| Summary: |
Biofouling of heat exchangers and pipes is a common hazard in industrial plants. Operators have to face the problems of cleaning the fouled equipment, treating the wastewater that results from the discharge of anti-fouling and cleaning agents (biocides, detergents, etc) and protecting the consumer from contamination risks. To tackle these problems, an "intelligent cleaning" solution is here proposed that unites efficient deposit removal (specifically targeting the places where deposits grow) with low reagent/biocide consumption. The project involves: (i) development of micro- and nanoparticles and of micro-nanocapsules that are functionalised in order to carry the cleaning and biocidal agents on their surface or inside their core; (ii) evaluation of the interactions between such functionalized structures and biofilms; (iii) experimental testing and numerical flow modelling to optimize the hydrodynamic conditions that minimize biofilm effects in pipes and plate heat exchangers. |