Lais Habiba, Lowe Premesh S, Gan Tat-Hean, Wrobel Luiz C
Brunel University, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 3PH, UK.
TWI, Granta Park, Great Abington, Cambridge CB21 6AL, UK.
Ultrason Sonochem. 2019 Sep;56:94-104. doi: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2019.03.027. Epub 2019 Apr 3.
Fouling build-up in engineering assets is a known problem and, as a solution, the application of power ultrasonic for in-situ fouling removal has gained much attention from the industry. Current state-of-the-art fouling removal includes the use of hydraulic, chemical and manual techniques. Much research has been conducted to advance the knowledge on the potential uses of ultrasonics across different fouling applications, primarily in reverse osmosis membranes and heat exchangers. However, the optimization of in-situ ultrasonic fouling removal has not yet been investigated and is still in its infancy. The present study uses a previously experimentally-validated numerical model to conduct a parametric study in order to optimize the technique. Focus was given to the adoption of ultrasonics for large diameter pipes. Therefore, this investigation was conducted on a 6 in. schedule 40-carbon steel pipe. Parameters investigated include: optimum number of transducers to remove fouling in long pipes from a single transducer location; performance at elevated temperature; different fluid domains; optimum voltage; variety of input signals and incremental thickness of fouling. Depending on the particular studied conditions, the possible fouling removal of up to +/-3 m from a single transducer location is demonstrated in a 6 in. schedule 40 carbon steel pipe.
工程资产中的污垢堆积是一个已知问题，作为一种解决方案，功率超声在原位除垢中的应用已引起业界的广泛关注。当前最先进的除垢方法包括使用液压、化学和人工技术。已经开展了大量研究，以增进对超声波在不同污垢应用中的潜在用途的了解，主要集中在反渗透膜和热交换器方面。然而，原位超声除垢的优化尚未得到研究，仍处于起步阶段。本研究使用一个先前经过实验验证的数值模型进行参数研究，以优化该技术。重点是将超声波应用于大口径管道。因此，本研究在一根6英寸、40号标准碳钢管上进行。研究的参数包括：从单个换能器位置去除长管道污垢所需的最佳换能器数量；高温下的性能；不同的流体域；最佳电压；各种输入信号以及污垢的增量厚度。根据具体研究条件，在一根6英寸、40号标准碳钢管中，从单个换能器位置最多可实现±3米的污垢去除。
