Effect of particle ingestion on the fouling reduction and heat transfer enhancement of a No-Distributor-Fluidized heat exchanger

To overcome the fouling problem that is common in heat exchangers for waste heat recovery, a new type of fluidized heat exchanger was devised and tested. Fluidized bed heat exchangers are considered to be a good candidate for waste heat recovery flue gases due to their demonstrated ability to avoid fouling or to clean out deposition on heat transfer surfaces, but have a major drawback with significant pressure losses. These pressure drops typically associated with the distributor plate, which is a key component in constructing any conventional fluidized bed system, limit the applicability of fluidized bed heat exchangers for use as an energy saving device. In a new design, however, dilute gassolid particulate is maintained without having a distributor plate. The main feature of this no-distributor-fluidized (NDF) heat exchanger is the self-cleaning action by ingested circulating particles at minimal additional pressure loss. In the present study, a multi riser NDF heat exchanger of 7,000 kcal/hr capacity was built to evaluate its heat transfer performance and fouling reduction characteristics. To experimentally simulate the fouled condition, fuel rich combustion gas with soot was introduced to the heat exchanger, then a cleaning test was performed by introducing glass bead particles (600μm) inside the gas passage of the heat exchanger unit. Through the present experimental study, the performance degradation due to fouling was successfully demonstrated and the cleaning role of particle circulation was identified. It was also demonstrated that small amounts of circulating particles contribute not only to the fouling reduction on the gas side, but also to the heat transfer enhancement. Experimental operation data for 50 hours including accelerated fouling are obtained to simulate the long-term behavior of the system.