TRAINING

COOLING TOWERS 
WATER TREATMENTS

Cooling Tower Water Treatments Dr. Ing. Carlo Lebrun
Dr.Ing. Carlo Lebrun 1
 COOLING TOWERS

Source: Wikipedia

Cooling Tower Water Treatments Dr.Ing. Carlo Lebrun 2
 PROCESS DIAGRAM & WATER MATERIAL BALANCE

Drawing source: Wikipedia

Cooling Tower Water Treatments Dr.Ing. Carlo Lebrun 3
 KEY OPERATING PARAMETERS

- Cooling tower inlet water temperature

- Cooling tower outlet water temperature
- Water flow rate

- Inlet air temperature

- Air Humidity (higher humidity reduce cooling)
- Air flow rate
- Exhaust air temperature

- Electrical readings of pumps and fans motors

- Cycles of Concentration (COC)

Cooling Tower Water Treatments Dr.Ing. Carlo Lebrun 4
 CYCLES OF CONCENTRATION (COC)

A measure of cooling tower operation efficiency

also referred to as “cycles”

Compares
1 - TDS (total dissolved solids – mg/l)
or
2 - conductivityy ((microSiemens – uS))
in the makeup water and in the blowdown water.

Cycles
C l = system
t TDS / makeup
k TDS
e.g. TDS 2,150 mg/l / 390 mg/l = 5.5 COC

Cooling Tower Water Treatments Dr.Ing. Carlo Lebrun 5
 COMMON WATER COOLERS TERMINOLOGY

-Drift:
Drift: Water droplets that are carried out of the cooling tower with the
exhaust air. Drift droplets have the same concentration of impurities as the
water entering the tower.

-Plume: The stream of saturated exhaust air leaving the cooling tower. The
plume is visible when water vapor it contains condenses in contact with
cooler ambient air
air.

- Blow-down: portion of circulating water flow that is removed.

N
Note: Hi
Higher
h TDS (total
( l dissolved
di l d solids)
lid ) concentration
i iin solution
l i results
l iin
greater potential cooling tower efficiency. However the higher the TDS
concentration, the greater the risk of scale, biological growth and corrosion.

Cooling Tower Water Treatments Dr.Ing. Carlo Lebrun 6
 WHAT IS IN THE WATER?

- Suspended Solids

- Dissolved Solids (= dissolved salts)

- Odour
Od causing
i compounds
d

- Biological Contaminants
Algae
Fungi
Protozoans
Bacteria
Virus
Cooling Tower Water Treatments Dr.Ing. Carlo Lebrun 7
 COOLING TOWER WATER TREATMENT
Commonly
C l used
dCCooling
li T Towers water
t ttreatment
t t chemicals
h i l
are:

- Sodium Hypochlorite

- Biocide

- Biodispersant
Bi di t

- Scale/Corrosion inhibitor

- Sulphuric acid

Cooling Tower Water Treatments Dr.Ing. Carlo Lebrun 8
 EXAMPLE OF PROJECT DATA

Cooling Tower Water Treatments Dr.Ing. Carlo Lebrun 9
 TYPICAL INJECTION VALUES

-Sodium
Sodium Hypochlorite keep total free chloride in system/blowdown water
between 0.5 and 1.0 ppm (practically = mg/L)

-Biocide
Biocide as per vendor recommendation,
and change periodically

p
- Biodispersant as p
per vendor recommendation
and change periodically

- Scale/Corrosion inhibitor as per vendor recommendation

- Sulphuric acid keep pH in system/blowdown water

between 7 and 7.5

Cooling Tower Water Treatments Dr.Ing. Carlo Lebrun 10
 COOLING TOWER WATER TREATMENT

Commonly used Cooling Towers water treatment chemicals are:

- Sodium Hypochlorite
- Biocide

- Biodispersant
p

- Scale/Corrosion inhibitor

- Sulphuric acid

Cooling Tower Water Treatments Dr.Ing. Carlo Lebrun 11
 USE OF SODIUM HYPOCLORITE

- disinfection of stagnant water (biocide)

- limit fouling of pipes & equipment due to biological factors

NOTE
NOTE:
it is an “oxidising” biocide which promotes corrosion, and
environmental contamination (air & water)
water).
Quantity should be limited.

Cooling Tower Water Treatments Dr.Ing. Carlo Lebrun 12
 COOLING TOWER WATER TREATMENT

Commonly used Cooling Towers water treatment chemicals are:

- Sodium Hypochlorite

- Biocide
- Biodispersant
p

- Scale/Corrosion inhibitor

- Sulphuric acid

Cooling Tower Water Treatments Dr.Ing. Carlo Lebrun 13
 USE OF BIOCIDE
- Avoid
A id ffouling
li off pipes
i & equipment
i tddue tto bi
biological
l i l
factors

NOTE 1: same purpose of sodium hypchlorite, but less corrosive and

contaminant. Normally a non-oxidising biocide.

NOTE 2: effectiveness may vary in time as some bacteria may develop

resistance (periodical checks required)

NOTE 3: effectiveness may be increased by correct water operating

temperature:
p
cold water below 25°C and hot water above 55°C do not allow
Legionella to grow

Cooling Tower Water Treatments Dr.Ing. Carlo Lebrun 14
 USE OF BIOCIDE (Legionella)

A very important reason for using biocides in cooling towers is to prevent the
growth of Legionella, including species that cause legionellosis or
Legionnaires' disease,
Legionnaires disease most notably L L. pneumophila
pneumophila.
Various Legionella species are the cause of Legionnaires' disease in humans
and transmission is via inhalation of mist droplets containing the bacteria.

