A heating system includes at least one electric heater disposed within a fluid flow system and a control device that is configured to determine a temperature of the at least one electric heater based on a model, at least one fluid flow system input, and at least one heater input. The at least one heater input includes at least one physical characteristic of the heating system, the at least one physical characteristic includes at least one of a resistance wire diameter, a heater insulation thickness, a heater sheath thickness, a conductivity, a specific heat and density of the material of the heater, an emissivity of the heater and the fluid flow pathway, and combinations thereof. The control device is configured to provide power to the at least one electric heater based on the temperature of the at least one electric heater.

A fluid control device includes a housing having plural surfaces defining a cavity within the housing. The housing includes an inlet to receive a fluid mixture and an outlet to direct the fluid mixture out of the housing. The fluid mixture includes a fluid combined with debris. A structure array is disposed within the cavity and includes plural structures. Each of the plural structures includes a first surface coupled with an internal surface of the housing and a second surface disposed a distance away from the internal surface of the housing. The structure array includes a first portion and a second portion. The first portion is configured to interfere with the fluid mixture to separate at least some of the debris from the fluid, and the second portion is configured to direct the fluid and at least some of the debris toward the outlet.

A system for designing a circuitry configuration of heat-exchanger units includes an interface to acquire design parameters the heat-exchanger units, a memory to store computer-executable programs including a relaxed decision diagram formation module, and a processor, in connection with the memory, configured to perform the computer-executable programs. The computer-executable programs include steps of providing a configuration of the heat-exchanger units, providing the design parameters of the heat-exchanger units acquired via the interface, generating a relaxed decision diagram based on the design parameters, creating constraints with respect to connections of the heat-exchanger units according to the relaxed decision diagram, and generating feasible configurations of the heat-exchanger units by a mixed-integer-programing method using the constraints.

A data plate assembly for installation with a plate heat exchanger. The data plate assembly includes a monitoring device assembled with a spacer plate. The spacer plate includes inlet and/or outlet holes, and a port that extends from an outer edge of the spacer plate to one of the inlet and/or outlet holes. The port retains the monitoring device therein such that the monitoring device extends into the inlet and/or outlet holes to monitor characteristics of the process and cooling fluids flowing through the holes and the plate heat exchanger. As the performance of the plate heat exchanger degrades, the characteristics accumulated over a period of time may provide an indication that the performance of the plate heat exchanger is degrading and/or the rate in which the performance of the plate heat exchanger degrades.

A light table apparatus and inspection methods are provided for detecting fluid-transmitting defects in heat exchanger plates using light. The method includes positioning the heat exchanger plate on top of a support frame of the apparatus, and covering peripheral portions of the heat exchanger plate with at least one light-shielding element. In some examples, the light-shielding element may be edge mats that cover peripheral portions of the plate, or alternatively, may be a gasket-like template that engages a resilient light seal with profiles of the heat exchanger plate surrounding a central portion thereof. The ambient environment is darkened and illumination units in the support frame are activated, and light energy can only be transmitted through defects in the central portion. Thus, a quick manual inspection process is provided for such plates, and defects as small as 15 microns are accurately detected when using the light table apparatus and inspection methods.

Data including a power consumption amount and an ambient temperature of a heat exchanger that discharges heat to an outside of a cooling facility in an operation mode in which the facility is operated in an operation state that requires less power consumption than usual is extracted as degradation determination reference data before degradation determination, and data including the power consumption amount and the ambient temperature in the operation mode in which the cooling facility is operated in the operation state that requires less power consumption than usual is extracted as determination data, whereby the increase in the power consumption amount due to the influence of the disturbance that changes a temperature of an inside of a box-shaped housing can be excluded, and the degradation of the cooling facility can be correctly determined by grasping the increase in the power consumption amount due to aging degradation.

A system and method determine a heat exchanger efficiency of a fluid that flows through a heat exchanger included in a working fluid system. Characteristics of a fluid are monitored in real-time as the fluid flows through the flow path of a heat exchanger. A fluid status is determined in real-time that is associated with a plurality of heat exchange parameters of the fluid as the fluid flows through the flow path of the heat exchanger that is determined from the heat exchanger parameters detected by the fluid monitoring device. A corrective action is determined in real-time when the fluid status of the fluid indicates that the corrective action is to be executed to prevent damage to the working fluid system and an assessment is generated of the corrective action that is to be executed based on the heat exchanger parameters detected by the fluid monitoring device.

A method for measuring mass changes of a heat exchanger bank (1, 2, 3) or the heat exchangers thereof of a steam boiler, which heat exchanger (4) is supported by hanger rods (7) to support beams (5,8) above the steam boiler, wherein at least one hanger rod (7) of at least one heat exchanger (4) is connected a lower measuring element (9) and an upper measuring element (10), and the changes of the measuring length (X) between the measuring elements (9, 10) is measured by a measuring instrument (15) connected between the measuring elements (9, 10) for measuring the mass changes of the heat exchanger (4). The measuring instrument (15) may be attached in between the measuring elements (9, 10) and the change in the measuring length (X) is measured by the deformation of the measuring instrument (15). A connecting member (11) parallel to the hanger rod (7) may be located between the measuring elements (9, 10), which connecting member (11) relays the change in the length to the measuring instrument (15). An elastic member (16) may be attached between the measuring element (9) and the upper measuring element (10).

Disclosed is a methodology for determination and prediction of heat exchanger fouling, such as polymer fouling in the circulation loop that forms part of the heat exchanger system. The buildup of a polymer or other undesired material deposit in the heat exchanger provides a distinctive temperature signature (thermal gradient) on the surface of the heat exchanger asset, which is visualized using a thermographic camera. Coupling images (thermograms) from the camera with a machine learning algorithm identifies fouling and, with knowledge of the historical data of the asset and operating and ambient conditions, enables prediction of future fouling. The thermal images provide several types, or orders, of temperature information that are indicative of locations vulnerable to fouling. In one case, the method uses machine learning applied to time-based temperature change/gradient information to detect hidden polymer fouling in areas that form part of the heat exchanger asset.

A device and method for increasing accuracy in the determination of fouling in a heat exchanger in which heat is transferred from a first medium to a second medium, wherein a value for a variable characterizing the fouling is determined from a value for a first variable influenced by the fouling and a value for a second variable, where the second variable compensates for a change in the first variable caused by a change in flow of the first and/or second mediums through the heat exchanger, where the first variable can be a thermal transmission resistance, a thermal transmittance or a thermal transmission coefficient, where the first and second variable are determined from values measured totemperaturesr and flows of the first and second mediums without using material properties of the first and second mediums and structural properties of the heat exchanger when determining the first and second variables.