562947
• Publication date in RUL: 09.08.2021

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Processes
• Shortened title: Processes
• Publisher: MDPI AG
• ISSN: 2227-9717
• COBISS.SI-ID: 523353113

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 01.08.2021

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: prenosniki toplote, mešanje, energijska učinkovitost, kristalizacija, modeliranje mešanja, preprečevanje mešanja

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P2-0223
• Name: Prenos toplote in snovi

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: J2-2486
• Name: Izboljšan prenos toplote pri vrenju z uporabo hierarhičnih funkcionaliziranih površin (eHEATs)