There are lots of different types of cooling towers that are used to provide efficient heat exchange in industrial and commercial cooling processes. Selecting the best tower system for your application or process requires careful consideration. In this plant selection guide the specialists at Water Treatment Services review the most popular types of cooling tower system looking at their design, how they work, where they are commonly used, and the advantages and disadvantages of each.
This short article is about industrial cooling towers and cooling systems used in industrial and large scale process applications. The cooling towers used in industrial and process applications are typically used to remove heat from processes involving heat generation, machinery or materials that have been heated and then require cooling.
This brief guide is about heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, often abbreviated to HVAC. The cooling towers used in heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems are primarily used to dispose or reject to atmosphere any unwanted heat generated from a chiller or cooling system.
This brief guide is about cooling towers. A cooling tower can be described as a heat transfer or heat rejection system that works to move waste or unwanted heat from a process or environment, expelling it to the atmosphere. Cooling towers do this through by utilising the cooling effects of a water stream which helps to lower temperatures.
Cooling towers and evaporative cooling systems are used extensively in many industrial, process and commercial applications where there is a need to remove excess heat from liquids, fluids, process materials and indoor environments.
Typical settings for cooling towers and evaporative water systems will include power stations, manufacturing plants, large computer data centres, office buildings, hospitals, hotels etc.
The chemical compound chlorine dioxide has the formula ClO2, and at room temperature it exists as a yellowish-green gas. It has an odour similar to that of chlorine and is highly soluble in water, being approximately 10 times more soluble than chlorine.
While chlorine dioxide is an oxide of chlorine it is very different from the composition of chlorine itself. It is also occasionally referred to as chlorine (IV) oxide, as one of a number of oxides of the compound.
Expert tower cleaning, disinfection and engineering repair solutions.
Water Treatment Services is a leading environmental engineering specialist offering a full range of services including cooling tower cleaning, disinfection, surveys and inspections, repairs, and maintenance services covering all types and sizes of tower installation.
Our cleaning and disinfection solutions address the common problems of tower scaling, fouling and microbial contamination that can affect the cleanliness, safety and performance of all cooling towers.
Our services are delivered by in-field water treatment and engineering experts who combine the latest high performance equipment and treatment techniques to help restore cooling performance, clean and disinfect tower components; extend asset life-cycles and improve safety and regulatory compliance issues.
Expert cooling tower cleaning & disinfection
Our expert cooling tower water treatment, cleaning, disinfection, engineering support solutions include:
Cooling Tower Cleaning & Disinfection
Comprehensive cooling tower cleaning and disinfection techniques to restore system performance, maintain cleanliness and meet the requirements of the HSE’s ACOP L8 and HSG274 Part 1.
Water Treatment & Servicing
Professional cooling tower water treatment programmes using the latest high performance cooling water technologies, water softeners, and dosing and data control equipment.
Tower Pack Cleaning
Cooling tower pack inspection and cleaning solutions to restore cooling performance, reduce energy costs and meet the compliance standards set in the HSE’s ACOP L8 and HSG274.
Tower Engineering, Repair & Refurbishment
Complete cooling tower engineering, repair and refurbishment solutions to improve plant performance and reliability, and extend asset life-cycles.
Laboratory Testing
Water sampling and laboratory testing for legionella bacteria and other parameters.
Full national UK coverage
With offices in London serving the South and South East England, Manchester (North West), Birmingham (Midlands), Bristol (South East England and Wales), Leeds (North and North East) and Glasgow (Scotland), supported by regional teams of specially trained water treatment engineers, site service specialists and technical experts Water Treatment Services offer professional, cost effective tower cleaning, disinfection, engineering support solutions to organisations throughout the UK and Ireland.
Contact us today to learn how our expert cooling tower and engineering support solutions can help you to improve standards of cleanliness, restore cooling performance, optimise costs, reduce downtime, increase plant reliability, and improve safety and regulatory compliance. To speak with one of our experts call us on 0330 223 31 31 or simply use the button below to get our full contact details or submit our contact form.
Cooling towers are an essential component in many industrial, commercial and manufacturing processes where equipment, air, gasses, fluids and other materials are required to be cooled in some way. For example, evaporative cooling systems are used to remove heat from machinery and process materials, and to cool air from working environments (HVAC and air conditioning systems).
However, if such cooling installations are not maintained effectively, cleaned and disinfected regularly they can become unreliable, inefficient and more seriously, become a major source of dangerous bacteria, not least of which is Legionella bacteria, the bacterium responsible for the potentially fatal condition Legionnaires’ disease.
How to register cooling towers & evaporative condensers
In the UK if you operate a cooling tower or evaporative condenser at your site you must, under the Notification of Cooling Towers and Evaporative Condensers Regulations 1992 (learn more about the regulations here) write to your local authority to let them know. You will need to confirm the location of the tower and give details about how often it is used.
Cooling tower water treatment & legionella control
In order to manage a cooling tower effectively, control levels of Legionella bacteria, minimise the risk of Legionnaires’ disease and so comply with the requirements of the Health & Safety Executives Approved Code of Practice ACOP L8 and HSG274 Part 1, an effective cooling tower water treatment programme should be introduced and maintained at all times while the tower is operational. This water treatment programme would typically include detailed procedures for the operation of the cooling tower supported by a suitable chemical water treatment regimen.
Regular monitoring and testing of the cooling water will also be required to validate the control measures, together with sampling and legionella tests at least every three months. The cooling tower system will also require cleaning and disinfecting regularly.
Additionally, under the HSE’s ACOP L8 you will also need to:
Responsible Person
Appoint a responsible person, someone who is suitably competent and with sufficient authority and knowledge of the water systems to ensure compliance with the law.
Prepare a detailed written scheme to control the risks.
Implement, Manage & Monitor
Implement, manage and monitor the risk control measures.
Record Keeping
Maintain records of results and what you do to control the risks.
Cooling tower water treatment, cleaning & disinfection
Such maintenance programmes should incorporate regular cleaning and disinfection of the cooling tower, tower pack and any other components prone to fouling. Such an approach will help to remove unwanted biofouling, scale deposition and other environmental materials that may have entered the cooling system and that could provide an ideal growth environment for legionella and other bacteria. Such cooling tower cleaning and disinfection activities should be carried out at regular intervals. Our cooling tower specialists would typically carry out detailed inspections and advise on the following:
Cleaning and disinfection
Water treatment programme
Regulatory and ACOP L8 compliance
Scale removal
Air inlets and nozzles
Tower, layer and timber packs
Splash guards
Drift eliminators and frames
Tower walls
Sumps and ponds
Since many industrial towers in the UK are not traditionally in operation throughout the year, it is also sensible to ensure they are carefully maintained, serviced, cleaned and disinfected prior to start-up, and also once their period of use is over.
Tower cleaning & disinfection procedures
Water Treatment Services use the most effective cleaning techniques and procedures to ensure every part of a cooling tower is professionally cleaned and disinfected to the highest standards.
Our teams of highly trained cooling tower water treatment engineers use the latest high performance techniques to achieve industry leading standards of sterilisation and cleanliness.
To ensure complete satisfaction Water Treatment Services perform a thorough three stage cooling tower cleaning and disinfection procedure as follows.
