Performance evaluation of a zero-fouling reciprocating scraped surface heat exchanger

An innovative self-cleaning shell and tube heat exchanger is presented. Inside each interior tube (through which the product flows) a scraping rod is fitted. This rod moves in reciprocal manner and the scraping elements mounted on the rod fully clean the tube wall surface. Additionally, the macrosco...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Authors: Solano Fernández, Juan Pedro, García Pinar, Alberto, Vicente Quiles, Pedro Ginés, Viedma Robles, Antonio
Format: article
Status:Versión aceptada para publicación
Publication Date:2011
Country:España
Institution:Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena(UPCT)
Repository:Repositorio Digital UPCT
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.upct.es:10317/4469
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10317/4469
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01457632.2010.495657
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Heat transfer
Fouling
Heat exchanger
Scraped surface
Mecánica de Fluidos
Description
Summary:An innovative self-cleaning shell and tube heat exchanger is presented. Inside each interior tube (through which the product flows) a scraping rod is fitted. This rod moves in reciprocal manner and the scraping elements mounted on the rod fully clean the tube wall surface. Additionally, the macroscopic displacements of the flow, induced by the insert device motion, promote high flow mixing. Consequently, tube-side heat transfer coefficients are enhanced. Thermal-hydraulic and scraping power measurements are performed in laminar regime for 20<Reh<250 and 0≤ω≤1 (ω=uscr/uf). An extended Performance Evaluation Criterion is proposed, in order to balance the augmentations of heat transfer and the increased power consumption (pumping and scraping power) of the device. This study allows stating guidelines for the operation of the device, concluding that the performance of the heat exchanger is irrespective of the velocity ratio. The scraper can be used intermittently, or at the minimum scraping frequency that ensures fouling mitigation.