The maximum cycles of ...

The maximum cycles of concentration will be dependent on the makeup water quality, the risks to the process from corrosion and fouling by the concentrated cooling water, and the costs of treatment (chemical and mechanical, such as periodic cleaning or repair of corroded components) to manage these risks. Since the quality of the makeup water may vary, particularly from river sources, the maximum cycles may vary and the control may be based on chemistry parameters such as conductivity or a parameter based on avoiding precipitation (eg. Langelier Saturation Index for Calcium Carbonate scale). Some margin should be provided to protect against short-term upsets such as the loss of chemical feed, to prevent precipitation of the time period required to detect and correct the upset.