When hydrocarbons are exposed to high temperatures under heat-transfer conditions, deposits form on heat exchanger tubes. Estimation of the extent of fouling has relied upon visual examination of the coker tube, but the significance of this has long been questioned. In this paper are considered other possible ways of rating the deposits on coker tubes, including removal with solvents, combustion with O2, combustion with ozone/O2, heat transfer effects, beta-ray backscattering, electron absorption, X-ray scattering, and infrared absorption. Results of all these experiments show that O2 combustion and beta-ray backscattering ratings are more reliable bases than is visual appraisal for evaluating hydrocarbon formation by jet fuels.
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