Experimental study of micro-particle fouling under forced convective heat transfer

Abstract

Particulate fouling studies of a hydrocarbon based suspension containing 2 μm alumina particles were performed in an annular heat exchanger having a hydraulic diameter of 14.7 mm. During fouling experiments, the classical asymptotical behavior was observed. It is shown that particle concentration, fluid velocity, and wall temperature have strong influences on the fouling curve and the asymptotic fouling resistance. Furthermore, a mathematical model is developed to formulate the asymptotic fouling resistance in terms of the mass transfer coefficient, thermophoresis velocity, and fluid shear rate. The results demonstrate that the prediction of the new model is in good agreement with the experimental observations.