Environmentally friendly methodology for fouling removal in pipeline based on leaky guided wave generated by quasi-axisymmetric excitation mode

In this paper, an environmental and innovative clean technique for pipeline fouling is proposed, which is based on leaky ultrasonic guided waves (LUGWs) generated by quasi-axisymmetric excitation mode. The cavitation, which induced by the LUGWs in liquid medium, is employed for removing fouling inside a pipe. Cavitation corrosion and high-speed jet generated by the collapse of cavitation bubbles destroy fouling layer, and no by-products are formed during the removal process, which means that fouling removal in this way is friendly to the environment. The working frequency is determined by finite element method models and experiment. The effect of removal and its uniformity are measured by mass analysis, scanning electron microscope and energy-dispersive spectroscopy from macro to micro. The descaling experiment results show that the proposed method is able to remove the fouling inside a pipe uniformly. Graphical abstract