A simple, electric-heating-tape-wrapped and insulated tube device has been developed by Lockheed Ocean Systems (LMSC) to monitor the thermal resistance of fouling (RF) from seawater inside a simulated ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) heat exchanger tube. It is compared with another directly-heated monitor that has been used by others in many biofouling measurement programs and with an indirect method in which a secondary fluid would be electrically heated. An analysis of experimental uncertainty in RF determination is presented for the LMSC and indirect methods. Representative RF data for aluminum and copper-nickel LMSC devices are presented. The three methods are compared subjectively with respect to ten cost, use, and performance criteria, and the LMSC device has a first-place ranking for seven of the criteria.

Issue Section:
Research Papers
Topics:
Heat exchangers, Ocean thermal energy conversion, Aluminum, Biofouling, Copper, Fluids, Heating, Nickel, Oceans, Seawater, Thermal resistance, Uncertainty
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Copyright © 1986
 by ASME
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