Effect of Surface Roughness on Fouling of Calcium Carbonate: An Experimental Investigation

Abstract

The effect of surface roughness on the fouling behavior of calcium carbonate is experimentally investigated. The real operating conditions of a tubular heat exchanger are simulated by performing prolonged experiments with duration of 3 to 7 days. The solution used is a mixture of sodium bicarbonate and calcium chloride in de-ionized water with the concentration of 0.4 g/l of each. An on-line fouling evaluation system was developed such that the fouling resistance for a selected solution could be measured in real time. The experiments are repeated with the same procedure for 90/10 Cu/Ni tubes with different internal surface roughness. After the experiment the surface is analyzed by analytical microscopy to investigate the morphology of the deposit layer. Comparison of the experimental results of smooth and rough surfaces shows that a combination of aragonite and calcite polymorphs are formed on rough surface while only dendritic porous aragonite crystals are formed on smooth surface. Accordingly, the deposit layer formed on rough surface is denser and has a higher thermal resistance comparing to that formed on smooth surface. The fouling factor-time curves of smooth and rough surfaces obtained by the current experimental study agree with the results found by the analytical microscopy of the surface and show higher fouling resistances for rough surface. Experimental data is significantly important for the design, and formulating operating, and cleaning schedules of the equipment.