sooty
Without adding pressure by placing the HP in front of the FOHE, there will be no real change in Ice migration at the Face, as I see it. Clipping the tubes flush seems an improvement, but hardly a solution. As the migrating Ice hits the entry, it still has the same cross section to contend with, and I still think of the interstices between tubes as a plus for temporary "storage" of the slurry. The closer proximity to the Oil entry in the cannister is a plus, though.
The HP pump is a geared, or lobed mechanism, a positive contact type that would certainly serve to crunch solids or gels into a pumpable mass.
Placing this unit in Front of the FOHE would prevent solids from accessing the Face, as GE does. It was the Plug at the Face that caused cavitation, the HP has no flow/fault relief valve to relieve pressure when draw is prevented. Including the products of spill to cycle through the HP feed would be an alternate supply, or direct connect to HP from FOHE Face bypass would prevent cavitation also. But this would preclude using check valves in the spill return, otherwise cavitation could occur.
Last edited by airfoilmod; 18th Mar 2009 at 20:18.