ABSTRACT
Fouling occurs in natural as well as synthetic systems. Arteriosclerosis serves as an example of fouling in the human body wherein the deposit of cholesterol and the proliferation of connective tissues in an artery wall form plaque that grows inward. Fouling may significantly influence the overall design of a heat exchanger and may determine the amount of material employed for construction as well as performance between cleaning schedules. Lower heat transfer and increased pressure drop resulted from fouling decrease the effectiveness of a heat exchanger. The chapter discusses the effects and the basic thermohydraulic aspects of heat exchanger design. The change in the flow geometry due to fouling affects the flow field and the pressure drop. For example, in a tubular heat exchanger, a fouling layer roughens the surface, decreases the inside diameter, and increases the outside diameter of the tubes. The accumulation of solid particles suspended in the process stream onto the heat transfer surface results in particulate fouling.
