Heat exchanger in a steam power plant, fouled by macro fouling

Condenser tube with residues of biofouling (cut open)

Condenser tube with calcium carbonate scaling (cut open)

Brass tube with corrosion traces (cut open)

Cost relations between the individual types of fouling

The term fouling refers to the fouling of heat-transferring system components through ingredients contained in the cooling water. In the cooling technology and other technical fields, a first rough distinction is made between macro fouling and micro fouling. Image File history File linksMetadata Fouling02. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Fouling02. ... A heat exchanger is a device built for efficient heat transfer from one fluid to another, whether the fluids are separated by a solid wall so that they never mix, or the fluids are directly contacted. ... A power station (also power plant) is a facility for the generation of electric power. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (999x441, 68 KB) [edit] Summary A halved condenser tube pattern contaminated with bio fouling Published with the friendly permission of Taprogge GmbH, Germany (infokLaMmerafFtaprogge. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (999x441, 68 KB) [edit] Summary A halved condenser tube pattern contaminated with bio fouling Published with the friendly permission of Taprogge GmbH, Germany (infokLaMmerafFtaprogge. ... Condenser refers here to the shell and tube heat exchanger installed at the outlet of every steam turbine in Thermal power stations of utility companies generally. ... Tubing refers to a flexible hose or pipe used in plumbing, irrigation, and other industries. ... Biofouling or biological fouling is the undesirable accumulation of microorganisms, plants, algae, and animals on submerged structures, especially ships hulls. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1000x500, 39 KB) A halved condenser tube pattern contaminated with scaling Published with the friendly permission of Taprogge GmbH, Germany (infokLaMmerafFtaprogge. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1000x500, 39 KB) A halved condenser tube pattern contaminated with scaling Published with the friendly permission of Taprogge GmbH, Germany (infokLaMmerafFtaprogge. ... Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound, with chemical formula CaCO3. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1001x431, 67 KB) A halved condenser brass tube pattern with corrosion pittings Published with the friendly permission of Taprogge GmbH, Germany (infokLaMmerafFtaprogge. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1001x431, 67 KB) A halved condenser brass tube pattern with corrosion pittings Published with the friendly permission of Taprogge GmbH, Germany (infokLaMmerafFtaprogge. ... Corrosion is deterioration of intrinsic properties in a material due to reactions with its environment. ... Image File history File links Fouling03_en. ... Image File history File links Fouling03_en. ... A heat exchanger is a device built for efficient heat transfer from one fluid to another, whether the fluids are separated by a solid wall so that they never mix, or the fluids are directly contacted. ... Watercooling is a method of heat removal from components. ...

Macro fouling

Macro fouling is caused by coarse matter of biological origin or by industrially produced refuse. Such matter enters into the cooling water circuit through the cooling water pumps from sources like the open sea, rivers or lakes. Even in closed circuits, like cooling towers, the ingress of macro fouling into the cooling tower basin is possible through open canals or by the wind. Sometimes, parts of the cooling tower internals detach themselves and are carried into the cooling water circuit. All such substances foul the heat-transferring surfaces of the coolers and heat exchangers and deteriorate the relevant heat transfer coefficient. Debris (French, pronounced (IPA) dibri) is a word used to describe the remains of something that has been otherwise destroyed. ... This article is about waste matter. ... A pump is a mechanical device used to move liquids or gases. ... Sunset at sea Look up Sea in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Look up maritime in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The River Thames in London River running into Harrietville Trout Farm A river is a large natural waterway. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Image 1: Natural draft wet cooling towers at Didcot Power Station, UK Cooling towers are evaporative coolers used for cooling water or other working medium to near-ambient temperature. ... The heat transfer coefficient is used as a fudge factor in calculating heat transfer in thermodynamics. ...

