Investigation on fouling behaviors of low-energy surface and fouling fractal characteristics

Although many measures have been taken to mitigate the formation of deposit s on the heat transfer surface, fouling is still a serious problem in indus trial processes. This article describes the fouling behavior of two types o f copper-modified surfaces with low surface energy. CaCO3 crystallization f ouling experiments were carried out on the modified heat transfer surfaces in a simulated cooling hard water system. The results suggest that the foul ing process is enhanced in the presence of desorbed air bubbles on the modi fied surfaces. The fractal theory is used to analyze the fouling geometric texture. The results demonstrate that the fractal dimension values D of CaC O3 fouling on the modified surfaces are higher than that on the copper surf ace. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.