Progress in Gas-Side Fouling of Heat-Transfer Surfaces: 1989-1995

Gas-side fouling is the deposition of an insulating layer of material onto a heat-transfer surface in the presence of a dirty gas stream. This review updates an extensive overview of gas-side fouling presented about six years ago in Applied Mechanics Reviews, Marner (1990). Four major topics are covered in this review: (a) various aspects of gas-side fouling, (b) gas-side fouling mechanisms of which the most important is transport to the surface, (c) experimental studies including gas-side fouling measuring devices, and (d) analytical studies including deposition, heat transfer, and pressure drop models. Gas-side fouling is an extremely complex, multifaceted phenomenon and substantial work continues in an attempt to better understand the processes involved.