Fouling of milk components on DLC coated surfaces at pasteurization and UHT temperatures

Fouling in heat exchangers in the food industry causes not only the reduction of the overall system performance, but also a reduction of food quality due to overheating or insufficient heating resulting in potential risk of microbiological contamination. A measure to avoid or at least mitigate fouling is the modification of the heat transferring surface. In order to understand the interaction deposit-surface stainless steel was coated by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition and the deposition behavior of whey protein, calcium phosphate and a combination of both was investigated. DLC (diamond-like carbon) coatings, namely a-C:H, a-C:H:Si and a-C:H:Si:O, were fouled at an initial surface temperature of 80 and 120/105 °C and the impact of the surface modification on the fouling resistance, the amount and type of deposit formed and the deposit composition were assessed. The results showed that the surface energy properties affected the first fouling layer formation as well as further stages of build-up and the deposit structure, principally at the lower surface temperature. Moreover the electron donor component significantly influenced the final fouling resistance as well as the deposit mass, suggesting an optimum value of γ^? for which deposits have lower adhesive and cohesive strengths and the fouling is minimal.     

Fouling Resistance on Chemically Etched Hydrophobic Surfaces in Nucleate Pool Boiling

Chemical etching, liquid phase deposition, and dipping techniques were utilized to fabricate highly hydrophobic micro‐ and nanoscale coating surfaces on stainless‐steel substrates. Heat transfer and fouling characteristics on these surfaces in pool boiling of deionized water and CaSO₄ solution were studied. High roughness and hydrophobicity of coated surfaces were obtained on chemically etched substrates. Compared to the polished stainless‐steel surface, the chemically etched coating surface provided a three times enhanced nucleate boiling coefficient at high heat flux. Obvious decrease of CaSO₄ fouling resistance was obtained on chemically etched surfaces due to the higher roughness and hydrophobicity before the fouling resistance reaches the asymptotic value. Slightly high asymptotic fouling resistance was observed compared with coating surfaces without chemical etching of substrates.     

Pool boiling fouling and corrosion properties on liquid‐phase‐deposition TiO2 coatings with copper substrate

Fouling on the heat transfer surfaces of industrial heat exchangers is an intractable problem, and several techniques have been suggested to inhibit fouling. Surface coatings are of such techniques by which the adhesion force between fouling and heat transfer surface can be reduced with low surface free energy thin films. In this article, liquid phase deposition was applied to coat titanium dioxide thin films on the red copper substrates with film thickness in micro‐ or nano‐meter scale. Coating thickness, contact angle, roughness, surface topography, and components were measured with X‐ray diffraction, contact angle analyzer, stylus roughmeter, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, respectively. Surface free energy of coating layers was calculated based on the contact angle. Heat transfer and fouling characteristics in pool boiling of distilled water and calcium carbonate solution on coated surfaces were investigated. Heat transfer enhancement was observed on coated surfaces compared with untreated or polished surfaces due to the micro‐ and nano‐structured surfaces which may increase the number of nucleation sites. The nonfouling time on the coated surfaces is extended than that on the untreated or polished surfaces due to the reducing of the surface free energy of coated surfaces. Corrosion behavior of coated surfaces soaked in the corrosive media of hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide alkali, and sodium chloride salt solutions with high concentration at room temperature a few hours was also explored qualitatively. Anticorrosion results of the coated surfaces were obtained. The coatings resisted alkali corrosion within 7.2 × 10⁵ s, acidic corrosion within 3.6 × 10⁵ s and salt corrosion within 2.16 × 10⁶ s. The present work may open a new coating route to avoid fouling deposition and corrosion on the heat transfer surfaces of industry evaporators, which is very important for energy saving in the related industries. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2011     

