COOLING TOWERS CONSERVATION CYCLE CHEMISTRY ION EXCHANGE LEGIONELLA SOFTENING WATER REUSE

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Abstract

Amajority of cooling towers use raw, hard water as makeup. This water is available from plant wells, municipal supplies, and, increasingly, treated municipal wastewater. These sources vary in quality, depending on the concentration of dissolved and suspended solids. Although using soft water for cooling tower makeup is less common, this strategy offers significant benefits over the use of hard water. Calcium hardness is the primary cause of mineral scale deposits that form on heat transfer surfaces. Also known as lime scale, the calcium salts of carbonate, sulfate, and occasionally phosphate, insulate the metal surface, resulting in loss of heat transfer efficiency. For this reason, cooling water chemistry is controlled to prevent the precipitation of calcium salts. This includes limiting the cycles of concentration and feeding chemical scale inhibitors and/or mineral acid. These chemicals effectively increase the solubility of troublesome scale-forming calcium salts and allow the tower to operate at maximum efficiency.

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