Examples

• Manmade refuse
• Internal parts of cooling towers
• Algae
• Mussels
• Leaves, parts of plants up to entire trunks

A seaweed (Laurencia) up close: the branches are multicellular and only about 1 mm thick. ... Mussels A mussel is a bivalve shellfish that can be found in lakes, rivers, creeks, intertidal areas, and throughout the ocean. ... In the armed forces, leave is permission to be away from ones unit for a period of time. ... Trunk may be: Look up trunk in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Micro fouling

As to micro fouling, distinctions are made between:

• Biological fouling, like settlements of bacteria and algae
• sedimentation of sand and mud
• scaling as crystallization of salts:
  • calcium carbonate
  • silicates
  • magnesium hydroxide

Through evaporating and degasifying, the concentration of salts can rise above the saturation point, leading to a precipitation of salt crystals. For the equilibrium between the readily soluble calcium bicarbonate - always prevailing in water - and the unsoluble calcium carbonate, the formula reads: Biofouling or biological fouling is the undesirable accumulation of microorganisms, plants, algae, and animals on submerged structures, especially ships hulls. ... Subgroups Actinobacteria Aquificae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chlamydiae/Verrucomicrobia Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Nitrospirae Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Bacteria (singular: bacterium) are microscopic, unicellular organisms. ... The term scaling can have several manings: Scaling can be defined as the determination of the interdependency of variables in a physical system. ... Crystal (disambiguation) Insulin crystals A crystal is a solid in which the constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are packed in a regularly ordered, repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. ... A magnified crystal of a salt (halite/sodium chloride) In chemistry, a salt is any ionic compound composed of positively charged cations and negatively charged anions so that the product is neutral and without a net charge. ... Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound, with chemical formula CaCO3. ... In chemistry, a silicate is a compound containing an anion in which one or more central silicon atoms are surrounded by electronegative ligands. ... Magnesium hydroxide, Mg(OH)2, otherwise known as milk of magnesia, is commonly used as an antacid or a laxative. ... Evaporation is the process whereby atoms or molecules in a liquid state (or solid state if the substance sublimes) gain sufficient energy to enter the gaseous state. ... Dew on a spider web The dew point or dewpoint of a given parcel of air is the temperature to which the parcel must be cooled, at constant barometric pressure, for the water vapor component to condense into water, called dew. ... Calcium bicarbonate (Ca(HCO3)2), also called calcium hydrogencarbonate, is a compound which exists only in solution. ...

The calcium carbonate that has formed through this reaction precipitates in the tubes. Due to the temperature dependence of the reaction, the scaling is higher at the outlet than at the inlet.

Chemical reactions

Chemical reactions may happen on the grounds of the contact with the warmer surface of the condenser tube. In such cases the metallic surface sometimes acts as a catalyst. These reactions are mainly corrosion and polymerization occuring in cooling water for the chemical industry which has a minor content of hydrocarbons. Higher tube wall temperatures may lead to carbonizing.

The economic importance of fouling

Fouling creates considerable operational costs. These costs result initially from corrosion damages and impaired heat transfer. However, also the ecological costs have to be considered that arise from the use of biocides for the avoidance of bio fouling, or from the increased fuel input to compensate for the reduced output caused by fouling. For example, normal fouling at a conventionally fired 500 MW power station unit accounts for output losses of the steam turbine of 5 MW and more, and in a 1300 MW nuclear power station the losses may reach even 20 MW. In seawater desalination plants, fouling may reduce the Gained Output Ratio by two-digit percentages (the Gained Output Ratio is an equivalent that puts the mass of generated distillate in relation to the steam used in the process). The extra eletrical consumption in compressor-operated coolers is also easily in the two-digit area. Corrosion is deterioration of intrinsic properties in a material due to reactions with its environment. ... Fatale is also the title of a comic book published in the mid-1990s by Broadway Comics. ... Ecology is the branch of science that studies the distribution and abundance of living organisms, and the interactions between organisms and their environment. ... A biocide is a chemical substance capable of killing different forms of living organisms used in fields such as medicine, agriculture, forestry, and mosquito control. ... Fuel is any material that is capable of releasing energy when its chemical or physical structure is changed or converted. ... // Information processing In information processing, output is the process of transmitting information by an object (verb usage). ... The watt (symbol: W) is the SI derived unit of power, equal to one joule per second. ... Oil power plant in Iraq A power station or power plant is a facility for the generation of electric power. ... A rotor of a modern steam turbine, used in a power plant A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam, and converts it into useful mechanical work. ... A nuclear power plant (NPP) is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors. ... Desalination or desalinization refers to any of several processes that remove the excess salt and other minerals from water in order to obtain fresh water suitable for animal consumption or irrigation, and if almost all of the salt is removed, for human consumption, sometimes producing table salt as a by... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with consumption (economics). ... Compressor has several meanings: A gas compressor is a mechanical device that takes in a gas and increases its pressure by squeezing a volume of it into a smaller volume. ...