Anti-fouling surface modified stainless steel for food processing

Fouling on food contact surfaces (e.g. heat exchangers, work tables, conveyors) during food processing has a significant impact on operating efficiency and can promote biofilm development. Processing raw milk on plate heat exchangers results in significant fouling of proteins as well as minerals, and is exacerbated by the wall heating effect. The surface of 316L stainless steel heat exchanger plates was modified to resist fouling during food processing. An electroless nickel plating process was used to co-deposit fluorinated nanoparticles onto 316L stainless steel. The ability to resist fouling was demonstrated on a pilot plant scale plate heat exchanger. The fluorinated nanoparticle modified steel reduced surface energy from 41.4 to 24.7 mN/m, and reduced foulant accumulation by 97%. The anti-fouling coating was demonstrated to improve heat transfer efficiency. Repeatability studies were performed and confirmed that the EN-PTFE surface coating maintained its anti-fouling properties through 10 independent processing runs. Co-deposition of fluorinated particles during electroless nickel plating represents an effective and commercially scalable method to prepare anti-fouling coatings on stainless steel.     

CaCO3 fouling on microscale–nanoscale hydrophobic titania–fluoroalkylsilane films in pool boiling

Micrometer–nanometer hydrophobic titania–fluoroalkylsilane composite coatings were prepared on substrates based on liquid‐phase deposition. Coatings and crystallization forms were characterized with instruments of surface analyses. Experimental facilities of pool boiling were established to evaluate heat and mass transfer on coated surfaces in deionized water and saturated calcium carbonate solution. Obvious pool boiling enhancement was observed on thinner microscale–nanoscale hydrophobic titania–fluoroalkylsilane composite films at higher heat fluxes compared to that on thicker titania–fluoroalkylsilane coatings or on titania coatings and stainless steel surfaces. Lower fouling resistance was obtained on titania–fluoroalkylsilane coatings in pool boiling of saturated calcium carbonate solution and crystal form was aragonite, which was different from calcite on titania coatings. Results of inhibition of fouling and enhancement of heat transfer on titania–fluoroalkylsilane coatings were contributed to special surface microscale–nanoscale structure and material wettability. Asymptotic model was used to fit experimental data of fouling resistance, and reasonable agreement was obtained. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 2662–2678, 2013     

Fouling von Wärmeübertragungsflächen

Fouling of heat transfer surfaces . Fouling of heat transfer surfaces in industry causes considerable costs. Overcoming fouling is therefore essential for technical and economic reasons. Solution of the problems requires a better understanding of the physical, chemical and biological processes causing fouling. It is shown, that the prediction of the fouling behaviour of heat transfer equipment based on existing mathematical models is not jet satisfactory. This article presents a new physical model describing particulate and precipitation fouling based on the assumption of a deposition and a removal process. Experiments to prove the results of the theoretical considerations were carried out using an aqueous CaSO₄ solution. The test unit which is also suitable for in-situ measurements is described in detail. Measured and predicted asymptotic fouling factors agree with acceptable accuracy.     

Marine diatom Navicula jeffreyi from biochemical composition and physico-chemical surface properties to understanding the first step of benthic biofilm formation

To understand the first step of marine benthic microbial mat formation and biofouling phenomena, caused by diatoms in the marine environment, the surface properties of the epipelic diatom Navicula jeffreyi were studied and the composition of its bound Extracellular Polymeric Substances (EPS) was determined. These parameters are determining factors for the initial adhesion step of diatoms to other constituents that start marine fouling. Surface energy of a diatom cell layer was determined using the sessile drop technique and highlights that diatoms show a moderate hydrophobic character (contact angle with water >68°), no Lewis acid character (γ⁺?<1?mJ/m²), and a low Lewis basic character (γ^??=?16.1?mJ/m²). An extraction procedure using a cationic resin subtracted only the bound EPS. Biochemical assays showed that there were 2.5 times more proteins than sugars. The propensity of Navicula jeffreyi diatom to adhere to five different solid surfaces, showing a gradient in their hydrophobic and hydrophilic character, was measured. The attachment densities were high on hydrophobic surfaces such as polytetrafluoroethylene and very low on substrata with surface free energy over 40–50?mJ/m². Using a thermodynamic approach, the free energy of adhesion of the diatom to the five substrata was determined, and led to a very strong correlation with attachment densities for polytetrafluoroethylene, polyamide, polyethylene, and stainless steel.     

