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Experience Exchange
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Experience Exchange : Understanding fouling
By Isaac Appelquist Løge
Although heat exchangers are often plagued by fouling , they are not alone in this problem . Fouling is a challenge when producing freshwater through membranes and when transporting valuable materials through pipes . It can potentially be a showstopper for hydrogen production and carbon capture , utilisation , and storage ( CCUS ). Fouling is the unwanted accumulation of material on surfaces . This will reduce the efficiency of surface heat transfer , increase the pressure drop , and accelerate equipment corrosion . Fouling can be caused by various factors , such as particles , biological organisms , chemical reactions , or corrosion products . As a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Energy Resources Engineering ( CERE ) at the Technical University of Denmark ( DTU ), I have been working on the problem of fouling for the past few years . My research focused on the fouling of the crystallisation of BaSO4 and CaCO3 . With my research , my objective was to contribute to understanding the formation of fouling , which , in turn , should be used to develop more efficient and sustainable heat exchangers , providing better insights into fouling . During my research , one of the most important lessons I have learnt is the value of interdisciplinarity . Interdisciplinarity is the integration of knowledge and methods from different disciplines and industries to address a common problem or question . Here fouling is a scholarly example of an interdisciplinary challenge . Understanding fouling requires chemistry , physics , biology , engineering , and mathematics . Chemistry dictates the chemical reactions and interactions that underlie fouling formation . Physics governs the adhesion and adhesion of fouling to surfaces . Biology is the basis for biofouling , and engineering can help design and optimise equipment and processes that are affected by fouling . Having a background in nanotechnology , I operate with different perspective on the fouling phenomena compared to my colleagues in the Department of Chemical Engineering at DTU . Through nanotechnology and chemical engineering , I was able to understand fouling from multiple scales : from the molecular to the macroscopic , and to appreciate multiple factors of the problem . However , one of my great privileges is the opportunity to learn and collaborate with researchers from different disciplines and backgrounds . They all offer new insights and perspectives on the problem of fouling and humble me in the best possible way . For example , I have collaborated with researchers from the fields of geology , petroleum engineering , and fluid mechanics , who have shared their knowledge and experience , which we have used together to better understand the fouling processes . My interactions with these talented individuals remind me of listening with an open mind to new ideas and that we are all beginners at our own levels . To fully understand fouling , we must get insights from all industries , and facilitate collaborations . Communication between disciplines is a challenge , as each may have different languages , terminologies , methods , and goals . However , if we overcome these initial hurdles , I am sure there are treasures to be found .
About the author
Isaac Appelquist Løge is a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at the Technical University of Denmark ( DTU ), where he also acquired his Ph . D . in 2023 . He has also been the chairman of the Copenhagen SPE student chapter . He was a finalist for the IChemE Young Researcher Award and a recipient of the DTU Young Researchers Award .
Increases pressure Lowers throughput drop and lifetime
Fouling is not just a challenge in heat exchangers . It is also detrimental to membrane technology , and pipe transport , where it decreases life time , and increases production costs . www . heat-exchanger-world . com