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Abstract
Pipe fouling is a challenging problem in many industrial applications. Current cleaning techniques require halting the production during the cleaning phase and the existing methods are unable to do targeted cleaning, even though fouling is often localized to certain areas inside the pipeline. To address this issue, we use FEM-simulated, time-reversed signals to focus ultrasound power onto a pre-determined location: a fouled pipe residing inside a Plexiglas container. Ultrasound cleaning with similar acoustic power was compared to the time-reversal enhanced method in terms of cleaning efficiency. The cleaning efficiency was determined by measuring how much fouling, by mass, both protocols removed from the surface of a Plexiglas pipe, using similar input electric power and equal cleaning time. Our results indicate that the proposed time-reversal-based technique removes three times more fouling than the standard ultrasound cleaning without focusing. The study extends our previous paper on FEM-based time-reversal focusing [1].
Highlights
In many industrial applications, fouling accumulates with time in side equipment, such as pipelines, heat exchangers, and processing tanks
We used Ca(OH)2 fouling on the pipes, which is a common fouling type [2]. This suffices for our current pur pose, since our goal was to show that combining the time-reversal process and multitapping with ultrasound cleaning techniques may permit efficient cleaning of complex structures
We introduced an enhanced ultrasonic fouling-removal method with spatial focusing ability by using simulated and time-reversed signals
Summary
In many industrial applications, fouling accumulates with time in side equipment, such as pipelines, heat exchangers, and processing tanks. Some of these equipment feature complex internal structures. In most cases, fouling decreases the production efficiency and creates a need for maintenance and cleaning. The industry has developed tech niques to address the problem, based on chemical and mechanical cleaning protocols [2]. These methods require inter rupting the production [2], which causes economic loss. The employed chemicals often have harmful environmental impact [3]
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