I'll throw out a few ideas ...
Published by James McDonald, PE, CWT, Technology and Marketing Manager at Chem-Aqua, Inc.
I'll throw out a few ideas for minimizing cooling tower water usage here.
- Run at maximum cycles of concentration
- Know what the maximum cycles are based upon water chemistry, control, etc.
- Use the appropriate chemistry to achieve this (e.g., scale inhibitors, polymers, acid feed)
- Use the appropriate pretreatment to achieve this (e.g., water softener, blended soft/hard water, reuse/recycled water)
- Use automated control equipment to maintain cycles
- Fix any water leaks or "uncontrolled blowdown" sources preventing the system from running at maximum cycles
2 Comments
I would add: Control the biological factors to reduce their contribution to scale formation and the resulting heat transfer inhibition. In a pilot we did in a petrochemical plant in China, we reduced water use by 35% with significant reduction in energy use as well.
Published by Dane Madsen
I totally agree. I also am aware that some radically new ideas have surfaced within the last ten years, that allow really high cycles of concentration with no effect on heat transfer (other than likely improvement over time). Water leaks really are a problem issue when high cycles are sought, and are a clear mode of failure on any closed loop system of coolant, since make-up rates will exacerbate corrosion issues.
Published by James Stewart