Particulate fouling in boiling water systems

Abstract

Fouling in boiling systems is usually associated to deposition of suspended particles, precipitation of inorganic salts and corrosion. Fossil fuel boilers as well as nuclear reactors are subject to this type of fouling which can cause not only reduction in heat transfer rates but also in the case of reactors transport of irrradiated corrosion products to out-core zones. This paper reviews some of the research work on the deposition of iron oxide particles from boiling water, emphasizing the mechanisms of the build-up of deposits and the correlations available for the evaluation of fouling rates.