Legionella can spread through the air up to 6 kilometres from a large

contaminated cooling tower.

Periodical inspection of cooling tower are necessary to early detect any

infection.

Cooling Tower Water Treatments Dr.Ing. Carlo Lebrun 15
 BIOLOGICAL AGENTS

Algae
• food for bacteria
• deposits may induce corrosion
• deposits can reduce heat exchange
• deposits can foul piping

Fungi
• deposits can reduce heat exchange

Bacteria
• some bacteria may cause health hazards (legionella)
• sulphate reducing bacteria can produce hydrogen sulphide (corrosive!)

Cooling Tower Water Treatments Dr.Ing. Carlo Lebrun 16
 COOLING TOWER WATER TREATMENT

Commonly used Cooling Towers water treatment chemicals are:

- Sodium Hypochlorite

- Biocide

- Biodispersant
p
- Scale/Corrosion inhibitor

- Sulphuric acid

Cooling Tower Water Treatments Dr.Ing. Carlo Lebrun 17
 USE OF BIODISPERSANT

- cooperate with biocide

biocide, to avoid
accumulations/concentrations of biological residues

- limit fouling of pipes & equipment due to biological factors

Cooling Tower Water Treatments Dr.Ing. Carlo Lebrun 18
 …

Cooling Tower Water Treatments Dr.Ing. Carlo Lebrun 19
 COOLING TOWER WATER TREATMENT

Commonly used Cooling Towers water treatment chemicals are:

- Sodium Hypochlorite

- Biocide

- Biodispersant

- Scale/Corrosion inhibitor
- Sulphuric acid

Cooling Tower Water Treatments Dr.Ing. Carlo Lebrun 20
 USE OF SCALE/CORROSION INHIBITOR

- Scale & Deposit On Heat Transfer Surface

- Corrosion in pipes & equipment

Cooling Tower Water Treatments Dr.Ing. Carlo Lebrun 21
 SCALING

Cooling Tower Water Treatments Dr.Ing. Carlo Lebrun 22
 POSSIBLE SCALE CAUSING SALTS

Calcium Carbonate
Magnesium Silicate
Calcium Sulphate
p
Zinc Phosphate
Calcium Phosphate
Calcium Fluoride
Iron Oxide
Iron Carbonate
Silica
Aluminium Hydroxide

Example reaction:
C ++ + 2(HCO3) ¯ --->
Ca > CaCO
C CO3 (precipitate)
( i it t ) + H2O + CO2

Reaction is helped by concentration, high pH, high temperature

Cooling Tower Water Treatments Dr.Ing. Carlo Lebrun 23
 COST INCREASES DUE TO SCALING & FOULING

Reduced heat transfer efficiencyy and/or greater

g energy
gy
losses

Production losses

Reduced pipe diameters (greater pumping energy)

Increased maintenance cost

Cooling Tower Water Treatments Dr.Ing. Carlo Lebrun 24
 COST INCREASES DUE TO CORROSION

Loss of Metal and alloys

Replacement of product
product, time and energy

Loss of manpower due to shutdowns.

Accidents

Loss of Efficiency

Cooling Tower Water Treatments Dr.Ing. Carlo Lebrun 25
 COOLING TOWER WATER TREATMENT

Commonly used Cooling Towers water treatment chemicals are:

- Sodium Hypochlorite

- Biocide

- Biodispersant

- Scale/Corrosion inhibitor

- Sulphuric acid

Cooling Tower Water Treatments Dr.Ing. Carlo Lebrun 26
 USE OF SULPHURIC ACID

- adjust pH level before discharge to effluent

- reduce scaling: acid treatment reduces [CO3] ions

Cooling Tower Water Treatments Dr.Ing. Carlo Lebrun 27
 HOW TO VERIFY THE COORECT RESULT
OF CHEMICALS INJECTION?

Cooling Tower Water Treatments Dr.Ing. Carlo Lebrun 28
 FEEDBACK ON WATER QUALITY

1 - feedback through lab analysis

gp
2 - corrosion and scaling probes
3 - equipment inspection
are essential to evaluate the effectiveness of
treatment and adjust chemicals injection to
the correct quality and quantity
quantity.

Frequency (daily,
F (d il weekly,
kl etc.)
t ) tto b
be ttuned
d on
site real needs.
Cooling Tower Water Treatments Dr.Ing. Carlo Lebrun 29
 PERIODICAL TESTS OF WATER QUALITY

- Chemicals Residual Analysis

- Corrosion Coupon Monitor
- Fouling Depositor
- Microbiological Count Test
- Hardness (both total and Calcium )
- Total Dissolved solids (TDS)
- Total Suspended Solids (TSS)
- pH
- Chloride
- Silica
- Iron
- Other …

Cooling Tower Water Treatments Dr.Ing. Carlo Lebrun 30
 http://www.ecisgroup.it/

END OF PRESENTATION

Cooling Tower Water Treatments Dr.Ing. Carlo Lebrun 31