Mechanics basis for removal of fouling

摘要

The retardation of heat transfer caused by fouling in heat exchangers is the prime reason for the increase in energy, maintenance, and operational cost. Thus the removal of fouling by mechanical or chemical means is indispensable in the operation of a plant. The mechanical removal of fouling generally involves the fracture of the deposits on the tube surface. However, no research from the perspective of solids mechanics has been made available for the selection of removal techniques and related parameters. The current techniques are purely empiric. The research needs in this field are discussed in the present paper. It is suggested that a wide spectrum of researches covering atomistic simulation of material removing, large scale fracture analysis and experimental determination of fouling properties should be performed.