Basic Concepts of Fouling in Heat Transfer System

One of the operational problems faced by different industries is the formation of deposits in heating equipment, which, in addition to destroying and damaging the equipment, plays a major role in energy wastage and its misuse. The deposit layer formed on the surfaces of the heat exchangers causes heat resistance and additional pressure drop due to the low conductivity coefficient and the relative obstruction of the flow path. Since the deposit layer formed on heat exchangers surfaces has a low conductivity and relatively blocks the flow path, it leads to the creation of additional heat resistance and pressure drop. As a result, the heat flux decreases, the efficiency of the heat transfer device decreases and the power consumption increases. Since more than 90% of heat transfer equipment are exposed to fouling formation, the study of fouling formation mechanisms, its prediction and control as well as the estimation of economic losses caused by this phenomenon will be very important.