Initial Disinfection
Our cooling tower cleaning and disinfection procedures initially involve a thorough chlorination of the cooling tower and its components as a first stage disinfection. This treatment would also incorporate an additional bio-dispersant to help remove accumulated biofouling from the tower system.
Manual Cleaning
The second stage involves a thorough manual clean of the tower components to remove stubborn microbial growth, scaling and other unwanted fouling.
Final Disinfection
Once the manual clean is complete and verified by our technicians to ensure the tower is free of unwanted fouling a final post chlorination of the system is carried-out. Once this final disinfection phase is completed the cooling tower is then returned safely to service and a formal “Completion of Works” certificate issued.
Cooling tower pack inspection & cleaning
Cooling tower packing forms an integral part of a wet cooling installation and can be vulnerable to the accumulation of unwanted debris and other fouling. It therefore needs to be maintained and kept in a good, clean condition.
As part of our comprehensive cooling tower maintenance services we can perform detailed inspections of tower packs either by removing them or where this is impractical by using specialist inspection equipment.
We offer full tower pack cleaning (either pack removal or in-situ cleaning) and replacement services to ensure your cooling tower and packing is clean and fully compliant with the HSE’s ACOP L8 and HSG274 Part 1.
Cooling tower engineering, repair & refurbishment
Water Treatment Services offer an expert cooling tower engineering service and can inspect, repair and refurbish most cooling tower installations to extend their life and ensure they continue to operate reliably, safely and at optimum efficiency.
Typically our cooling tower repair and refurbishment services can include repairs or replacement of the following:
Tower packing.
Drift eliminators.
Air inlet louvres.
Spray nozzles.
Cooling fan repairs.
Maintenance of cooling distribution systems.
Sump painting and recoating.
New protective coatings.
Is your business fully protected?
It is easy to assume that a good water treatment programme will be enough to keep your cooling tower operating efficiently, clean and free from legionella and other bacteria.
However, as we can see, a programme that includes a planned deep-clean and disinfection process will ensure your business consistently meets its requirements and remains compliant with the law.
Contact Water Treatment Services today to discuss your cooling tower cleaning, disinfection and maintenance requirements. We can provide expert advice and professional in-field support for most cooling towers.
With offices in London serving the South and South East England, Manchester (North West), Birmingham (Midlands), Bristol (South East England and Wales), Leeds (North and North East) and Glasgow (Scotland), supported by regional teams of specially trained engineers, in-field water treatment service specialists and technical experts we can offer professional, cost effective cooling tower cleaning, disinfection and engineering support services across the whole of the UK and Ireland.
Contact us today for more information or for your FREE, no obligation quote.
There are lots of different types of cooling towers that are used to provide efficient heat exchange in industrial and commercial cooling processes. Selecting the best tower system for your application or process requires careful consideration. In this plant selection guide the specialists at Water Treatment Services review the most popular types of cooling tower system looking at their design, how they work, where they are commonly used, and the advantages and disadvantages of each.
This short article is about industrial cooling towers and cooling systems used in industrial and large scale process applications. The cooling towers used in industrial and process applications are typically used to remove heat from processes involving heat generation, machinery or materials that have been heated and then require cooling.
This brief guide is about heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, often abbreviated to HVAC. The cooling towers used in heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems are primarily used to dispose or reject to atmosphere any unwanted heat generated from a chiller or cooling system.
This brief guide is about cooling towers. A cooling tower can be described as a heat transfer or heat rejection system that works to move waste or unwanted heat from a process or environment, expelling it to the atmosphere. Cooling towers do this through by utilising the cooling effects of a water stream which helps to lower temperatures.
Cooling towers and evaporative cooling systems are used extensively in many industrial, process and commercial applications where there is a need to remove excess heat from liquids, fluids, process materials and indoor environments.
Typical settings for cooling towers and evaporative water systems will include power stations, manufacturing plants, large computer data centres, office buildings, hospitals, hotels etc.
The chemical compound chlorine dioxide has the formula ClO2, and at room temperature it exists as a yellowish-green gas. It has an odour similar to that of chlorine and is highly soluble in water, being approximately 10 times more soluble than chlorine.
While chlorine dioxide is an oxide of chlorine it is very different from the composition of chlorine itself. It is also occasionally referred to as chlorine (IV) oxide, as one of a number of oxides of the compound.
Expert tower cleaning, disinfection and engineering repair solutions.
Water Treatment Services is a leading environmental engineering specialist offering a full range of services including cooling tower cleaning, disinfection, surveys and inspections, repairs, and maintenance services covering all types and sizes of tower installation.
Our cleaning and disinfection solutions address the common problems of tower scaling, fouling and microbial contamination that can affect the cleanliness, safety and performance of all cooling towers.
Our services are delivered by in-field water treatment and engineering experts who combine the latest high performance equipment and treatment techniques to help restore cooling performance, clean and disinfect tower components; extend asset life-cycles and improve safety and regulatory compliance issues.
Expert cooling tower cleaning & disinfection
Our expert cooling tower water treatment, cleaning, disinfection, engineering support solutions include:
Cooling Tower Cleaning & Disinfection
Comprehensive cooling tower cleaning and disinfection techniques to restore system performance, maintain cleanliness and meet the requirements of the HSE’s ACOP L8 and HSG274 Part 1.
Water Treatment & Servicing
Professional cooling tower water treatment programmes using the latest high performance cooling water technologies, water softeners, and dosing and data control equipment.
Tower Pack Cleaning
Cooling tower pack inspection and cleaning solutions to restore cooling performance, reduce energy costs and meet the compliance standards set in the HSE’s ACOP L8 and HSG274.
Tower Engineering, Repair & Refurbishment
Complete cooling tower engineering, repair and refurbishment solutions to improve plant performance and reliability, and extend asset life-cycles.
Laboratory Testing
Water sampling and laboratory testing for legionella bacteria and other parameters.
Full national UK coverage
With offices in London serving the South and South East England, Manchester (North West), Birmingham (Midlands), Bristol (South East England and Wales), Leeds (North and North East) and Glasgow (Scotland), supported by regional teams of specially trained water treatment engineers, site service specialists and technical experts Water Treatment Services offer professional, cost effective tower cleaning, disinfection, engineering support solutions to organisations throughout the UK and Ireland.
Contact us today to learn how our expert cooling tower and engineering support solutions can help you to improve standards of cleanliness, restore cooling performance, optimise costs, reduce downtime, increase plant reliability, and improve safety and regulatory compliance. To speak with one of our experts call us on 0330 223 31 31 or simply use the button below to get our full contact details or submit our contact form.
Cooling towers are an essential component in many industrial, commercial and manufacturing processes where equipment, air, gasses, fluids and other materials are required to be cooled in some way. For example, evaporative cooling systems are used to remove heat from machinery and process materials, and to cool air from working environments (HVAC and air conditioning systems).
However, if such cooling installations are not maintained effectively, cleaned and disinfected regularly they can become unreliable, inefficient and more seriously, become a major source of dangerous bacteria, not least of which is Legionella bacteria, the bacterium responsible for the potentially fatal condition Legionnaires’ disease.
