In addition to corrosion, deposit, and general fouling prevention, responsible cooling water treatment must now also involve disease prevention. An increasingly important tool for augmenting the chemical water treatment program is filtration. While cooling water filters come in many designs, a properly selected filter offers two primary benefits:
- Particulate Removal – Suspended solids that are not properly dispersed and removed from recirculating water through normal treatment and bleed-off, can provide nutrient sources which encourage microbial growth, fouling of heat transfer surfaces and bio-film formation. All lead to accelerated water system problems, and an unnecessary demand for chemicals to keep the system in check. Filtered recirculating water reduces the chance for elevated bacteria and supports the goals for disease prevention in cooling tower systems.
- Continuous Flow – Many filters utilize separate recirculating pumps. These can be set to operate in the “stagnant” or “idle” periods that otherwise cause sizable operational challenges. The continuous flow of cooling water when evaporation (and heat rejection) is not required, offers the facility some important benefits. Keeping the water moving is the key to effective water management. With filter systems we are able to extend seasonal operation, continuously clean sumps and pans, and most importantly provide an opportunity to effectively test and treat cooling water with biocides to control disease-bearing organisms.
Be sure to ask your water treatment consultant their opinions on the use of cooling water filtration.
Written by:
John D. Caloritis, CWT
Technology Director
The Metro Group, Inc.
John is Chair of the AWT (Association of Water Technologies) Cooling Water Committee and a Member of the Association’s Legionella Task Force.
