College Station, Texas, USA
October 23, 2006
To date, no reliable predictive fouling models have been developed, due in part to the lack of consistency in experimental research protocols. The HTRI Crude Oil Fouling Task Force (COFTF) was formed to establish guidelines that will ensure that HTRI’s crude oil fouling research is industrially relevant and fundamentally sound.
This paper proposes a comprehensive research protocol in an endeavor to standardize future experimentation performed by the global fouling community. Every aspect of such work, from crude oil collection to characterization to data analysis, is described in detail. Fouling research that follows these guidelines will result in an expansive database, thereby permitting holistic evaluation of data that are truly comparable.
Crude oil fouling researchers now have at their fingertips all the background information necessary to make significant progress on this very important topic.
This paper is available in the November 2006 issue of Heat Transfer Engineering.
About HTRI
Heat Transfer Research, Inc. (HTRI) is the global leader in process heat transfer and heat exchanger technology. Founded in 1962, our industrial research and development consortium serves the engineering needs of over 1000 corporate member sites. Our staff conducts application-oriented research and testing on industrially relevant equipment at our state-of-the-art facility; we use these proprietary data to develop methods and software for the thermal design and analysis of heat exchangers and fired heaters. We provide technical support to all members and offer training, consulting, and contract services to both members and non-members. Our dedication to excellence assures customers of a distinct competitive advantage and a high level of operating confidence in equipment designed with HTRI technology.
For additional information, contact
Fernando J. Aguirre, PhD, PE
Vice President, Sales & Business Development
Heat Transfer Research, Inc.
150 Venture Drive
College Station, Texas, USA
+1.979.690.5050 office
+1.979.690.3250 fax
fja@htri.net