Carbon Capture & CO₂ Compression Equipment worked example

Heat Exchanger Fouling Loss with added fouling energy penalty of 6 kW: a worked example

This worked example runs the heat exchanger fouling loss numbers for a tougher week than the baseline: added fouling energy penalty of 6 kW instead of the typical 12 kW. Estimate added energy cost from fouling in intercoolers, condensers, lean-rich exchangers, or other capture-system heat exchangers.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Added fouling energy penalty: 6 kW (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 12)
  • Fouled operation runtime: 8 hr (held at the documented default)
  • Energy price: 0.12 $ / kWh (held at the documented default)
  • CO₂ processed during fouled run: 1,000 t CO₂ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Heat exchanger fouling energy cost = added fouling energy penalty × fouled operation runtime × energy price.
  • Heat exchanger fouling energy cost works out to 5.76 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Added fouling energy use works out to 48 kWh at these inputs.
  • Fouling energy cost per tonne CO₂ works out to 0.01 $ / piece at these inputs.
  • Hourly fouling energy cost works out to 0.72 $ / hr at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where added fouling energy penalty sits at 12 kW and the headline result is 11.52 $, this scenario comes in 50% below the baseline at 5.76 $.
  • Use it to size the energy benefit of a cleaning event, set economic cleaning intervals, or justify anti-fouling measures against their cost. A result at this level usually justifies acting on the stressed input before touching anything else, because every other figure in the table is downstream of it.

Results at a glance

  • Heat exchanger fouling energy cost: 5.76 $ (headline result)
  • Added fouling energy use: 48 kWh
  • Fouling energy cost per tonne CO₂: 0.01 $ / piece
  • Hourly fouling energy cost: 0.72 $ / hr

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Heat Exchanger Fouling Loss calculator, set added fouling energy penalty to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.