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Cooling Tower Water

Treatment
FFBL and FPCL Training
27th & 28th Feb, 2019

The cooling circuit

• Consists of Evaporation

– Cooling tower
• Fans
• Fill
Heat Load
• Sump from process
– Pumps
Make up
– Piping
– Exchangers
• Water source Bleed

The cooling tower

• Cools water by evaporation Evaporation

– Sensible heat is removed as
latent heat
– Increases salts in water
– Pollutants in air can enter the
system
– Ensures consistent supply of Make up
oxygen
• Performance linked to humidity
in air Bleed

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Bleed off

• Increasing bleed
• Wastes water
• Flushes system of undesired solids
• Reduces scaling tendency
• Reducing bleed Half Life (hrs)
• Saves water Scaling Tendency

• Reduces corrosion tendency

• Increases biological issues

Bleed off
Graph is not to scale

The heat exchanger

• The primary purpose of the entire system and the main focus of all
activities
• Can be
– Tubular
– Plate type
• Requires periodic cleaning and maintenance
• Water treatment required to maintain optimum efficiency

Common Problems

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General Corrosion

Crevice Type

Pitting Attack

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Corrosion Cell

Fe+2
O2 Tubercle

OH-
OH-

-
Cathode Anode e Cathode

Chloride attack on SS

Protective oxide film

MACRO
SLIP

O2 Cl-
O O
H- M H-
+

e
-

Factor Affecting Corrosion

• pH
• Dissolved Gases:
– CO2 ,O2, H2S, NH3
• Dissolved Solids
• Suspended Solids
• Water Velocity
• Temperature
– Heat Transfer: Unequal heat transfer “ Hot wall effects” or “hot spot corrosion”.

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Mineral Scales Formation

• Calcium Carbonate
• Calcium Phosphate
• Iron Phosphate
• Zinc Phosphate
• Zinc Hydroxide
• Silica

Scale exists on macro level ….

……but it begins on the micro level

• Nucleation and crystal growth at

high pH cathodic site Ca+2
CO3-2
CO3-2 Ca+2 Ca+2 CO3-2
CO3-2 Ca+2
– Ca(HCO3)2  CaCO3+ H2O+ CO2 CO3-2 Ca+2
CO3-2
Ca+2 Ca+2 CO3-2
OH-
• Metal oxides provide nucleation
site
Ca+2 CO3-2 Ca+2 Ca+2 CO3-2
• Nucleation and growth at surface CO3-2
CO3-2 Ca+2
irregularity or existing deposit Ca+2 Ca+2 CO3-2
CaCO3

Ca+2 CO3-2 Ca+2

CO3-2 CO3-2 Ca+2

CO3-2 Ca+2
CaCO3

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Impacts of Scaling

• Insulation of heat exchange surface

– Scale is a bad conductor of heat
• Plugging of small diameter tubes
• Initiation of corrosion cell

Microbiological Growth

• Algae
• Bacteria
• Fungi

Problems Caused By Microbes

• Slime And Biofilm Formation

– Fouling and Heat Transfer Loss
– Corrosion Due To Differential Cell Aeration, Salt Concentration, Generation of Organic Acid
• Corrosion
– H2S Produced By SRB (Sulfate Reducing Bacteria)
– Under-deposit Corrosion - Iron Deposit By Galleonella
• Scaling
– Scale Nucleation Sites Created By Bio-film
• Fouling
– Entrapment of Suspended Solid And Debris By Slime And Bio-film

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Microbiological slime

MIC Microbiological Corrosion

• Any corrosion initiated or

propagated by the action
of microorganisms either
directly or indirectly.

Biofilm Deposition

Extra-cellular Polymer

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Fouling

• Fouling occurs as result of biofilm development on system surfaces

• Fouling occurs in both low- and high flow areas.
• Low flow areas are more prone to foul with biofilm and solids.
• High flow areas develop biofilms rapidly or may develop less
voluminous films which lead to mineral scale

Deposit Formation

• Suspended Solid - debris, ash, silt.

• Corrosion product particulate - iron hydroxide or other complex
• Organic/ Oil and grease
• Microbiological slime/ Algae
• Sludge mixture of various foulants

Impact of Deposits and fouling

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Buckman Approach

Buckman Approach

• Keep surface clean from

– Slime
– Microbiologically Induced Corrosion
– Deposits
• Add inhibitor for
– Scale
– Corrosion (Anodic/Cathodic)
• Maintain optimum corrosive/scaling tendency of water
– Utilize natural corrosion inhibition property of water

Common Problems

Corrosion

Scale Micro Biological Fouling

Deposits

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Biological Control

• Add oxidizing biocide

– To maintain microbes within acceptable level
• Add bio-dispersant
– To break the bio-film
• Add non-oxidizing biocide
– To inhibit SRBs and nitrifying bacteria

Bacterial Growth rate vs. time

100%

Zone of Zone of Zone of

Forming Population
Measurement of

Low Rapid Stabilized Population

Population Growth
Slime

0%
1 6 11 16 21 26

Days

Scale Inhibition options

• Add acid to reduce alkalinity

• Add dispersants
– Threshold effect
– Distort crystal
– Dispersion
• Maintain calcium level by bleed

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What scale inhibitors do

Natural CaCO3 Crystal Interrupted crystal Distorted Crystal

Predicting Calcium scale

• Calcium Carbonate scale

– Ryznar Stability Index
• Based on CaH,M-alk,TDS.Temp.pH
• Compare saturation and actual pH (2pHs –pH)
– R.I. = < 6: Scaling
– R.I. = > 7: Corrosive.
• Calcium Phosphate scale
– Stability index based on CaH, PO4, pH Temp

Natural Corrosion Inhibition

CO2
H2O
O2 OH- Ca(HCO3)2 Protective
CaCO3 layer
Fe+2
OH- CaCO3

Anode e-
Cathode
Cathode

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Treatment
implementation

Startup

• New systems may require flushing with phosphates and additives to

expose surface
• May need to form an initial protective layer if corrosion is expected to
dominate

Dosage

• Dosed continuously through pump

– Bulab corrosion, scale inhibitors
– Bulab dispersants
– Sulphuric acid
• Shock dosed when required
– Bulab non oxidizing biocides
– Bulab dispersants
– Chlorine gas/Sodium hypo

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Equipment required

• Pumps
– Acid dosing
– Chemicals dosing
• Online meters/controllers
– pH
– Conductivity
– ORP

Chemical dosing

Satellites Dosing

• Critical exchangers are identified

• Part of the recommended dose (of dispersants) is added in critical
areas
• Higher concentration of additives is achieved where required without
extra cost

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Example of Control Parameters

Parameter Range Action

pH 7.5- 8.2 Acid/Bleed
Conductivity < 2500 Bleed
Ca.Hardness 200- 680 Bleed
“M” Alkalinity (As per RI) Acid/Bleed
Ryzner Index 5 – 9.5 Acid/Bleed
Iron <2 Bleed
Ortho PO4-3 3.0-4.8 Bulab 9063/Bleed
Organic PO4-3 1.0 – 1.5 Bulab 7024/Bleed
Total Zinc <1.5 Bulab 9063/Bleed
Suspended Solids <20 Bleed
Free Halogen 0.3 -0.8 Bulab 6041/Cl 2
Ammonia 10 Max.
Nitrite/Nitrate Need to be defined as per system chemistry

Performance Monitoring

• Visual inspection
• Exchanger efficiency
– Temperature drop across exchanger
– Heat transfer coefficient
• Corrosion coupons
• Dip slides

Example of Daily Report

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