IHS ESDU recently published its latest ‘User Guide’ to fouling in heat exchange systems, for systems with fresh water as the coolant. ESDU 07006 [1] is the third in a group, following the development of the Crude Oil Fouling User Guide [2] issued in 2000 and the Seawater Fouling User Guide [3] issued in 2004. ESDU 07006 was developed by IHS ESDU over a period of five years under the guidance of...

One of the main factors affecting membrane fouling in MBRs is operational conditions. In this study the influence of aeration rate, filtration mode, and SRT on hollow fiber membrane fouling was investigated using a triple fouling layers perspective. The sludge microbial population distribution was also determined by PCR method. Through various applied operational scenarios the optimal condition...

Fouling of heat exchangers is a severe problem in the industrialized world. The effects of fouling are reduced energy efficiency and increased greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, any heat transfer process has a risk of fouling on the heat transfer surface. The fouling can in some cases be cleaned physically, chemically or burned off; in other cases it may not be possible to clean the heat exchan...

The early post-settlement stage is the most sensitive during the life history of reef building corals. However, few studies have examined the factors that influence coral mortality during this period. Here, the impact of fouling on the survival of newly settled coral spat of Acropora millepora was investigated by manipulating the extent of fouling cover on settlement tiles using non-toxic, wax ...

Membrane BioReactor (MBR) in which membrane separation process is combined with biological processes is an efficient alternative for wastewater treatment and reuse. However, the major process problem with MBRs remains the membrane fouling due to the physicochemical interactions between the membrane material and the components in the mixed liquor. Along with the fouling, membrane permeability de...

ESDU International of London, UK has recently published a ‘User Guide’ [1] on fouling in heat exchange systems using seawater as the coolant. Developed over a period of eighteen months in close collaboration with a team of oil refiners, heat transfer equipment and services suppliers and universities, with valuable input from the power industry, the User Guide is a practical guide to the current...

Instrumentation defines a sensors network on a process. Hardware sensors indeed allow one to get different information sources that can be often cross-checked to provide reliable data. However, each of these sources of information contains some uncertainties, either due to the hardware sensors' measurement principles, to their possible fouling, to the estimated parameters of the models used in ...

A reliable dynamic simulator (based on a sound process model) is highly desirable for optimizing the performance of individual membrane modules and of entire desalination plants. This paper reports on progress toward development of a comprehensive model of the complicated physical-chemical processes occurring in spiral wound membrane (SWM) modules, that accounts for the...

This paper aims to broaden a better understanding of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and its impact on fouling in membrane bioreactor (MBR). Some fundamental knowledge about EPS and MBR fouling was covered in this paper in several aspects including definition of EPS, evaluation of EPS, influencing factors on EPS production and responsibility of EPS on MBR fouling mechanisms.

The modern challenges for membrane separations in a wide range of processes require more sophisticated approaches for the detection and remediation of fouling, i.e., the association of solutes, particulate matter, and colloids on and/or within a membrane. Most commonly, fouling is assessed from inferred measurements of permeation rate and/or permeate quality. The use of acoustic techniques for ...