How to register cooling towers & evaporative condensers
In the UK if you operate a cooling tower or evaporative condenser at your site you must, under the Notification of Cooling Towers and Evaporative Condensers Regulations 1992 (learn more about the regulations here) write to your local authority to let them know. You will need to confirm the location of the tower and give details about how often it is used.
Cooling tower water treatment & legionella control
In order to manage a cooling tower effectively, control levels of Legionella bacteria, minimise the risk of Legionnaires’ disease and so comply with the requirements of the Health & Safety Executives Approved Code of Practice ACOP L8 and HSG274 Part 1, an effective cooling tower water treatment programme should be introduced and maintained at all times while the tower is operational. This water treatment programme would typically include detailed procedures for the operation of the cooling tower supported by a suitable chemical water treatment regimen.
Regular monitoring and testing of the cooling water will also be required to validate the control measures, together with sampling and legionella tests at least every three months. The cooling tower system will also require cleaning and disinfecting regularly.
Additionally, under the HSE’s ACOP L8 you will also need to:
Responsible Person
Appoint a responsible person, someone who is suitably competent and with sufficient authority and knowledge of the water systems to ensure compliance with the law.
Prepare a detailed written scheme to control the risks.
Implement, Manage & Monitor
Implement, manage and monitor the risk control measures.
Record Keeping
Maintain records of results and what you do to control the risks.
Cooling tower water treatment, cleaning & disinfection
Such maintenance programmes should incorporate regular cleaning and disinfection of the cooling tower, tower pack and any other components prone to fouling. Such an approach will help to remove unwanted biofouling, scale deposition and other environmental materials that may have entered the cooling system and that could provide an ideal growth environment for legionella and other bacteria. Such cooling tower cleaning and disinfection activities should be carried out at regular intervals. Our cooling tower specialists would typically carry out detailed inspections and advise on the following:
Cleaning and disinfection
Water treatment programme
Regulatory and ACOP L8 compliance
Scale removal
Air inlets and nozzles
Tower, layer and timber packs
Splash guards
Drift eliminators and frames
Tower walls
Sumps and ponds
Since many industrial towers in the UK are not traditionally in operation throughout the year, it is also sensible to ensure they are carefully maintained, serviced, cleaned and disinfected prior to start-up, and also once their period of use is over.
Tower cleaning & disinfection procedures
Water Treatment Services use the most effective cleaning techniques and procedures to ensure every part of a cooling tower is professionally cleaned and disinfected to the highest standards.
Our teams of highly trained cooling tower water treatment engineers use the latest high performance techniques to achieve industry leading standards of sterilisation and cleanliness.
To ensure complete satisfaction Water Treatment Services perform a thorough three stage cooling tower cleaning and disinfection procedure as follows.
Initial Disinfection
Our cooling tower cleaning and disinfection procedures initially involve a thorough chlorination of the cooling tower and its components as a first stage disinfection. This treatment would also incorporate an additional bio-dispersant to help remove accumulated biofouling from the tower system.
Manual Cleaning
The second stage involves a thorough manual clean of the tower components to remove stubborn microbial growth, scaling and other unwanted fouling.
Final Disinfection
Once the manual clean is complete and verified by our technicians to ensure the tower is free of unwanted fouling a final post chlorination of the system is carried-out. Once this final disinfection phase is completed the cooling tower is then returned safely to service and a formal “Completion of Works” certificate issued.
Cooling tower pack inspection & cleaning
Cooling tower packing forms an integral part of a wet cooling installation and can be vulnerable to the accumulation of unwanted debris and other fouling. It therefore needs to be maintained and kept in a good, clean condition.
As part of our comprehensive cooling tower maintenance services we can perform detailed inspections of tower packs either by removing them or where this is impractical by using specialist inspection equipment.
We offer full tower pack cleaning (either pack removal or in-situ cleaning) and replacement services to ensure your cooling tower and packing is clean and fully compliant with the HSE’s ACOP L8 and HSG274 Part 1.
Cooling tower engineering, repair & refurbishment
Water Treatment Services offer an expert cooling tower engineering service and can inspect, repair and refurbish most cooling tower installations to extend their life and ensure they continue to operate reliably, safely and at optimum efficiency.
Typically our cooling tower repair and refurbishment services can include repairs or replacement of the following:
Tower packing.
Drift eliminators.
Air inlet louvres.
Spray nozzles.
Cooling fan repairs.
Maintenance of cooling distribution systems.
Sump painting and recoating.
New protective coatings.
Is your business fully protected?
It is easy to assume that a good water treatment programme will be enough to keep your cooling tower operating efficiently, clean and free from legionella and other bacteria.
However, as we can see, a programme that includes a planned deep-clean and disinfection process will ensure your business consistently meets its requirements and remains compliant with the law.
Contact Water Treatment Services today to discuss your cooling tower cleaning, disinfection and maintenance requirements. We can provide expert advice and professional in-field support for most cooling towers.
With offices in London serving the South and South East England, Manchester (North West), Birmingham (Midlands), Bristol (South East England and Wales), Leeds (North and North East) and Glasgow (Scotland), supported by regional teams of specially trained engineers, in-field water treatment service specialists and technical experts we can offer professional, cost effective cooling tower cleaning, disinfection and engineering support services across the whole of the UK and Ireland.
Contact us today for more information or for your FREE, no obligation quote.
Water Treatment Services is a leading independent UK environmental engineering company offering a comprehensive range of cooling water treatment and in-field engineering support solutions for cooling systems including evaporative condensers and cooling towers.
Our treatment solutions for cooling systems including cooling towers address the common problems of corrosion, scaling, fouling and microbial contamination that can affect the safety, regulatory compliance and performance of cooling systems.
Our water management services are delivered by in-field experts who use the latest high performance cooling water treatment products including biocides, chemical cleaners and antiscalants; commercial water softeners, equipment and data controllers to help reduce costs, enhance operational efficiency and reliability; extend asset lifecycles and improve safety and regulatory compliance issues, including the control of Legionella to satisfy the requirements of the Health & Safety Executives Approved Code of Practice ACOP L8 and HSG274.
Expert cooling tower water treatment solutions
Our expert water treatment services for cooling systems including evaporative condensers and cooling towers includes:
Cooling Tower Water Treatment & Servicing
In-field cooling system and cooling tower water treatment, engineering support and maintenance services to control corrosion, scaling, fouling and microbial contamination including Legionella bacteria.
Regulatory Compliance
Cooling system compliance solutions to meet the legal standards set in the HSE’s ACOP L8 and HSG274.
Chemicals & Equipment
We use high performance cooling water treatment products, commercial water softeners, and dosing and data control equipment to support our in-field services.
Monitoring & Validation
Latest water analysis equipment to monitor and validate cooling system treatment programme performance.
Laboratory Testing
Water sampling and laboratory testing for Legionella bacteria, Pseudomonas and other important parameters.
Energy Efficiency
Expert investigation and analysis to identify process improvement and energy efficiencies involving cooling towers, cooling systems, HVAC and heat transfer processes… energy efficiency →
Full national UK coverage
With offices in London serving the South and South East England, Manchester (North West), Birmingham (Midlands), Bristol (South East England and Wales), Leeds (North and North East) and Glasgow (Scotland), supported by regional teams of specially trained engineers, in-field cooling water treatment specialists and technical experts we can offer professional, cost effective solutions for the management and continued treatment of open-recirculating cooling towers, closed-loops and once-through cooling systems across the whole of the UK and Ireland.
