01-09: Extend the Life of Wetted Surfaces

Much industrial equipment employs wetted surfaces. Nuclear reactor toroids, cooling tower components, heat exchangers, pipes, valves, pumps, etc. vary in performance according to their design, construction, operation, maintenance and lay-up. A plethora of materials, wide ranges in skin temperatures, variant bulk temperatures, boundary layer velocities, bulk fluid velocities and fluid chemistry typically help to determine the lifetime of wetted surfaces. Service history dictates the ability of surfaced to transmit energy and to otherwise perform. Surface preparation, passivation, chemistry, mechanical cleaning and chemical cleaning affect wetted surface lifetimes. The cleaning practices discussed herein can help extend the lifetime of wetted surfaces.