Cooling Towers and Evaporative Condensers
The main considerations when operating a cooling system include the control of scale, corrosion and biological fouling, including the control of the proliferation of Legionella bacteria within these systems. Other important factors to consider include operating costs from decreased efficiency, downtime, costly equipment damage, unnecessarily high water usage and disposal costs.
Water is an extremely effective and comparatively low cost cooling medium. It is still the case that the use of an evaporative cooling tower is the most effective method of heat transfer. The concentration of water within the system, due to evaporation, will inevitably lead to an increase in the dissolved salts and general airborne dust and debris within the system. In areas of the country where water hardness is high it is necessary to use a water softener prior to use to minimise the likelihood of scale build up and to optimise water use within the system. Unfortunately the removal of hardness from the make up water increases the corrossivity of the water. There is a fine balance, in the chemical treatment of a cooling tower, to ensure that optimal scale and corrosion protection is achieved. The selection of the correct inhibitor by a suitably experienced water treatment professional is therefore critical.
The water within a cooling system provides optimal growth conditions for many species of bacteria, including Legionella spp. The warm environment and high levels of organic debris make for a particularly pleasant environment for rapid bacterial growth if this is left uncontrolled. It is therefore critical that the correct biocidal treatment regime is implemented and regular checks are carried out to ensure that bacterial populations within the system are kept under control.
Both scale and biofilm build up within a system and will greatly inhibit the heat transfer efficiency of the system as well as blocking pipe work. A build up of biofilm within a system will also encourage of the growth of Legionella bacteria and may promote the formation of under deposit corrosion.
The selection of the most effective products for use within a system is absolutely critical. At B & V Water Treatment our team of Research and Development Chemists, corrosion specialists and Microbiologists are continually adding to our already extensive range of cooling water inhibitors and biocides. With environmental impact being at the forefront of our development initiatives, we have available our Envirohib range of corrosion and scale inhibitors and our Envirobac range of biocides.
B & V Water Treatments highly trained technical representatives have the experience to select the optimum programme of scale, corrosion and deposit inhibition for your system. This together with carefully controlled and maintained biocide additions will ensure optimal, safe and energy efficient operation of your cooling system.
