»
»
»
Fouling
Figure 3. Fouling in heat exchanger.
in unnecessary expenditure, encompassing both cleaning costs and inefficient use of manpower. To address these challenges, the team is developing a predictive model to gauge the fouling severity of individual heat exchangers. This model aims to extend the service life of equipment by accurately determining the optimal cleaning schedule, thereby reducing costs and improving operational efficiency.
Figure 2. Digital twin architecture.
the impracticality of manual data entry for large datasets while ensuring consistent and reliable analysis outcomes.
Fouling prediction There is no accurate method to perform heat exchanger fouling prediction without internal inspection. Historically, all CW heat exchanger were cleaned during every 3-year interval turnaround, irrespective of their conditions. This could result
Fouling is not built overnight Fouling in heat exchangers significantly impacts equipment efficiency through the accumulation of unwanted materials( scale, biofilm, or particulates) on heat transfer surfaces. This accumulation creates thermal resistance, reducing heat transfer effectiveness and increasing operational costs. Two critical parameters are primarily impacted by fouling:
• Fluid temperature- fouling deposits increase thermal resistance, creating additional barriers to heat transfer between fluids.
• Fluid velocity- deposit accumulation restricts flow channels, leading to increased fluid velocities and pressure drops.
Over time, the heat exchanger performance drops until the point which cleaning is necessary. The cleaning frequency varies among heat exchangers based on process conditions and equipment geometry.
Figure 4. Temperature distribution across fouled heat exchanger surfaces.
46 Heat Exchanger World July 2025 www. heat-exchanger-world. com