CFD Simulations of Crude Oil Fouling on Heat Transfer Surfaces

Abstract

Advancements in the computational techniques have led to the development of various numerical models and methods to predict the occurrence of crude oil fouling in heat exchangers. Computational fluid dynamics has been employed in the field of crude oil fouling research in the recent past, which led to the concept of investigating the effects of various operating conditions on deposit formations on heat transfer surfaces. Various processes associated with crude oil fouling, such as asphaltenes precipitation and chemical reactions, have been studied through CFD simulations. This chapter provides stateof-the-art review on various CFD approaches and describes the discrete-phase CFD modeling of crude oil fouling through asphaltenes deposition on heat transfer surfaces.

Fouling and Mechanism

“…The drag force on the particle should be lower than the gravitational force to settle it down on the surface. Thermophoresis, also known as thermodiffusion or Soret effect, is caused by the diffusion due to temperature gradient [32]. The particles are transferred from the hot zone to the cold zone by the thermophoretic force.…”