Electronic anti-fouling technology to mitigate precipitation fouling in plate-and-frame heat exchangers

The objective of the present study;was to investigate the validity of an electronic anti-fouling (EAF) technology through accelerated fouling tests. A plate-and-frame heat exchanger (with 20 stainless steel plates) was used for the tests, in which pressure drop across the heat exchanger, and the universal heat transfer coefficient were measured over a range of flow rates. In order to accelerate the sate of fouling, artificial hard water of 1000 ppm las CaCO3) was used in the present study. The test results showed that the EAF technology could significantly reduce new scale deposits even in the accelerated fouling test, which was an extremely harsh fouling environment. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd.All rights reserved.