Fouling During the Use of Fresh Water as CoolantThe Development of a User Guide

IHS ESDU recently published its latest User Guide to fouling in heat exchange systems, for systems with fresh water as the coolant. ESDU 08002 is the third in a group, following the development of the Crude Oil Fouling User Guide (ESDU 00016) and the Seawater Fouling User Guide (ESDU 03004). ESDU 08002 was developed by IHS ESDU over a period of 5 years under the guidance of the Oil Industry Fouling Working Party, a collaborative team of oil refiners, heat transfer equipment and services suppliers, and universities. It provides designers and operators of cooling-water facilities with a practical source of guidance on the occurrence, the mechanisms, and the mitigation of freshwater fouling in these systems. IHS ESDU's Oil Industry Fouling Working Party was formed in recognition of the huge economic and environmental importance of heat exchanger fouling and the potential benefits that can accrue from better understanding of mitigation strategies. Work is now underway on reboiler and FCCU fouling. The development of the User Guide ESDU 08002 is discussed in this article and its technical content is summarized.