Minimizing solids buildup in cooling towers
- Filtration Ltd., Herzliya (Israel)
The quality of water passing through a cooling tower affects its operation and performance as a heat exchanger. Since evaporative cooling is usually the primary mode of operation, any dirt or solid impurity in the water tends to become concentrated in the closed-cycle tower as the water is evaporated. To reduce the buildup of impurities and thus minimize fouling, the cooling tower is periodically or continuously discharged or blown down and fresh makeup water added. An effective technique used to further minimize dirt load is to install a filter on a side stream of the tower. But it is often difficult to prove any cost justification for a particular type of filtration equipment. Presented below is an algorithm to calculate the changes in solids load in a cooling tower after the installation of a filtration system of known performance. This calculation constitutes the first step toward full-fledged economic evaluation of a filter`s cost-effectiveness. Furthermore, a method is introduced to operate self-cleaning strainers installed on the side stream of a cooling tower. The method increases the removal efficiency of particles smaller than the mesh size of the filter cake.
- OSTI ID:
- 118838
- Journal Information:
- Chemical Engineering, Journal Name: Chemical Engineering Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 102; ISSN CHEEA3; ISSN 0009-2460
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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