Determination of thickness of deposits on inner surface of heat
exchangers by solving the inverse heat conduction problem

Summary

At present much attention in industry, construction, power economy and other industries is paid to energy efficiency and energy conservation. Different deposits on the inner surface of heat exchange devices affect their energy efficiency; consequently it is very important to determine the thickness of deposits eliminating heat exchanger opening. Experimental determination has been a complicated technical task; and to solve it special expensive equipment shall be used. For this purpose the use of analytical methods is the best way. Using the obtained analytical solution of the stationary thermal conductivity problem for a double-layer plane wall at inhomogeneous boundary conditions of the first and third kinds an analytical method of determining the thickness of deposits on the inner surface of heat exchangers has been developed by the temperature on their outside surface known from the test. The deposit thickness is determined from the solution of inverse conductivity problem by plugging the experimental temperature value in the formula of exact analytical solution. The obtained ratio is converted to exponential algebraic equation from the solution of which the sought-for deposit thickness is determined.

Key words

heat exchanger , double layer wall , deposit thickness , stationary thermal conductivity problem , inverse conductivity problem