Performance monitoring of heat exchangers via adaptive observers

In this paper, a method for monitoring the performance degradation in a heat exchanger is presented. This method is based on the use of an adaptive observer which estimates the overall heat transfer coefficient U. The monitoring of this parameter can be useful to decide when the heat exchanger needs preventive or corrective maintenance. A simplified mathematical model of the heat exchanger is used to synthesize the adaptive observer. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated via numerical simulations and through experimental results.