Dairy biofilm: an investigation of the impact on the surface chemistry of two materials: silicone and stainless steel

Biofilms are the most common mode of bacterial growth in nature and the formation will occur on organic or inorganic solid surfaces in contact with a liquid. The aims of this study were, by combining numeration and sessile drop technique, (i) to characterize the structural dynamics of dairy biofilm growth and the physico chemical properties on silicone and stainless steel and (ii) to evaluate the impact of bio-adhesion on chemistry of surfaces at different times of contact (2, 7, 9 and 24?h). Significantly, greater biofilm volumes were observed after 48?h on two materials. Gram-positive bacteria and fungal population exhibited a significantly higher biofilm organization than gram-negative (43–64%). Elsewhere, after 48?h, results showed a slight difference on gram-negative adhered cells on stainless steel than silicone (2.6?×?10⁷?cfu/cm² and 4.7?×?10⁵?cfu/cm², respectively). Moreover, the physico chemical properties of the surfaces showed that the silicone and stainless steel have a hydrophobic character (Giwi?=??68.28?mJ/m² and ?57.6?mJ/m², respectively). Also, both the surfaces present a weak electron donor character (γ ^??=?2.2?mJ/m² and 4.1?mJ/m², respectively). The real-time investigation of the impact of dairy biofilm on the physico chemical properties of the materials has shown a decrease of hydrophobicity degree of the silicone surface that becomes hydrophilic (ΔGiwi?=?11.47?mJ/m²) after 7?h and the increase of electron donor character (γ ^??=?75.8?mJ/m²). Elsewhere, bio-adhesion on stainless steel was accompanied with a decrease of hydrophobicity degree of the surface, which becomes hydrophilic after 7?h of contact (ΔGiwi?=?6.62?mJ/m²) and the increase of the electron donor character (γ ^??=?44.8?mJ/m²). While, after 24?h of contact, results showed a decrease of the hydrophilicity degree and surface energy components of silicone and stainless steel that become hydrophobic (ΔGiwi?=??21.2?mJ/m² and ΔGiwi?=??56.51?mJ/m², respectively) and weak electron donor (γ ^??=?14.0 and 2.3?mJ/m², respectively).     

A study of the deposition of silt onto the surface of type 304 stainless steel

The deposition rate of Lake Ontario silt onto type 304 stainless steel at a fluid velocity of 1.05 m/s is given by: N = 2.1 × 10^?5 exp (-E/RT) C_b p. where E = 25.3 kJ/mol. Both the magnitude and the temperature dependence of the deposition rate is consistent with deposition that is surface rather than transport limited. The release rates were small compared to the deposition rates and independent of the surface temperature. Only particles less than 5 μm were found in the deposits at 1.05 m/s, even though particles up to 25 μm were in the flowing silt suspension. The maximum particle size in the deposit decreased with increasing deposition velocity.     

Experimental Study on Microbial Fouling Inhibition Performance of Ni-P-NanoTiO2 Composite Surfaces

Microbial fouling of heat exchangers causes serious issues including increased fuel consumption, flow resistance, and maintenance cost expenditure. Composite Ni-P-nanoTiO₂ coatings were prepared for inhibiting and mitigating the heat exchanger microbial fouling deposition. The surface energy components and wall adhesion work of microbial fouling medium had a significant effect on the microbial fouling deposition process. Compared with carbon steel coupons, the microbial fouling deposition on Ni-P-nanoTiO₂ coatings was reduced by about 90 % and the wall adhesion work and microbial fouling deposition rate of these coatings were less. The Ni-P-nanoTiO₂ coatings might not only be advantageous for controlling the initial microbial adhesion, but also effective for reducing the fouling deposition rate.     

