Biofouling control with ultrasound

Experiments have been carried out on a small-scale simulated cooling water system using a monoculture of Pseudomonas fluorescens to represent the slime-forming microbial community, to examine the opportunities for control using ultrasound. Glass tubes (18 mm I.D. x 1 m long) through which contaminated warer flowed at 1 m/s were dosed with ultrasound along the tube axis. class tribes were employed to facilitate the use of infrared absorbance for biofilm accumulation assessment. The preliminary results demonstrate that control of biofilm formation and the removal of established biofilms on the inside of tubes may be achieved by the technology, but there may be some limitations with respect to removal.