The proper treatment of your cooling towers is vital in order to avoid costly damage to your cooling tower equipment and keep the production of your industry flowing smoothly. Poor cooling tower management due to improper water treatment, organic growth, scaling, fouling and corrosion reduces the plant productivity and causes plant downtime and eventually comes on terms to require costly equipment replacement down the road.
The treatment methods differ based on the type of cooling tower and its chemistry, makeup water needed, and the matter of it being an open or closed-loop process.
But, How to exactly know if you require a cooling tower system for your plant? Read on to find various reasons below:
The high amount of hardness or total dissolved solids
High TDS (total dissolved solids) or hardness, especially when present in the form of calcium carbonate can also possibly lead to massive scaling. The solids remain concentrated as water evaporates removing the heat for cooling. In case they are not properly removed in blowdown or prevented in the first place by proper cooling tower water treatment, these dissolved solids and hardness begin to build upon heat transfers and other internal piping. The system can be clogged or lead to downtime or failure due to this. The best solution is to make sure that water and makeup water chemistry is being appropriately treated so as to avoid these issues in the first place. Scale if once formed, is difficult to remove.
Alkalinity and pH levels are too low or too high.
While you regulate pH levels and alkalinity in your cooling tower water, understanding the proper balance for your equipment and process is the key. It is always recommended to consult a water treatment specialist as the proper balance can vary depending on your cooling tower system and the quality of your water source. However, normally, lower alkalinity and pH levels decrease the likelihood and amount of scaling in your cooling tower. Closely monitoring acid feed, softening, and pH and alkalinity are crucial to be controlled. In the process of maintaining, failing at this can lead to rapid scale formation and/or corrosion to equipment.
Finding microorganisms in your cooling tower
Cooling tower water is likely to be affected by microbial growth, especially in the open-recirculating system. The favorable conditions promote the growth of bacteria and enable these biofilms to occur that lead to corrosion, fouling, and other issues to your cooling tower system. Generally, cooling towers are considered the breeding ground for a certain type of bacteria, fungi, and algae. However, the level of bacteria can vary depending on the water source and the type of cooling tower system. Cooling towers are also breeding ground for extremely harmful bacteria like legionella that naturally occurs in surface water and is known to cause people to get very sick and can even lead to death. Hence, it is essential to closely monitor these growths and get your cooling tower water treatment done from time to time.
Insufficient water supply
Places where water is scantily supplied, the local regulations will likely prevent you from drawing too much water from the source or would not allow you to release too much water into the environment. In such circumstances, it should be in your best interest to treat your cooling tower blowdown for reuse.
It is essential that the discharge your cooling system creates, meet the regulatory requirements. There could be sewer connection fees in areas where water is scarce, and demineralization systems can be a cost-effective solution in that case, since they can help minimize the cost to connect to water and sewer lines.
What to do next?
For the success and efficiency of cooling towers, treating its water properly is extremely essential. Challenges like organic growth, scaling, fouling, and corrosion can reduce plant productivity requiring expensive equipment replacements down the road. So when it comes to determining if you need treatment for your cooling tower water, it is essential to consult your cooling tower manufacturer or a water treatment specialist. The required makeup water and the chemistry would entirely depend on the plant’s individual needs.
Towertech Cooling System Pvt. Ltd. is one of the leading cooling tower manufacturers, suppliers, and exporters today in India. Reach out to us for your cooling tower water treatment needs, with the experience of over three decades; we can provide a detailed guideline for cooling tower requirements.
