Effect of Fouling Mitigation for Ceramic Ball in Cooling Water System of Heat Exchanger

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of fouling mitigation for ceramic ball in cooling water system experimentally. The devices filled with ceramic balls were connected to the bypass line of the heat exchanging system. Cooling water in the heat exchanging system was artificial water. To visualize the formation of fouling on the heat transfer surface a number of images were obtained using a CCD camera with real-time microscopy. Fouling resistances and overall heat transfer coefficients were measured in order to analyze fouling mitigation effects. We found that the ceramic ball devices for artificial water reduced the formation of fouling compared to the no-mitigation devices