Effects of Tube Side Fouling
As one might expect, with millions of gallons of circulating water flowing through the condenser tubing from seawater or fresh water, anything that is contained within the water flowing through the tubes, can ultimately end up on either the condenser tubesheet (discussed previously) or within the tubing itself. Tube side fouling for surface condensers falls into five main categories; particulate fouling like silt and sediment, biofouling like slime and biofilms, scaling and crystallization such as calcium carbonate, macrofouling which can include anything from zebra mussels that can grow on the tubesheet, to wood or other debris that blocks the tubing, and finally, corrosion product (discussed previously).
Depending on the extent of the fouling, the impact can be quite severe on the condenser's ability to condense the exhaust steam coming from the turbine. As fouling builds up within the tubing, an insulating effect is created and the heat transfer characteristics of the tubes are diminished oftentimes requiring the turbine to be slowed to a point where the condenser can handle the exhaust steam produced. Typically, this can be quite costly to power plants in the form of reduced output, increase fuel consumption and increased CO2 emissions. This "derating" of the turbine to accommodate the condenser's fouled or blocked tubing is an indication that the plant needs to clean the tubing in order to return to the turbine's nameplate capacity. A variety of methods for cleaning are available including online and offline options depending on the plant's site-specific conditions.
Read more about this topic: Surface Condenser
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