August 4, 2004—Side-stream filtration is being recognized by an increasing number of facilities managers and HVAC Managers as a powerful means of boosting chemical water treatment—increasing energy efficiency while reducing maintenance costs and downtime for cooling tower systems.
Because the fill and sump of the cooling tower are open to the atmosphere, particles are scrubbed from the air on a continuous basis and delivered to the sump. As a result, water in the cooling loop always contains particles and other airborne contaminants that get washed into the system. “A typical 200-ton cooling tower in a season may assimilate upwards of 600 pounds of particulate matter from airborne dust and make-up water supply.” (ASHRAE Handbook, 1996). Ongoing evaporation also increases the concentration of calcium carbonate and other minerals such that they form particles in the bulk water.
Scale inhibitors are one effective set of tools used by water treaters and facilities managers to prevent fouling from getting out of hand. Side-stream filtration should not be seen as a substitute for chemical water treatment, but rather as the best complementary technology for boosting performance and reducing costs, says Electric H2O Filtration.
Side-stream filtration is a cost-effective solution for most cooling systems. On one hand, facilities managers can design their chemical water treatment programs around total dissolved solids, pH, alkalinity, hardness and other easily measurable parameters.
Filtration, on the other hand, addresses the less predictable variations in water quality that occur during normal operation, such as dust, soil, soot, and organic debris scrubbed from the air, which are in the end a major source of fouling.
Among all of the relevant kinds of filtration technologies (centrifugal, bag, cartridge, etc.), granular or sand media filtration currently has the best balance of performance and price. This class of filtration products can provide reliability, automatic backwash, and 5 micron filtration at a low cost. Furthermore, Electric H20’s filters are the first standardized line of media filters that are designed and priced specifically for end-users of cooling water systems.
For more information, contact Electric H2O Filtration.