In addition to the operational cost, also the capital cost increases because the heat exchangers have to be designed in larger sizes to make good for the heat transfer losses through fouling. This is the amount on which you first claim CCA. The capital cost of a depreciable property is usually the total of the purchase price, not including the cost of land (which is not depreciable);the part of your legal, accounting, engineering, installation, and other fees that relates to the...

Fouling control

The most reasonable way of controlling fouling is to keep the cause of fouling out of the cooling water circuit. In steam power stations and other major industrial installations of water technology, macro fouling is avoided by way of pre-filtration and cooling water debris filters. In the case of micro fouling, filtration is possible only with extensive methods of water treatment or membrane technology. Chemical or mechanical cleaning processes for the elimination of scales are recommendable in this regard. These processes comprise pickling with acids or cleaning with recirculating sponge rubber balls by the so called "Taprogge System". Whereas pickling causes environmental problems through the handling, application and storage of acids, mechanical cleaning by means of circulating cleaning balls is a renowned method. Oil power plant in Iraq A power station or power plant is a facility for the generation of electric power. ... Impact of a drop of water. ... It has been suggested that Techie be merged into this article or section. ... In chemistry, alchemy and water treatment, filtration is the process of using a filter to mechanically separate a mixture. ... A water filter is a device which removes impurities from water by means of a fine physical barrier and/or chemical processes. ... It has been suggested that Net flux be merged into this article or section. ... -) :-( :-P :-*An acid (often represented by the generic formula HA) is traditionally considered any chemical compound that when dissolved in water, gives a solution with a pH of less than 7. ... A sponge rubber ball serves for tube cleaning and is used for removing fouling from the tubes of shell-and-tube heat exchangers in general and from the cooling tubes of condensers in particular. ... Schematic representation of the cleaning process and of the filtration technology The Taprogge GmbH is a medium-sized company based in Wetter (Ruhr), municipality part Wengern, on the river Ruhr in Germany. ...

The applied biocides may be classified as follows: inorganic chlorine and bromide compounds, chlorine and bromide cleavers, ozone and oxygen cleavers, unoxidizable biocides. One of the most important unoxidizable biocides is a mixture of chloromethyl-isothiazolinone and methyl-isothiazolinone. Also applied are dibrom nitrilopropionamide and quaternary ammonium compounds. Inorganic chemistry is the branch of chemistry concerned with the properties and reactions of inorganic compounds. ... General Name, Symbol, Number chlorine, Cl, 17 Chemical series halogens Group, Period, Block 17, 3, p Appearance yellowish green Atomic mass 35. ... A bromide is a phrase, or person who uses phrases, which have been used and repeated so many times as to become either insincere in their meaning, or seem like an attempt at trying to explain the obvious. ... The word cleaver has a number of uses: Cleaver (knife) is a large form of knife. ... For other uses, see Ozone (disambiguation). ... General Name, Symbol, Number oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series Nonmetals, chalcogens Group, Period, Block 16, 2, p Appearance colorless (gas) very pale blue (liquid) Atomic mass 15. ... A biocide is a chemical substance capable of killing different forms of living organisms used in fields such as medicine, agriculture, forestry, and mosquito control. ...

External Links

• A 'green' Antifouling alternative to Chlorine
• HRS Spiratube's solution to fouling for heat exchangers