For the efficiency of cooling towers, one should care regarding various aspects. It must be subject to regular checks, required maintenance, and repairs. This helps not only to enhance the system’s life but also reduce costs and serious issues plaguing the system.
Owners of cooling towers like industrial cooling tower can rely on professionals like FlowMatrix for their care and maintenance. FlowMatrix is an Australian company that offers all kinds of services for cooling towers across the country, from installation to repair and maintenance.
Some of the common problems faced by cooling towers and their solutions are:
* Corrosion
It is quite common in cooling towers. This situation may be neglected by many companies who consider corrosion as an inevitable problem, particularly in old cooling towers. Corrosion occurs due to aerated cooling water, deposits, and microbial growth. In extreme cases of corrosion, all parts or cooling tower may have to be replaced.
Corrosion can be controlled in three ways: epoxy coatings, enhancing the pH of the water to almost 9.0 and treating water with orthophosphate. With a balanced use of such approaches, the life of the cooling tower can be extended.
* Scaling
Silica, Magnesium silicate, calcium carbonate, and calcium phosphate are compounds found in water, which are insoluble in even hot water. Such insoluble compounds result in hard deposits accumulating on the surface for the heat exchange of the system. Such a development is referred to as scaling. Scaling or tartar will damage the pipes and interior components of the cooling tower.
Tartar is mostly made of calcium deposits and is required to be monitored and treated as needed. Flaking can be prevented by pipe coatings made of polymers. Such coatings offer a surface that encourages heating to maintain performance, but they do not provide space for calcium to stick. Cleaning procedures must be used for significant deposits. It is the ideal time to use liners of cooling tubes to prevent future deposits.
* Fouling
Fouling refers to the condition in which unwanted materials accumulate in cooling towers. Contamination in cooling systems is not only the result of the accumulation of debris, dirt, and dust but also other materials like sand, cracks, microbial growth, etc. This can lead to reduced efficiency and increased costs of energy and operation.
Fouling can be tackled using chlorine, which treats dirt, changing of nozzles, and fillers and replacement of other parts with new parts to restore the performance of the cooling tower.
* Biological Contamination
This happens by mistake. In this case, microbes like bacteria, fungi, and algae enter the system through air or flow of water into the system. Such nutrient content in water increases with water evaporation, process leakage, and water use. When used in hot water, it creates a perfect environment for growth and multiplication of microbes. Such an increase in bacteria and other microbes not only reduces the efficiency of the system but is also a significant health hazard for humans.
The best solution for biological contamination of industrial cooling tower water is to test water samples. Such contamination is highly dangerous for the health of all living or working near the cooling tower. For treatment, the system is shaken with chlorine at various concentrations for 48 hours, rinsed thoroughly, and filled with fresh water.
These are the main kinds of cooling tower contamination. Companies must hire experienced water treatment specialists like FlowMatrix to avoid unnecessary downtime.