Experimental investigation of crystallization fouling on grooved stainless steel surfaces during convective heat transfer

The beneficial aspects of enhanced or extended heat transfer surfaces may be offset if operated under fouling conditions. In this article, preliminary experimental results for crystallization fouling of CaSO4 solutions onto surfaces with different structures are reported. Flat stainless steel plates (50 mm 59 mm) with V-shaped grooves on the side of fluid flow were used as heat transfer surfaces. Experiments were carried out under both clean and fouling conditions to discern how the same surface structures perform under such circumstances. In addition, the impact of both the direction of grooves with respect to fluid flow (crossed, longitudinal, and mixed flow grooves) and the groove dimensions has also been investigated. Fouling trends are discussed in terms of induction time and fouling rate. Significant differences have been found for the various flow conditions.