Contact us today to learn how our expert cooling water treatment services, Legionella control, cooling tower engineering solutions can help you optimise costs and operational efficiencies, reduce downtime, achieve water and energy savings, increase plant reliability, and improve safety and regulatory compliance to meet the standards set by the HSE in their ACOP L8.
To speak with one of our cooling water experts call us on 0330 223 31 31 or simply use the button below.
Cooling systems, whether open-recirculating cooling towers, closed-loops or once-through systems are an essential component in many commercial, industrial and process environments where their primary purpose is to remove heat via a heat exchanger to water in a cooling system.
The most common of these are recirculating systems that use either evaporative condensers or a cooling tower to dissipate heat. The use of water in this way is a highly cost effective, energy efficient means of heat transfer.
Problems affecting water cooled systems
If a cooling system or the water used within it is poorly maintained or left untreated it can lead to a number of common problems that will affect cost, performance, reliability and safety.
The problems associated with poor cooling water treatment and system maintenance include corrosion, scaling, fouling and microbial contamination.
Corrosion
Scaling
Fouling
Microbial contamination
Such problems can affect cooling performance, reduce heat transfer efficiencies, increase energy costs; reduce asset reliability and life-expectancy, and cause significant health, safety and regulatory compliance issues for the operators of such cooling systems.
To combat these problems cooling systems and the water used within them requires suitable treatment often involving the use of specialist high performance water treatment chemicals.
Successful treatment of cooling systems
Successful cooling system operation requires a holistic approach to the maintenance and protection of both the cooling system components and cooling waters against the detrimental effects of corrosion, scale formation, fouling and microbial contamination.
A well-managed cooling tower water treatment programme will help optimise costs and operational efficiencies, reduce downtime, achieve water and energy savings, increase plant reliability, and improve safety and regulatory compliance.
Water Treatment Services holistic approach to successful cooling system management involves control of the following issues:
Corrosion Control
Appropriate measures to control unwanted system corrosion caused by oxygen associated corrosion, galvanic corrosion and microbially influenced corrosion (MIC).
Scale Control
Controlling the precipitation and accumulation of hardness scales on to heat exchange surfaces, pipe work and other internal surfaces.
Control of Fouling
Controlling system fouling to reduce blockages, improve heat transfer efficiencies, and maintain flow rates.
Controlling Microbial Contamination
Controlling microbial contamination and biofouling to ensure suitable standards of water hygiene and regulatory compliance are achieved.
Controlling corrosion in cooling tower water systems
The control of corrosion in cooling systems is essential as it can cause a number of serious problems. Corrosion of the metallic components within the system can lead to serious degradation issues, increased costs, reduced asset reliability and life-expectancy, and ultimately system failure. It can also impact heat transfer efficiencies which increases energy costs.
Cooling water related corrosion can be caused by a number of factors that typically include oxygen associated corrosion, galvanic corrosion and microbially influenced corrosion (MIC). Where stainless steel exists chloride ions can also become an issue causing pitting corrosion.
The relationship between corrosion and scaling potential in cooling waters can be predicted using the Langelier Saturation Index (LSI).
The system should be kept clean and free from microbial contamination and fouling. A specialist cooling water corrosion inhibitor, selected to account for the system metallurgy and local water conditions should also be used.
Scale control in cooling water systems
The formation of scale (sometimes called limescale) on heat exchanger surfaces and cooling tower packing can become a significant issue. If left untreated or treated incorrectly scale can build-up on surfaces and acts as an excellent insulator to reduce heat transfer efficiencies and constrict flow rates. It can also harbour dangerous pathogens including legionella bacteria, the causative organism for the potentially fatal condition Legionnaires’ disease.
The scaling potential of the water source depends on the source water hardness, and occurs when calcium and magnesium salts precipitate out on to surfaces as a result of heat and increased concentration factor. The scaling potential can be predicted using the Langelier Index (LSI) and this can be used to develop an optimum cooling water treatment programme that balances both scale and corrosion considerations.
To control scale formation in a typical cooling system the following water treatment activities should be considered.
Pre-filtration or clarification of the water to remove suspended solids present.
Cooling water treatment chemicals using specialist polymer dispersants to ensure suspended solids remain mobile.
Side stream filtration of to remove suspended solids and clean cooling circuit.
Periodic off-line cooling tower cleaning and disinfection.
Microbial contamination of cooling systems, and in particular, cooling towers that use open evaporative cooling techniques should be considered a safety critical issue that requires careful management and control to ensure they are clean, well maintained and meet the compliance standards set in the Health & Safety Executives ACOP L8 and HSG274 Part 1 dealing with the control of Legionella bacteria and Legionnaires’ disease in evaporative cooling systems, including cooling towers.
Cooling towers are known to present a particularly high Legionella risk as their mode of operation can create an ideal mechanism for the growth, proliferation and dispersal of Legionella bacteria over wide areas, now known to be at least 6km from the source cooling tower.
Did you know that cooling towers can spread Legionella bacteria over wide areas… at least 6km in some cases
Controlling microbial contamination including Legionella in cooling towers requires a robust water treatment and Legionnaires’ disease control programme. This would typically include the preparation of detailed operation and maintenance procedures for the cooling tower together with a chemical water treatment programme involving the use of specialist cooling water treatment chemicals, dosing equipment and data controllers.
Regular monitoring and testing will also be required to validate the success of the treatment programme, along with specialist laboratory tests for Legionella bacteria at least every three months. The cooling tower system will also require cleaning and disinfecting regularly.
Additionally, the Health & Safety Executive’s ACOP L8 requires that you:
Responsible Person
Appoint a suitably competent person who has sufficient authority and knowledge of the water systems to ensure compliance with the law, referred to as the responsible person.
Prepare a written scheme for preventing or controlling the risks from legionella and Legionnaires’ disease.
Legionella Control
Implement, manage and monitor the legionella control measures required.
Record Keeping
Keep records of all the legionella control measures implemented and performance results.
Cooling water treatment training
The industrial and process water treatment specialists at Water Treatment Services have developed an extensive series of professional water and wastewater treatment training courses that includes WTS 0050 “Cooling Water Treatment & Evaporative Cooling Systems”. This specialist water treatment training course comprises an intensive one day course designed for plant operators, water treatment service engineers, facilities managers, maintenance and engineering contractors, and those with responsibility for commercial and industrial cooling towers and other cooling systems… training →
Expert cooling water treatment services & support
Contact Water Treatment Services today to discuss your cooling tower water treatment requirements. We can provide expert advice and support regarding the management and treatment of open-recirculating cooling towers, closed-loops and once-through cooling systems.
With offices in London serving the South and South East England, Manchester (North West), Birmingham (Midlands), Bristol (South East England and Wales), Leeds (North and North East) and Glasgow (Scotland), supported by regional teams of specially trained engineers, in-field water treatment specialists and technical experts we can offer reliable, cost effective water treatment and engineering support services throughout the UK and Ireland.
Contact us today for more information or for your FREE, no obligation quote.
