Inflection Point Engineering Calculators

Heat Exchanger Fouling Monitor

Back-calculates the actual overall U and fouling factor Rf from process data and compares against design clean and dirty values to flag cleaning decisions.

Method: Duty from shell-side energy balance Q = W · Cp · |ΔT|. Countercurrent LMTD = [(Thi−Tco) − (Tho−Tci)] / ln[(Thi−Tco) / (Tho−Tci)]. Actual U = Q / (A · LMTD). Current fouling Rf = 1/Uactual − 1/Uclean. Cleaning recommendation based on % of design Rf used. Source: TEMA RCB-5.0 (fouling factors); Kern, Process Heat Transfer, Chapter 7; HTRI design guidelines.