Effect of a plasma-assisted self-cleaning filter on the performance of PWT coil for the mitigation of mineral fouling in a heat exchanger

• Published in: International journal of heat and mass transfer 2010-01, Vol.53 (1), p.412-422
• Main Authors: Yang, Yong, Kim, Hyoungsup, Fridman, Alexander, Cho, Young I.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Calcium scaling; Devices using thermal energy; Energy; Energy. Thermal use of fuels; Exact sciences and technology; Heat exchangers (included heat transformers, condensers, cooling towers); Mineral fouling; Physical water treatment; Self-cleaning filter; Solenoid coil; Zero blowdown
• ISSN: 0017-9310; 1879-2189
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2009.09.015

The present study investigated the effect of a plasma-assisted self-cleaning filter on the performance of physical water treatment (PWT) solenoid coil for the mitigation of mineral fouling in a concentric counterflow heat exchanger. The self-cleaning filter utilized shockwaves produced by pulse-spark discharges in water to continuously remove deposits from the surface of the filter, thus keeping the pressure drop across the filter at a relatively low value. Artificial hard water with hardness ranging from 250 to 1000 ppm was used with zero blowdown in the present fouling experiments for three different cases: no-treatment, PWT coil only, and PWT coil plus the self-cleaning filter. Fouling resistances decreased by 59–72% for the combined case of PWT coil plus filter compared with the values for no-treatment cases. SEM photographs showed much smaller particle sizes for the combined case as larger particles were continuously removed from circulating water by the filter. The X-ray diffraction data showed calcite crystal structures for all three cases.