Know Your Enemy!
Did you know that a 200 tonne cooling
tower can accumulate in excess of 275 Kg
of suspended matter over the course of
just one year? Allowing a cooling system
to get weighed down by bacterial growth
and slime build-up leaves it vulnerable to
corrosion and fouling and is not worth the
risk to plant operation. But do you know
the enemy well enough to effectively keep
microbial growth at bay?
By Brian Booth, VP of Chem-Aqua, the
Water Treatment Innovation Platform of
global water, energy and maintenance
solutions provider NCH Europe.
Stagnant water in cooling tower systems
and closed cooling water systems is an
ideal breeding ground for microbial
growth, which can lead to costly
problems within your cooling system like accumulation of slime, circulation
issues and even corrosion. These issues
can result in a cooling system that is, at
best, inefficient, and at worst, completely
shutdown. The downtime and potential
loss of revenue makes treating the water
in your cooling system vital, and there are
many ways to do this. However, chemical
treatment, when done properly, can be a
bespoke solution for your specific system.
Foaming - While not a common problem,
foaming is caused by contamination
of the circulation water and can cause
operational problems such as overflowing.
Foam depressant chemicals are used to
settle the process water.
Be precise
Unfortunately, there isn’t a ‘one size
fits all’ solution to chemical treatment.
With so much to take into consideration
it’s important to get the best biocide
treatment for your system’s specific needs.
A custom designed water treatment
solution from Chem-Aqua can significantly
reduce energy, water, and maintenance
costs while ensuring safe and reliable
operation.
Chem-Aqua’s survey engineers test
samples from every cooling system the
company treats to determine the exact
nature and optimum measure of biocides
for each system. Precisely establishing the
threats, by determining pH levels, half life,
and organic loading on the system, means
Chem-Aqua can tailor the treatment to
target specific problems.
For instance, in the steel industry water
is used to cool molten steel, and it is
common for slag and oil to contaminate
the water