The present study evaluated biofilm growth in AISI 316L stainless steel tubes for seawater-cooled exchanger-condensers that had four different arithmetic mean surface roughness values ranging from 0.14 μm to 1.2 μm. The results of fluid frictional resistance and heat transfer resistance regarding biofilm formation in the roughest surface showed increases of 28.2% and 19.1% respectively, compared with the smoothest surface. The biofilm thickness taken at the end of the experiment showed variations of up to 74% between the smoothest and roughest surfaces. The thermal efficiency of the heat transfer process in the tube with the roughest surface was 17.4% greater than that in the tube with the smoothest surface. The results suggest that the finish of the inner surfaces of the tubes in heat exchanger-condensers is critical for improving energy efficiency and avoiding biofilm adhesion. This may be utilised to reduce biofilm adhesion and growth in the design of heat exchanger-condensers.
This article discusses the antifouling action of a continuous physical treatment process comprising the application of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) to seawater used as the refrigerant fluid in a heat exchanger-condenser to maintain the initial 'clean tube' condition. The results demonstrated that the EMFs accelerated the ionic nucleation of calcium and precipitation as calcium carbonate, which weakened the growing biofilm and reduced its adhesion capacity. Consequently, EMFs induced an erosive effect that reduced biofilm formation and fouling. This treatment allowed for the maintenance of significantly lower fouling factors in the treated tubes compared to a control group of untreated tubes, thereby leading to a higher heat transfer efficiency.
The influence of flow velocity (FV) on the heat transfer process in tubes made from AISI 316L stainless steel in a heat exchanger-condenser cooled by seawater was evaluated based on the characteristics of the resulting biofilm that adhered to the internal surface of the tubes at velocities of 1, 1.2, 1.6, and 3 m s(-1). The results demonstrated that at a higher FV, despite being more compact and consistent, the biofilm was thinner with a lower concentration of solids, and smoother, which favoured the heat transfer process within the equipment. However, higher velocities increase the initial cost of the refrigerating water-pumping equipment and its energy consumption cost to compensate for the greater pressure drops produced in the tube. The velocity of 1.6 m s(-1) represented the equilibrium between the advantages and disadvantages of the variables analysed for the test conditions in this study.
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