Performances and Deactivation of Supported Precious Metal Catalysts in the Oxidation of an Engine Oil Vapour

In this paper, a homemade apparatus was built in order to study the formation of carbonaceous deposits on stainless steel, in order to model the fouling by oil vapours of gas/water heat exchanger used in energy production systems fed with natural gas. Oil vapours were shown to form, at the surface of stainless steel, a varnish layer very difficult to remove, as shown by TPD. One solution to this fouling was shown to be the oxidation of oil vapours by a catalytic system. Pt/alumina and to a lower extend Pd/ceria-alumina catalysts exhibited interesting performances, but we demonstrated that they can be deactivated by the oil vapours, which form a carbonaceous deposit (coke) at their surface. Nevertheless, Pt/alumina can be regenerated by increasing the oxygen amount up to 20 vol% or so during a limited duration and at moderate temperature (450 °C). In order to take benefit of such a regenerative process, it was vital to use non degraded oils, because vapours originating from an aged oil (treated at 300 °C in air) were not likely to be much oxidised to CO₂ and H₂O and therefore coke formed at catalyst’s surface under these conditions cannot be removed by the regenerative treatment under oxygen excess.     

Humic acid fouling in the membrane distillation process

This work investigates the extent of humic acid fouling during the membrane distillation process for water treatment. The effects of pH, ionic strength, and divalent ion on fouling were studied. The experiments were performed with a 0.22-μm PVDF flat-sheet membrane in a direct contact membrane distillation unit. Flux declines were negligible (less than 6%) for the ranges of humic acid concentration, ionic strength, and pH studied. The examination of the membrane surface by SEM revealed a thin deposit layer. The addition of divalent cations (Ca²⁺) into the solution considerably reduced flux when Ca²⁺ concentration exceeded the critical coagulation concentration. Ca²⁺ affected flux by forming complexes with humic acids and resulted in coagulation on the membrane surface. The normalized flux, J/J₀, was 0.57 after 18 h of operation when the CaCl₂ concentration was 3.775 mM. However, the deposit of humic acid coagulate on the membrane surface was loosely packed, and was rather easily removed. Rinsing of the fouled membrane with clean water and a 0.1 M NaOH solution gave 100% of flux recovery.     

An integrated theoretical fouling model for convective heating surfaces in coal-fired boilers

Particulate fouling on convective heating surfaces in coal-fired power plant boilers could lead to significant efficiency deterioration and frequent unit outages. In this paper, a new integrated particulate fouling model is presented by considering the combined suspended particles deposition and the fouling removal processes. A pre-deposited medium, rather than the tube wall, is taken as the target surface, while considering its internal microstructure, surface morphology and mechanical properties. To understand the processes of particle deposition and removal in inertial impaction, three fouling criteria are proposed in this paper by defining critical sticking angle and critical velocities. Some influential parameters, such as the interfacial adhesion energy and the fouling porosity, were studied, which revealed good prediction precision of the fouling model. Based on the fouling model presented in this paper, a computation fluid dynamics simulation was implemented to reconstruct the distribution of particulate fouling and the characteristic of fouling growth on economizer tubes.     

Ni-P-PTFE复合镀层对颗粒污垢沉积特性影响研究

为探究Ni-P-PTFE复合镀层对颗粒污垢沉积特性的影响,利用化学镀工艺在碳钢表面制备Ni-P-PTFE复合镀层,以TiO₂纳米颗粒为研究对象,通过实验和理论分析的方式研究了不同表面能（PTFE浓度）下Ni-P-PTFE复合镀层在TiO₂悬浮液中的颗粒污垢沉积特性。结果表明：相比于碳钢试样,Ni-P-PTFE复合镀层对于TiO₂颗粒沉积具有较好的抑制效果。随着PTFE浓度的增加,复合镀层的表面能降低,污垢沉积量呈下降趋势,在表面能为26.8 mJ/m²（PTFE=12 ml/L）时,TiO₂颗粒污垢在Ni-P-PTFE复合镀层的沉积量最小。实验结果与应用扩展的DLVO理论计算出的最佳表面能结果相一致,也为针对不同类型颗粒在换热表面的沉积的抑垢提供了指导施镀的依据。     