There are lots of different types of cooling towers that are used to provide efficient heat exchange in industrial and commercial cooling processes. Selecting the best tower system for your application or process requires careful consideration. In this plant selection guide the specialists at Water Treatment Services review the most popular types of cooling tower system looking at their design, how they work, where they are commonly used, and the advantages and disadvantages of each.
This short article is about industrial cooling towers and cooling systems used in industrial and large scale process applications. The cooling towers used in industrial and process applications are typically used to remove heat from processes involving heat generation, machinery or materials that have been heated and then require cooling.
This brief guide is about heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, often abbreviated to HVAC. The cooling towers used in heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems are primarily used to dispose or reject to atmosphere any unwanted heat generated from a chiller or cooling system.
This brief guide is about cooling towers. A cooling tower can be described as a heat transfer or heat rejection system that works to move waste or unwanted heat from a process or environment, expelling it to the atmosphere. Cooling towers do this through by utilising the cooling effects of a water stream which helps to lower temperatures.
Cooling towers and evaporative cooling systems are used extensively in many industrial, process and commercial applications where there is a need to remove excess heat from liquids, fluids, process materials and indoor environments.
Typical settings for cooling towers and evaporative water systems will include power stations, manufacturing plants, large computer data centres, office buildings, hospitals, hotels etc.
The chemical compound chlorine dioxide has the formula ClO2, and at room temperature it exists as a yellowish-green gas. It has an odour similar to that of chlorine and is highly soluble in water, being approximately 10 times more soluble than chlorine.
While chlorine dioxide is an oxide of chlorine it is very different from the composition of chlorine itself. It is also occasionally referred to as chlorine (IV) oxide, as one of a number of oxides of the compound.
Expert tower cleaning, disinfection and engineering repair solutions.
Water Treatment Services is a leading environmental engineering specialist offering a full range of services including cooling tower cleaning, disinfection, surveys and inspections, repairs, and maintenance services covering all types and sizes of tower installation.
Our cleaning and disinfection solutions address the common problems of tower scaling, fouling and microbial contamination that can affect the cleanliness, safety and performance of all cooling towers.
Our services are delivered by in-field water treatment and engineering experts who combine the latest high performance equipment and treatment techniques to help restore cooling performance, clean and disinfect tower components; extend asset life-cycles and improve safety and regulatory compliance issues.
Expert cooling tower cleaning & disinfection
Our expert cooling tower water treatment, cleaning, disinfection, engineering support solutions include:
Cooling Tower Cleaning & Disinfection
Comprehensive cooling tower cleaning and disinfection techniques to restore system performance, maintain cleanliness and meet the requirements of the HSE’s ACOP L8 and HSG274 Part 1.
Water Treatment & Servicing
Professional cooling tower water treatment programmes using the latest high performance cooling water technologies, water softeners, and dosing and data control equipment.
Tower Pack Cleaning
Cooling tower pack inspection and cleaning solutions to restore cooling performance, reduce energy costs and meet the compliance standards set in the HSE’s ACOP L8 and HSG274.
Tower Engineering, Repair & Refurbishment
Complete cooling tower engineering, repair and refurbishment solutions to improve plant performance and reliability, and extend asset life-cycles.
Laboratory Testing
Water sampling and laboratory testing for legionella bacteria and other parameters.
Full national UK coverage
With offices in London serving the South and South East England, Manchester (North West), Birmingham (Midlands), Bristol (South East England and Wales), Leeds (North and North East) and Glasgow (Scotland), supported by regional teams of specially trained water treatment engineers, site service specialists and technical experts Water Treatment Services offer professional, cost effective tower cleaning, disinfection, engineering support solutions to organisations throughout the UK and Ireland.
Contact us today to learn how our expert cooling tower and engineering support solutions can help you to improve standards of cleanliness, restore cooling performance, optimise costs, reduce downtime, increase plant reliability, and improve safety and regulatory compliance. To speak with one of our experts call us on 0330 223 31 31 or simply use the button below to get our full contact details or submit our contact form.
Cooling towers are an essential component in many industrial, commercial and manufacturing processes where equipment, air, gasses, fluids and other materials are required to be cooled in some way. For example, evaporative cooling systems are used to remove heat from machinery and process materials, and to cool air from working environments (HVAC and air conditioning systems).
However, if such cooling installations are not maintained effectively, cleaned and disinfected regularly they can become unreliable, inefficient and more seriously, become a major source of dangerous bacteria, not least of which is Legionella bacteria, the bacterium responsible for the potentially fatal condition Legionnaires’ disease.
How to register cooling towers & evaporative condensers
In the UK if you operate a cooling tower or evaporative condenser at your site you must, under the Notification of Cooling Towers and Evaporative Condensers Regulations 1992 (learn more about the regulations here) write to your local authority to let them know. You will need to confirm the location of the tower and give details about how often it is used.
Cooling tower water treatment & legionella control
In order to manage a cooling tower effectively, control levels of Legionella bacteria, minimise the risk of Legionnaires’ disease and so comply with the requirements of the Health & Safety Executives Approved Code of Practice ACOP L8 and HSG274 Part 1, an effective cooling tower water treatment programme should be introduced and maintained at all times while the tower is operational. This water treatment programme would typically include detailed procedures for the operation of the cooling tower supported by a suitable chemical water treatment regimen.
Regular monitoring and testing of the cooling water will also be required to validate the control measures, together with sampling and legionella tests at least every three months. The cooling tower system will also require cleaning and disinfecting regularly.
Additionally, under the HSE’s ACOP L8 you will also need to:
Responsible Person
Appoint a responsible person, someone who is suitably competent and with sufficient authority and knowledge of the water systems to ensure compliance with the law.
Prepare a detailed written scheme to control the risks.
Implement, Manage & Monitor
Implement, manage and monitor the risk control measures.
Record Keeping
Maintain records of results and what you do to control the risks.
Cooling tower water treatment, cleaning & disinfection
Such maintenance programmes should incorporate regular cleaning and disinfection of the cooling tower, tower pack and any other components prone to fouling. Such an approach will help to remove unwanted biofouling, scale deposition and other environmental materials that may have entered the cooling system and that could provide an ideal growth environment for legionella and other bacteria. Such cooling tower cleaning and disinfection activities should be carried out at regular intervals. Our cooling tower specialists would typically carry out detailed inspections and advise on the following:
Cleaning and disinfection
Water treatment programme
Regulatory and ACOP L8 compliance
Scale removal
Air inlets and nozzles
Tower, layer and timber packs
Splash guards
Drift eliminators and frames
Tower walls
Sumps and ponds
Since many industrial towers in the UK are not traditionally in operation throughout the year, it is also sensible to ensure they are carefully maintained, serviced, cleaned and disinfected prior to start-up, and also once their period of use is over.
Tower cleaning & disinfection procedures
Water Treatment Services use the most effective cleaning techniques and procedures to ensure every part of a cooling tower is professionally cleaned and disinfected to the highest standards.
Our teams of highly trained cooling tower water treatment engineers use the latest high performance techniques to achieve industry leading standards of sterilisation and cleanliness.
To ensure complete satisfaction Water Treatment Services perform a thorough three stage cooling tower cleaning and disinfection procedure as follows.
