Composite fouling of heat transfer equipment in aqueous media - A review

Recent research on fouling where composite fouling in aqueous media may be present is reviewed. In practical industrial applications, usually several types of fouling occur simultaneously; however, due to the complexity of fouling, various types of fouling are studied in isolation. Crystallization (precipitation) fouling is the most-studied type of fouling. Other types of fouling are studied in various degrees. Not much attention has been paid to the relative significance and the interactive effects of these processes when they occur simultaneously. This is specifically the case for composite inorganic (precipitation and particulate) and biological fouling. In general, there is lack of attention to the presence, mechanism, modeling, and mitigation of composite fouling.