Proceedings of an International Conference on Mitigation of Heat Exchanger Fouling and Its Economic and Environmental Implications

ISBN Print: 1-56700-172-6

INFLUENCE OF PARTICLES ON SCALING IN INDUSTRIAL HEAT EXCHANGERS - PRELIMINARY STUDIES

DOI: 10.1615/1-56700-172-6.460
pages 419-426

Resumo

Scaling of industrial heat exchangers is a big problem in cane sugar factories resulting in various operational problems. Process fluids flowing in heat exchangers of these factories contain various organic and inorganic salts as well as suspended particles. A cane sugar factory in Zambia is studied and the main operational problems encountered are presented. Further scale deposits forming on syrup heater surfaces have been analysed to determine their constituents. Results show that gypsum is the dominant compound in the scale layer. Also observed are foreign particles imbedded in the scale layer. Results from preliminary experiments show that particles suspended in the fluid may have an influence on the scaling process. These findings provide motivation to study the influence of particles on the scaling process.