Initial Disinfection
Our cooling tower cleaning and disinfection procedures initially involve a thorough chlorination of the cooling tower and its components as a first stage disinfection. This treatment would also incorporate an additional bio-dispersant to help remove accumulated biofouling from the tower system.
Manual Cleaning
The second stage involves a thorough manual clean of the tower components to remove stubborn microbial growth, scaling and other unwanted fouling.
Final Disinfection
Once the manual clean is complete and verified by our technicians to ensure the tower is free of unwanted fouling a final post chlorination of the system is carried-out. Once this final disinfection phase is completed the cooling tower is then returned safely to service and a formal “Completion of Works” certificate issued.
Cooling tower pack inspection & cleaning
Cooling tower packing forms an integral part of a wet cooling installation and can be vulnerable to the accumulation of unwanted debris and other fouling. It therefore needs to be maintained and kept in a good, clean condition.
As part of our comprehensive cooling tower maintenance services we can perform detailed inspections of tower packs either by removing them or where this is impractical by using specialist inspection equipment.
We offer full tower pack cleaning (either pack removal or in-situ cleaning) and replacement services to ensure your cooling tower and packing is clean and fully compliant with the HSE’s ACOP L8 and HSG274 Part 1.
Cooling tower engineering, repair & refurbishment
Water Treatment Services offer an expert cooling tower engineering service and can inspect, repair and refurbish most cooling tower installations to extend their life and ensure they continue to operate reliably, safely and at optimum efficiency.
Typically our cooling tower repair and refurbishment services can include repairs or replacement of the following:
Tower packing.
Drift eliminators.
Air inlet louvres.
Spray nozzles.
Cooling fan repairs.
Maintenance of cooling distribution systems.
Sump painting and recoating.
New protective coatings.
Is your business fully protected?
It is easy to assume that a good water treatment programme will be enough to keep your cooling tower operating efficiently, clean and free from legionella and other bacteria.
However, as we can see, a programme that includes a planned deep-clean and disinfection process will ensure your business consistently meets its requirements and remains compliant with the law.
Contact Water Treatment Services today to discuss your cooling tower cleaning, disinfection and maintenance requirements. We can provide expert advice and professional in-field support for most cooling towers.
With offices in London serving the South and South East England, Manchester (North West), Birmingham (Midlands), Bristol (South East England and Wales), Leeds (North and North East) and Glasgow (Scotland), supported by regional teams of specially trained engineers, in-field water treatment service specialists and technical experts we can offer professional, cost effective cooling tower cleaning, disinfection and engineering support services across the whole of the UK and Ireland.
Contact us today for more information or for your FREE, no obligation quote.
There are lots of different types of cooling towers that are used to provide efficient heat exchange in industrial and commercial cooling processes. Selecting the best tower system for your application or process requires careful consideration. In this plant selection guide the specialists at Water Treatment Services review the most popular types of cooling tower system looking at their design, how they work, where they are commonly used, and the advantages and disadvantages of each.
This short article is about industrial cooling towers and cooling systems used in industrial and large scale process applications. The cooling towers used in industrial and process applications are typically used to remove heat from processes involving heat generation, machinery or materials that have been heated and then require cooling.
This brief guide is about heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, often abbreviated to HVAC. The cooling towers used in heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems are primarily used to dispose or reject to atmosphere any unwanted heat generated from a chiller or cooling system.
This brief guide is about cooling towers. A cooling tower can be described as a heat transfer or heat rejection system that works to move waste or unwanted heat from a process or environment, expelling it to the atmosphere. Cooling towers do this through by utilising the cooling effects of a water stream which helps to lower temperatures.
Cooling towers and evaporative cooling systems are used extensively in many industrial, process and commercial applications where there is a need to remove excess heat from liquids, fluids, process materials and indoor environments.
Typical settings for cooling towers and evaporative water systems will include power stations, manufacturing plants, large computer data centres, office buildings, hospitals, hotels etc.
The chemical compound chlorine dioxide has the formula ClO2, and at room temperature it exists as a yellowish-green gas. It has an odour similar to that of chlorine and is highly soluble in water, being approximately 10 times more soluble than chlorine.
While chlorine dioxide is an oxide of chlorine it is very different from the composition of chlorine itself. It is also occasionally referred to as chlorine (IV) oxide, as one of a number of oxides of the compound.
Expert tower cleaning, disinfection and engineering repair solutions.
Water Treatment Services is a leading environmental engineering specialist offering a full range of services including cooling tower cleaning, disinfection, surveys and inspections, repairs, and maintenance services covering all types and sizes of tower installation.
Our cleaning and disinfection solutions address the common problems of tower scaling, fouling and microbial contamination that can affect the cleanliness, safety and performance of all cooling towers.
Our services are delivered by in-field water treatment and engineering experts who combine the latest high performance equipment and treatment techniques to help restore cooling performance, clean and disinfect tower components; extend asset life-cycles and improve safety and regulatory compliance issues.
Expert cooling tower cleaning & disinfection
Our expert cooling tower water treatment, cleaning, disinfection, engineering support solutions include:
Cooling Tower Cleaning & Disinfection
Comprehensive cooling tower cleaning and disinfection techniques to restore system performance, maintain cleanliness and meet the requirements of the HSE’s ACOP L8 and HSG274 Part 1.
Water Treatment & Servicing
Professional cooling tower water treatment programmes using the latest high performance cooling water technologies, water softeners, and dosing and data control equipment.
Tower Pack Cleaning
Cooling tower pack inspection and cleaning solutions to restore cooling performance, reduce energy costs and meet the compliance standards set in the HSE’s ACOP L8 and HSG274.
Tower Engineering, Repair & Refurbishment
Complete cooling tower engineering, repair and refurbishment solutions to improve plant performance and reliability, and extend asset life-cycles.
Laboratory Testing
Water sampling and laboratory testing for legionella bacteria and other parameters.
Full national UK coverage
With offices in London serving the South and South East England, Manchester (North West), Birmingham (Midlands), Bristol (South East England and Wales), Leeds (North and North East) and Glasgow (Scotland), supported by regional teams of specially trained water treatment engineers, site service specialists and technical experts Water Treatment Services offer professional, cost effective tower cleaning, disinfection, engineering support solutions to organisations throughout the UK and Ireland.
Contact us today to learn how our expert cooling tower and engineering support solutions can help you to improve standards of cleanliness, restore cooling performance, optimise costs, reduce downtime, increase plant reliability, and improve safety and regulatory compliance. To speak with one of our experts call us on 0330 223 31 31 or simply use the button below to get our full contact details or submit our contact form.
Cooling towers are an essential component in many industrial, commercial and manufacturing processes where equipment, air, gasses, fluids and other materials are required to be cooled in some way. For example, evaporative cooling systems are used to remove heat from machinery and process materials, and to cool air from working environments (HVAC and air conditioning systems).
However, if such cooling installations are not maintained effectively, cleaned and disinfected regularly they can become unreliable, inefficient and more seriously, become a major source of dangerous bacteria, not least of which is Legionella bacteria, the bacterium responsible for the potentially fatal condition Legionnaires’ disease.