Ni-P-PTFE复合镀层对颗粒污垢沉积特性影响研究

为探究Ni-P-PTFE复合镀层对颗粒污垢沉积特性的影响,利用化学镀工艺在碳钢表面制备Ni-P-PTFE复合镀层,以TiO₂纳米颗粒为研究对象,通过实验和理论分析的方式研究了不同表面能（PTFE浓度）下Ni-P-PTFE复合镀层在TiO₂悬浮液中的颗粒污垢沉积特性。结果表明：相比于碳钢试样,Ni-P-PTFE复合镀层对于TiO₂颗粒沉积具有较好的抑制效果。随着PTFE浓度的增加,复合镀层的表面能降低,污垢沉积量呈下降趋势,在表面能为26.8 mJ/m²（PTFE=12 ml/L）时,TiO₂颗粒污垢在Ni-P-PTFE复合镀层的沉积量最小。实验结果与应用扩展的DLVO理论计算出的最佳表面能结果相一致,也为针对不同类型颗粒在换热表面的沉积的抑垢提供了指导施镀的依据。     

Investigation of Scale Formation in Heat Exchangers of Phosphoric Acid Evaporator Plants

The primary problem in concentrating phosphoric acid is due to fouling on the tube‐side of the heat exchangers of the evaporator units. Scaling on the heat transfer surfaces occurs because of high supersaturation of phosphoric acid liquor with respect to calcium sulphate. A review of the existing literature reveals that no information is available on heat transfer and on crystallization fouling of industrial phosphoric acid solutions. In this investigation, the solubility of different calcium sulphate types in phosphoric acid solution was studied and its dependency on acid concentration and temperature was investigated. A large number of fouling experiments were carried out in a side‐stream of a phosphoric acid plant at different flow velocities, surface temperatures and concentrations to determine the mechanisms, which control the deposition process. After identifying the effects of operational parameters on the deposition process, a model was developed for prediction of fouling resistances. The reaction of calcium sulphate crystallization followed a second order rate with respect to the supersaturation. The activation energy evaluated for the surface reaction of the deposit formation was found to be 57 kJ/mol. The predicted fouling resistances were compared with the experimental data. Quantitative and qualitative agreement between measured and predicted fouling rates is good.     

Escherichia coli Biofilm Characteristics on Polymeric Heat Exchanger Surfaces

Time‐dependent effects on the apparent roughness and surface free energy of different polymeric surfaces and stainless steel were studied during the biofouling process for Escherichia coli K12. The surface roughness increases during primary adhesion of E. coli on the surfaces and is later reduced as the surface between scattered bacteria is completely covered, forming a uniform biofilm. During the fouling process, the polar fraction of the surface free energy significantly increased, whereas the dispersive fraction decreased for all substrates. The attachment of E. coli and subsequent bacterial production of extracellular polymeric substances increased the polarity of the initially nonpolar polymeric surfaces to increase wettability.     

The effect of surface properties on CaSO4 scale formation during convective heat transfer and subcooled flow boiling

In this paper the effects of surface energy and surface roughness on the deposition of calcium sulphate during convective and subcooled flow boiling heat transfer to aqueous CaSO₄ solutions are studied. The surfaces of several test heaters have been treated by Ion Beam Implantation, Unbalanced Magnetron Sputtering, Mixed Sputtering and Plasma Arc Deposition to reduce surface energy. One heater was electropolished to reduce surface roughness and one heater was etched by an electrochemical method to increase surface roughness. Fouling runs with these heaters, and with an untreated surface as control, were carried out at different heat fluxes, flow velocities and salt concentrations. The results show that heat transfer surfaces with low surface energy experienced significantly reduced fouling, while electropolishing did not have a notable beneficial effect. The combined effect of reduced surface energy and flow velocity on fouling reduction is considerably stronger than previously reported for pool boiling.     

Development of a novel non‐contact proximity gauge for thickness measurement of soft deposits and its application in fouling studies

This paper describes the development of a novel proximity gauging technique for soft deposits, exploiting a siphon effect. This non‐contact technique has the capability to measure the thickness of soft deposits on a surface in situ and in real time. A theoretical model of performance has been developed and its validity demonstrated by calibration experiments. Local thickness measurements of soft deposits such as whey protein deposit, supermarket butter and sticky foam on metal surfaces had an accuracy of ±20 μm for a deposit thickness of 500 to 1000 μm. The potential of this technique for on‐line monitoring of fouling and cleaning processes in liquid environments is demonstrated by preliminary studies of alkali (NaOH) cleaning of whey protein deposits from stainless steel surfaces.