Leveraging CFD simulation to optimize the flow of cleaning artifacts to remove scale from heat transfer surfaces of heat exchangers

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Heat exchangers are crucial for cooling industrial process equipment, where maintenance of heat transfer surfaces strongly affects their effectiveness. This work presents the CFD simulation of the fluid flow transporting cleaning artifacts through the hydraulic circuit of an innovative device designed to remove fouling from heat exchangers. The conceived device does not require interrupting the industrial process equipment coupled to the heat exchangers, adding economic value to the cleaning process. The numerical simulation was performed using Fluent/Ansys based on the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes approach and the κ-ω SST (Shear Stress Transport) turbulence model. The simulation guided the incorporation of incremental innovations in the constructive design of the proposed online cleaning technology, optimizing critical hydraulic circuits. This computational effort managed to eliminate recirculation zones, which hindered the navigation of cleaning artifacts. Furthermore, it reduced localized mechanical resistance imposed on the flow by 64 %. This reduction had a significant impact on pumping costs.

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