Training Program on

Petroleum Refining
Technology
Session 5: Fouling - Causes,
consequences and mitigation
Faculty: R. Mukherjee
Heat Transfer Consultant
New Delhi
Topics

Categories and Selection of

mechanisms of fouling resistance
fouling Design
Parameters which guidelines for
affect fouling minimising
How to provide a fouling
fouling allowance

Fouling Mitigation, Apri

What is fouling?
Deposition of unwanted material on a heat
transfer surface.
Jerry Taborek of HTRI called fouling the
major unresolved problem in heat transfer
in 1972.
The situation isnt very different in 2008!

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Variation of fouling

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Adverse effects of fouling
Increased capital cost Maintenance costs for
due to larger chemical treatment
equipment and cleaning
Additional energy Downtime costs
required due to (a) Loss of throughput
increased pumping
(b) reduction in
energy recovered

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Fouled tube bundle

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Fouled tube

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Cleaning of fouled tube bundle

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Categories of fouling
Particulate fouling
Bio-fouling

Corrosion fouling (of tube material)

Precipitation (scaling) cooling water

Chemical reaction fouling

Coking

Generally, several fouling mechanisms occur at the

same time, nearly always being mutually reinforcing.

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 Particulate fouling
Accumulation of finely Frequently
divided solids superimposes on
suspended in the precipitation and
process fluid on to the facilitates certain
heat transfer surface types of chemical
In some instances, reaction fouling.
settling by gravity
prevails ->
sedimentation fouling

Fouling Mitigation, Apri

 Bio-fouling (organic)
The attachment of Combines with or
macro-organisms superimposes on
and/or micro- precipitation and
organisms to a heat particulate fouling.
transfer surface,
Degree varies with
water source and
along with the
season.
adherent slimes often Bacterial growth can
generated by the
usually be controlled by
latter. chlorination.

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Corrosion fouling
The heat transfer Heavy HC streams
surface itself reacts at temps of about
to produce 290C and higher
corrosion products cause corrosion of
which foul the CS tubes and other
surface and may components due to
promote the high-temperature
attachment of other sulfur corrosion.
foulants.

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Precipitation

The precipitation With inverse

of dissolved solubility salts, the
substances on precipitation occurs
the heat transfer on superheated
surface. rather than
subcooled surfaces:
scaling.

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Chemical reaction fouling

Deposits formed at Such fouling results in

the heat transfer oil sludge, organic
surface by chemical polymers and
reaction in which the insoluble
surface material itself decomposition
is not a reactant. products.
Surface temperature
very significant.

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Coking
Although generically Foulant materials
used to describe have high organic
many forms of content and appear
organic fouling, as black oily deposits.
coking typically Rate of coking is a
occurs at high function of tubewall
temperatures in crude temperature and the
amount of fouling
and middle distillate precursors (like
service. asphaltenes) present.

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Parameters which affect fouling

Nature of fluid
Fluid velocity high velocity minimises
all modes but requires more pumping
power
Wall temperature affects scaling, bio-
fouling, chemical reaction rates
Tube material

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The stages of fouling
Step 1 Initiation Delay, nucleation, induction,
incubation, surface conditioning
Step 2 Transport Mass transfer

Step 3 Attachment Surface integration, sticking,

adhesion, bonding
Step 4 Removal Release, re-entrainment,
detachment, erosion, spalling
Step 5 Ageing

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How fouling builds up

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Cooling water fouling

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Selection of fouling resistance
Even after many Except for water and crude
years of fouling oil, TEMA values do not
research, designers consider fluid allocation,
use TEMA values. velocity, temperature level
and MOC.
Not surprising, Latest TEMA table indicates
considering a range, e.g., kerosene
complexity. 0.002-> 0.003 (British)
Important to monitor Selection should be done
fouling tedious carefully based upon
feedback and engineering
judgment.

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Design guidelines for minimising
fouling
Use heat exchanger However, dirty
types that foul less:
Plate, Spiral, Fluidised
Bed, Helixchangers
and Twisted Tube.
Tubeside easier to
clean, hence dirty
fluids -> tubeside.
fluids invariably
more viscous ->
shellside
Trade-off between
initial cost and
operating cost.
Fouling Mitigation, Apri
Dirty fluid on tubeside
Maximise fluid velocity Use spare bundle/spare
within erosion limit: shell
CW 1.5 m/s minimum
Use 2 shells in parallel,
Use bigger dia. tubes: each of 60-70%
20 mm, 25 mm, even
higher.
Use tube inserts:
minimise fouling to
Check pressure drop dramatic levels
with fouling layer
thickness or leave
Use chemical additives
sufficient margin. (anti-foulants)

Fouling Mitigation, Apri

Dirty fluid on shellside - 1

Use floating-head or U-
tube design.
Use square or rotated
square layout.
Minimize dead spaces by
optimum baffle design.
Maintain high velocity
use multiple shells in
series (case study follows)

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Dirty fluid on shellside - 2
Use larger tube pitch
for very dirty services.
Check pressure drop
with nil clearances or
fouling layer
thickness

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Case study: the problem
Shellside Tubeside
Fluid Vac. residue Crude oil
Flow rate, kg/h 55,000 170,000
Temp. in/out, oC 350/300 270/287
Viscosity in/out, cp 1.8/3.35 0.48/0.41
All. p, kg/cm2 0.7 0.7
Fouling res. (met.) 0.002 0.0006
Heat duty, kcal/h 1.84 MM

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Case study: the solution
One shell design Two shells in
series
Total HTA, m2 304 240
Shell ID, mm 1075 675
No. of tubes x NTP 670 x 6 260 x 2
Tube pitch 32 mm rot. sq.
Baffle spacing, mm 211 165
Baffle cut, dia % 18.4 25
Velocity shell/tube, m/s 0.15/2.02 0.36/1.73
Pr. drop shell/tube, kg/cm2 0.07/0.79 0.38/0.44
Overdesign, % 4.2 5.4

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References
Mukherjee, R, Conquer Heat Exchanger
Fouling, Hydrocarbon Processing, 75 (1), pp.
121-127 (Jan. 1996)

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