Cleaning of Printed Circuit Heat Exchangers (PCHE) Using High-Power Ultrasonic Transducers

PCHE are susceptible to clogging, requiring pump overloads or maintenance shutdown. Incrustation on the channel walls reduces heat transfer efficiency due to its low thermal conductivity. Cleaning these small (2mm) and complex channels in PCHE is challenging, traditional methods such as hydroblasting and chemical cleaning often fail to completely remove obstructions. Additionally, these methods are unsustainable due to high water and chemical consumption, and are time-consuming. A promising solution in the oil industry is to use high-intensity ultrasound for cleaning, specifically through cavitation. In this study, a 50-mm-diameter Langevin transducer was attached to a PCHE block (200×200×300 mm with 2-mm channels) and excited at 21.5kHz, creating cavitation within the channels. During the process, a water-detergent solution was circulated through the PCHE housed in a container. This ultrasonic cleaning method not only accelerated the cleaning process and improved cleaning efficacy, but also significantly reduced the use of chemicals. This innovative technique optimizes performance, minimizes down-time, and reduces environmental impact.. Overall, it provides a substantial improvement over traditional cleaning methods for complex structures like PCHEs.