How to register cooling towers & evaporative condensers
In the UK if you operate a cooling tower or evaporative condenser at your site you must, under the Notification of Cooling Towers and Evaporative Condensers Regulations 1992 (learn more about the regulations here) write to your local authority to let them know. You will need to confirm the location of the tower and give details about how often it is used.
Cooling tower water treatment & legionella control
In order to manage a cooling tower effectively, control levels of Legionella bacteria, minimise the risk of Legionnaires’ disease and so comply with the requirements of the Health & Safety Executives Approved Code of Practice ACOP L8 and HSG274 Part 1, an effective cooling tower water treatment programme should be introduced and maintained at all times while the tower is operational. This water treatment programme would typically include detailed procedures for the operation of the cooling tower supported by a suitable chemical water treatment regimen.
Regular monitoring and testing of the cooling water will also be required to validate the control measures, together with sampling and legionella tests at least every three months. The cooling tower system will also require cleaning and disinfecting regularly.
Additionally, under the HSE’s ACOP L8 you will also need to:
Responsible Person
Appoint a responsible person, someone who is suitably competent and with sufficient authority and knowledge of the water systems to ensure compliance with the law.
Prepare a detailed written scheme to control the risks.
Implement, Manage & Monitor
Implement, manage and monitor the risk control measures.
Record Keeping
Maintain records of results and what you do to control the risks.
Cooling tower water treatment, cleaning & disinfection
Such maintenance programmes should incorporate regular cleaning and disinfection of the cooling tower, tower pack and any other components prone to fouling. Such an approach will help to remove unwanted biofouling, scale deposition and other environmental materials that may have entered the cooling system and that could provide an ideal growth environment for legionella and other bacteria. Such cooling tower cleaning and disinfection activities should be carried out at regular intervals. Our cooling tower specialists would typically carry out detailed inspections and advise on the following:
Cleaning and disinfection
Water treatment programme
Regulatory and ACOP L8 compliance
Scale removal
Air inlets and nozzles
Tower, layer and timber packs
Splash guards
Drift eliminators and frames
Tower walls
Sumps and ponds
Since many industrial towers in the UK are not traditionally in operation throughout the year, it is also sensible to ensure they are carefully maintained, serviced, cleaned and disinfected prior to start-up, and also once their period of use is over.
Tower cleaning & disinfection procedures
Water Treatment Services use the most effective cleaning techniques and procedures to ensure every part of a cooling tower is professionally cleaned and disinfected to the highest standards.
Our teams of highly trained cooling tower water treatment engineers use the latest high performance techniques to achieve industry leading standards of sterilisation and cleanliness.
To ensure complete satisfaction Water Treatment Services perform a thorough three stage cooling tower cleaning and disinfection procedure as follows.
Initial Disinfection
Our cooling tower cleaning and disinfection procedures initially involve a thorough chlorination of the cooling tower and its components as a first stage disinfection. This treatment would also incorporate an additional bio-dispersant to help remove accumulated biofouling from the tower system.
Manual Cleaning
The second stage involves a thorough manual clean of the tower components to remove stubborn microbial growth, scaling and other unwanted fouling.
Final Disinfection
Once the manual clean is complete and verified by our technicians to ensure the tower is free of unwanted fouling a final post chlorination of the system is carried-out. Once this final disinfection phase is completed the cooling tower is then returned safely to service and a formal “Completion of Works” certificate issued.
Cooling tower pack inspection & cleaning
Cooling tower packing forms an integral part of a wet cooling installation and can be vulnerable to the accumulation of unwanted debris and other fouling. It therefore needs to be maintained and kept in a good, clean condition.
As part of our comprehensive cooling tower maintenance services we can perform detailed inspections of tower packs either by removing them or where this is impractical by using specialist inspection equipment.
We offer full tower pack cleaning (either pack removal or in-situ cleaning) and replacement services to ensure your cooling tower and packing is clean and fully compliant with the HSE’s ACOP L8 and HSG274 Part 1.
Cooling tower engineering, repair & refurbishment
Water Treatment Services offer an expert cooling tower engineering service and can inspect, repair and refurbish most cooling tower installations to extend their life and ensure they continue to operate reliably, safely and at optimum efficiency.
Typically our cooling tower repair and refurbishment services can include repairs or replacement of the following:
Tower packing.
Drift eliminators.
Air inlet louvres.
Spray nozzles.
Cooling fan repairs.
Maintenance of cooling distribution systems.
Sump painting and recoating.
New protective coatings.
Is your business fully protected?
It is easy to assume that a good water treatment programme will be enough to keep your cooling tower operating efficiently, clean and free from legionella and other bacteria.
However, as we can see, a programme that includes a planned deep-clean and disinfection process will ensure your business consistently meets its requirements and remains compliant with the law.
Contact Water Treatment Services today to discuss your cooling tower cleaning, disinfection and maintenance requirements. We can provide expert advice and professional in-field support for most cooling towers.
With offices in London serving the South and South East England, Manchester (North West), Birmingham (Midlands), Bristol (South East England and Wales), Leeds (North and North East) and Glasgow (Scotland), supported by regional teams of specially trained engineers, in-field water treatment service specialists and technical experts we can offer professional, cost effective cooling tower cleaning, disinfection and engineering support services across the whole of the UK and Ireland.
Contact us today for more information or for your FREE, no obligation quote.
Water Treatment Services is a leading independent UK environmental engineering company offering a comprehensive range of cooling water treatment and in-field engineering support solutions for cooling systems including evaporative condensers and cooling towers.
Our treatment solutions for cooling systems including cooling towers address the common problems of corrosion, scaling, fouling and microbial contamination that can affect the safety, regulatory compliance and performance of cooling systems.
Our water management services are delivered by in-field experts who use the latest high performance cooling water treatment products including biocides, chemical cleaners and antiscalants; commercial water softeners, equipment and data controllers to help reduce costs, enhance operational efficiency and reliability; extend asset lifecycles and improve safety and regulatory compliance issues, including the control of Legionella to satisfy the requirements of the Health & Safety Executives Approved Code of Practice ACOP L8 and HSG274.
Expert cooling tower water treatment solutions
Our expert water treatment services for cooling systems including evaporative condensers and cooling towers includes:
Cooling Tower Water Treatment & Servicing
In-field cooling system and cooling tower water treatment, engineering support and maintenance services to control corrosion, scaling, fouling and microbial contamination including Legionella bacteria.
Regulatory Compliance
Cooling system compliance solutions to meet the legal standards set in the HSE’s ACOP L8 and HSG274.
Chemicals & Equipment
We use high performance cooling water treatment products, commercial water softeners, and dosing and data control equipment to support our in-field services.
Monitoring & Validation
Latest water analysis equipment to monitor and validate cooling system treatment programme performance.
Laboratory Testing
Water sampling and laboratory testing for Legionella bacteria, Pseudomonas and other important parameters.
Energy Efficiency
Expert investigation and analysis to identify process improvement and energy efficiencies involving cooling towers, cooling systems, HVAC and heat transfer processes… energy efficiency →
Full national UK coverage
With offices in London serving the South and South East England, Manchester (North West), Birmingham (Midlands), Bristol (South East England and Wales), Leeds (North and North East) and Glasgow (Scotland), supported by regional teams of specially trained engineers, in-field cooling water treatment specialists and technical experts we can offer professional, cost effective solutions for the management and continued treatment of open-recirculating cooling towers, closed-loops and once-through cooling systems across the whole of the UK and Ireland.
