Fouling mitigation is resumed . In some cases , with dirty seawater , online cleaning systems such as Taprogge are used , and these systems have been reported to work on both smooth and enhanced surfaces .
Summary and conclusions The recent test data collected by Southern Company on the Helix tube appears to be consistent with prior research indicating that internally grooved tubes do not lose their performance advantage over smooth surfaces in a cooling water fouling environment . This is also consistent with the 30 + years of installation experience in the refrigeration
industry with all types of cooling water and spirally grooved ID tubes . If the benefit were lost over time due to increased fouling rate , then this technology certainly would not have become the industry standard accepted practice for use in commercial chillers world-wide . The efficiency of these chillers is carefully measured while in service . However , because operating field data is rarely shared or published across industries , it is important to continue testing and measuring fouling rates under controlled conditions which can help us to select the optimal fin geometry from both a performance and maintenance perspective .
About the authors
Rebecca Osteen works as a Research Engineer in Southern Company ’ s Research & Development organization . After earning her Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from Auburn University in 2013 , she began her career as a Programs Engineer at Southern Nuclear ’ s Plant Hatch . In 2015 , she transitioned into R & D supporting the generating fleet R & D program . She has worked in several different research areas including wastewater treatment , water conservation , heat rate and plant performance . Currently , Rebecca ’ s primary research focus is on environmental sustainability , which includes identifying gaps and evaluating technologies to improve water use and environmental stewardship of Southern Company ’ s existing generating fleet . She is also developing long-term strategies to minimize environmental impacts of the Southern Company fleet in a low-carbon energy future . Craig Thomas has over 30 years of experience in the area of enhanced heat transfer and applications engineering related to shell and tube heat exchangers . He is a member of the National Association of Corrosion Engineers , The Materials Technology Institute , Heat Transfer Research Inc ., and The American Society of Heating , Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers . He is currently a Director of Technical Sales for NEOTISS – High Performance Tubing , a manufacturer of welded heat exchanger tubing , and enhanced surface heat transfer tubing , with manufacturing sites in the USA , France , China , India and Korea . Craig has a degree in Engineering Science from Loyola University Maryland . He currently resides in Nashville TN .