Fouling of HVAC fin and tube heat exchangers

Siegel, Jeffrey; Carey, Van P

Title: Fouling of HVAC fin and tube heat exchangers

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Abstract

Fin and tube heat exchangers are used widely in residential, commercial and industrial HVAC applications. Invariably, indoor and outdoor air contaminants foul these heat exchangers. This fouling can cause decreased capacity and efficiency of the HVAC equipment as well as indoor air quality problems related to microbiological growth. This paper describes laboratory studies to investigate the mechanisms that cause fouling. The laboratory experiments involve subjecting a 4.7 fins/cm (12 fins/inch) fin and tube heat exchanger to an air stream that contains monodisperse particles. Air velocities ranging from 1.5-5.2 m/s (295 ft/min-1024 ft/min) and particle sizes from 1--8.6 {micro}m are used. The measured fraction of particles that deposit as well as information about the location of the deposited material indicate that particles greater than about 1 {micro}m contribute to fouling. These experimental results are used to validate a scaling analysis that describes the relative importance of several deposition mechanisms including impaction, Brownian diffusion, turbophoresis, thermophoresis, diffusiophoresis, and gravitational settling. The analysis is extended to apply to different fin spacings and particle sizes typical of those found in indoor air.

Authors:: Siegel, Jeffrey; Carey, Van P

Publication Date:: Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 2001

Research Org.:: Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: This study was sponsored/funded by the California Institute for Energy Efficiency(CIEE)through the U.S. Department of Energy. (US)

OSTI Identifier:: 785280

Report Number(s):: LBNL-47668
R&D Project: 884405; TRN: AH200131%%158

DOE Contract Number:: AC03-76SF00098

Resource Type:: Conference

Resource Relation:: Conference: United Engineering Foundation Conference on Heat Exchanger Fouling, Davos (CH), 07/08/2001--07/13/2001; Other Information: PBD: 1 Jul 2001

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; AIR; AIR QUALITY; CAPACITY; DEPOSITION; DIFFUSION; EFFICIENCY; FOULING; HEAT EXCHANGERS; PARTICLE SIZE; THERMOPHORESIS

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                    Siegel, Jeffrey, and Carey, Van P. Fouling of HVAC fin and tube heat exchangers.  United States: N. p., 2001. 
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                    Siegel, Jeffrey, & Carey, Van P. Fouling of HVAC fin and tube heat exchangers.  United States.

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                    Siegel, Jeffrey, and Carey, Van P. 2001.  
        "Fouling of HVAC fin and tube heat exchangers".  United States.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/785280.

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@article{osti_785280,

  title        = {Fouling of HVAC fin and tube heat exchangers},

  author       = {Siegel, Jeffrey and Carey, Van P},

  abstractNote = {Fin and tube heat exchangers are used widely in residential, commercial and industrial HVAC applications. Invariably, indoor and outdoor air contaminants foul these heat exchangers. This fouling can cause decreased capacity and efficiency of the HVAC equipment as well as indoor air quality problems related to microbiological growth. This paper describes laboratory studies to investigate the mechanisms that cause fouling. The laboratory experiments involve subjecting a 4.7 fins/cm (12 fins/inch) fin and tube heat exchanger to an air stream that contains monodisperse particles. Air velocities ranging from 1.5-5.2 m/s (295 ft/min-1024 ft/min) and particle sizes from 1--8.6 {micro}m are used. The measured fraction of particles that deposit as well as information about the location of the deposited material indicate that particles greater than about 1 {micro}m contribute to fouling. These experimental results are used to validate a scaling analysis that describes the relative importance of several deposition mechanisms including impaction, Brownian diffusion, turbophoresis, thermophoresis, diffusiophoresis, and gravitational settling. The analysis is extended to apply to different fin spacings and particle sizes typical of those found in indoor air.},

  doi          = {},

  url          = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/785280},
  journal      = {},
number       = ,

  volume       = ,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 2001},

  month        = {Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 2001}

}

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