Coupled CFD-DEM simulation of oscillatory particle-laden fluid flow through a porous metal foam heat exchanger: Mitigation of particulate fouling

A coupled finite volume-discrete element (FVM-DEM) numerical method is developed to investigate oscillating multiphase foulant-laden air (solid-gas) flow and particulate fouling in a porous heat exchanger channel comprising an array of circular cylinders. Oscillatory fluids serve as a steppingstone to advance existing conventional anti-fouling techniques and to yield optimum energy consumption. A performance evaluation criteria based on various amplitudes of pulsation and foulant injection rates is established. The fouling characteristics and pressure drop is compared against a non-oscillating steady flow. For the solid foulant particles considered in this study, the results show that the time-averaged deposition fraction is sensibly invariant with increasing foulant injection rate; however, the same observation is not realized for steady-flow cases. The 1 Hz case showed no significant disparity in terms of deposition fraction at high injection rates compared with the non-oscillating steady flow case. In addition, the 1 Hz case showed miniscule reduction of low-density foulants. The higher-frequency spectrum has superior fouling mitigation capabilities although comparatively higher pressure drop is generated. The 6-pore configuration outperforms the 3-pore under certain oscillatory flow conditions. An optimum frequency of 5 Hz exhibits superior fouling mitigation performance while achieving a low time-averaged pressure drop.