Design of a Device for Measuring the Rate of Particulate Fouling of Heat Transfer Surfaces

This paper presents the process of designing an experimental device (TESTER) developed to test and assess the comprehensive rate of particulate fouling in various heat recovery processes.The evaluation can be used not only for direct flue gas heat recovery from combustion processes (e.g., process furnaces, wateror steam-boilers, etc.) but also for flue gas waste heat recovery processes (such as cement production, zinc dioxide production, etc.).The assessment of particulate fouling requires diverse operating conditions, including gas velocity, temperature, particles volume, size, and different types of TESTER geometry, such as tube diameter and arrangement.The main output of the experimental analysis is the identification of the optimal geometry or operating conditions of a heat exchanger and recommendation for the process operator.