Model-based Monitoring of Fouling in a Heat Exchanger

Fouling is the deposition of undesired material on a heat transfer surface. It significantly decreases the thermal performance of heat exchangers. In this study, a novel method is proposed to monitor fouling in a thermosiphon reboiler. The method combines a physical model and a data-driven model to estimate the heat transfer mechanism. The overall heat transfer coefficient and heat flux are modeled by using physical models. Partial least square regression is used to model the tube-side film heat transfer coefficient. Additionally, a methodology to estimate fouling resistance is presented. The proposed method is demonstrated on a reboiler in a simulated debutanizer column.