International Workshop "Online sensors for fouling monitoring"

29.11.2010 - 30.11.2010, Frankfurt am Main

Invitation

Fouling is a costly problem in many technical systems, from power generation and cooling cycles to membrane technology, food and beverage production, paint, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, automobile industries, and air conditioning as well as in many other fields. The term "fouling" is operationally defined as "unwanted deposition of material on surfaces". There are numerous types of fouling: deposition of inorganic substances ("scaling"), organic substances, abiotic particles and microorganisms ("biofouling") with the lather being the most difficult kind of fouling. Information about the type of fouling allows for tailored countermeasures. Usually, fouling is recognized too late when a process or a product is impaired. Common detection methods are restricted to the water phase and frequently lead to retarded and insufficient response, unrecognized additional costs caused by down-time, frequent recurrence of the problem and extended use of treatment chemicals (in particular, biocides). It would be very desirable to have sensors as "eyes in the system" which reveal the location, extent, nature and development of fouling layers - in real-time, on-line, non-destructively, with early-warning capacity, automated and with remote data processing, allowing for tailored, timely and effective countermeasures. This is a big challenge. There are interesting approaches for such sensors on the market, but currently there is no systematic overview reviewing their performance and possible application fields. They are based on physical principles, some with clear potential to differentiate between different types of fouling. It is time to revisit these systems, identify their strengths and weaknesses and, possibly, develop combinations which make sensing even more powerful. This workshop will serve as a platform for companies which have developed various kinds of online fouling sensors. They can present their products to an audience of fouling-concerned industries and research dealing with fouling problems. Such an approach is well suited to expand the application potential of the sensors. There will be oral contributions and an exhibition of the devices with possible hands-on experience. The workshop will be opened by a conceptual overview concerning (bio)fouling monitoring sensor principles with sufficient time for discussion and will be closed by an evaluation of the results and prospects gained from presentations and discussions.

Committee

Prof. Dr. Hans-Curt Flemming
Biofilm Centre, University Duisburg-Essen and IWW Water Centre, Muelheim/D
Dr. Martin Strathmann
IWW Water Centre, Muelheim/D