Contact us today to learn how our expert cooling water treatment services, Legionella control, cooling tower engineering solutions can help you optimise costs and operational efficiencies, reduce downtime, achieve water and energy savings, increase plant reliability, and improve safety and regulatory compliance to meet the standards set by the HSE in their ACOP L8.
To speak with one of our cooling water experts call us on 0330 223 31 31 or simply use the button below.
Cooling systems, whether open-recirculating cooling towers, closed-loops or once-through systems are an essential component in many commercial, industrial and process environments where their primary purpose is to remove heat via a heat exchanger to water in a cooling system.
The most common of these are recirculating systems that use either evaporative condensers or a cooling tower to dissipate heat. The use of water in this way is a highly cost effective, energy efficient means of heat transfer.
Problems affecting water cooled systems
If a cooling system or the water used within it is poorly maintained or left untreated it can lead to a number of common problems that will affect cost, performance, reliability and safety.
The problems associated with poor cooling water treatment and system maintenance include corrosion, scaling, fouling and microbial contamination.
Corrosion
Scaling
Fouling
Microbial contamination
Such problems can affect cooling performance, reduce heat transfer efficiencies, increase energy costs; reduce asset reliability and life-expectancy, and cause significant health, safety and regulatory compliance issues for the operators of such cooling systems.
To combat these problems cooling systems and the water used within them requires suitable treatment often involving the use of specialist high performance water treatment chemicals.
Successful treatment of cooling systems
Successful cooling system operation requires a holistic approach to the maintenance and protection of both the cooling system components and cooling waters against the detrimental effects of corrosion, scale formation, fouling and microbial contamination.
A well-managed cooling tower water treatment programme will help optimise costs and operational efficiencies, reduce downtime, achieve water and energy savings, increase plant reliability, and improve safety and regulatory compliance.
Water Treatment Services holistic approach to successful cooling system management involves control of the following issues:
Corrosion Control
Appropriate measures to control unwanted system corrosion caused by oxygen associated corrosion, galvanic corrosion and microbially influenced corrosion (MIC).
Scale Control
Controlling the precipitation and accumulation of hardness scales on to heat exchange surfaces, pipe work and other internal surfaces.
Control of Fouling
Controlling system fouling to reduce blockages, improve heat transfer efficiencies, and maintain flow rates.
Controlling Microbial Contamination
Controlling microbial contamination and biofouling to ensure suitable standards of water hygiene and regulatory compliance are achieved.
Controlling corrosion in cooling tower water systems
The control of corrosion in cooling systems is essential as it can cause a number of serious problems. Corrosion of the metallic components within the system can lead to serious degradation issues, increased costs, reduced asset reliability and life-expectancy, and ultimately system failure. It can also impact heat transfer efficiencies which increases energy costs.
Cooling water related corrosion can be caused by a number of factors that typically include oxygen associated corrosion, galvanic corrosion and microbially influenced corrosion (MIC). Where stainless steel exists chloride ions can also become an issue causing pitting corrosion.
The relationship between corrosion and scaling potential in cooling waters can be predicted using the Langelier Saturation Index (LSI).
The system should be kept clean and free from microbial contamination and fouling. A specialist cooling water corrosion inhibitor, selected to account for the system metallurgy and local water conditions should also be used.
Scale control in cooling water systems
The formation of scale (sometimes called limescale) on heat exchanger surfaces and cooling tower packing can become a significant issue. If left untreated or treated incorrectly scale can build-up on surfaces and acts as an excellent insulator to reduce heat transfer efficiencies and constrict flow rates. It can also harbour dangerous pathogens including legionella bacteria, the causative organism for the potentially fatal condition Legionnaires’ disease.
The scaling potential of the water source depends on the source water hardness, and occurs when calcium and magnesium salts precipitate out on to surfaces as a result of heat and increased concentration factor. The scaling potential can be predicted using the Langelier Index (LSI) and this can be used to develop an optimum cooling water treatment programme that balances both scale and corrosion considerations.
To control scale formation in a typical cooling system the following water treatment activities should be considered.
Pre-filtration or clarification of the water to remove suspended solids present.
Cooling water treatment chemicals using specialist polymer dispersants to ensure suspended solids remain mobile.
Side stream filtration of to remove suspended solids and clean cooling circuit.
Periodic off-line cooling tower cleaning and disinfection.
Microbial contamination of cooling systems, and in particular, cooling towers that use open evaporative cooling techniques should be considered a safety critical issue that requires careful management and control to ensure they are clean, well maintained and meet the compliance standards set in the Health & Safety Executives ACOP L8 and HSG274 Part 1 dealing with the control of Legionella bacteria and Legionnaires’ disease in evaporative cooling systems, including cooling towers.
Cooling towers are known to present a particularly high Legionella risk as their mode of operation can create an ideal mechanism for the growth, proliferation and dispersal of Legionella bacteria over wide areas, now known to be at least 6km from the source cooling tower.
Did you know that cooling towers can spread Legionella bacteria over wide areas… at least 6km in some cases
Controlling microbial contamination including Legionella in cooling towers requires a robust water treatment and Legionnaires’ disease control programme. This would typically include the preparation of detailed operation and maintenance procedures for the cooling tower together with a chemical water treatment programme involving the use of specialist cooling water treatment chemicals, dosing equipment and data controllers.
Regular monitoring and testing will also be required to validate the success of the treatment programme, along with specialist laboratory tests for Legionella bacteria at least every three months. The cooling tower system will also require cleaning and disinfecting regularly.
Additionally, the Health & Safety Executive’s ACOP L8 requires that you:
Responsible Person
Appoint a suitably competent person who has sufficient authority and knowledge of the water systems to ensure compliance with the law, referred to as the responsible person.
Prepare a written scheme for preventing or controlling the risks from legionella and Legionnaires’ disease.
Legionella Control
Implement, manage and monitor the legionella control measures required.
Record Keeping
Keep records of all the legionella control measures implemented and performance results.
Cooling water treatment training
The industrial and process water treatment specialists at Water Treatment Services have developed an extensive series of professional water and wastewater treatment training courses that includes WTS 0050 “Cooling Water Treatment & Evaporative Cooling Systems”. This specialist water treatment training course comprises an intensive one day course designed for plant operators, water treatment service engineers, facilities managers, maintenance and engineering contractors, and those with responsibility for commercial and industrial cooling towers and other cooling systems… training →
Expert cooling water treatment services & support
Contact Water Treatment Services today to discuss your cooling tower water treatment requirements. We can provide expert advice and support regarding the management and treatment of open-recirculating cooling towers, closed-loops and once-through cooling systems.
With offices in London serving the South and South East England, Manchester (North West), Birmingham (Midlands), Bristol (South East England and Wales), Leeds (North and North East) and Glasgow (Scotland), supported by regional teams of specially trained engineers, in-field water treatment specialists and technical experts we can offer reliable, cost effective water treatment and engineering support services throughout the UK and Ireland.
Contact us today for more information or for your FREE, no obligation quote.
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