Details of this study have recently been published in Theoretical Foundations of Chemical Engineering, 2012, Vol 46, No 6, pp.627-633.
In general the objective of this study is to model and improve the Vipertex® heat transfer surfaces. Surface characteristics that make up the Vipertex® EHT series of tubes were evaluated and the fluid interaction that takes place with the process surface analyzed through CFD analysis . Vipertex® was able to create an optimized Vipertex® enhanced heat transfer surface that provides maximum heat transfer while minimizing both the increase of frictional losses and material usage.
Two Vipertex® enhanced tubes were evaluated here and compared to smooth tubes, with flow rate and temperature data being monitored for the duration of the study. Observations and transient measurements of heat transfer tubes that are exposed to untreated lake water were obtained. Measurements include instantaneous and total heat transfer data. Observations support the conclusion that fouled Vipertube enhanced tubes provide superior thermal performance when compared to fouled smooth tubes for these fouling conditions.