All About Cooling Tower Makeup and Blowdown

All About Cooling Tower Makeup and Blowdown

Cooling towers use makeup water to replace the water lost through evaporation and blowdown, as shown in Figure 1 below.  Typically, city or well water is used.  The quantity and quality of these waters can be easily measured with water meters and analytical equipment. 

What Makes Condensate So Valuable

  • 6 février 2024
  • Author: Chem-Aqua, Inc
  • Number of views: 883
  • 0 Comments
What Makes Condensate So Valuable

As steam is used in a process and gives up its heat energy, it becomes a liquid called condensate. This condensate is an exceptionally valuable resource that is typically designed to be recovered and used back into the boiler system.

Deaerator Venting: The Good, the Bad, and the Inefficient

  • 23 janvier 2024
  • Author: Jeff Lazor
  • Number of views: 1220
  • 0 Comments
Deaerator Venting: The Good, the Bad, and the Inefficient

A properly functioning deaerator is critical to the protection of steam boiler systems. Venting is important for the proper operation of a deaerator. Routine monitoring of venting can provide clues for identifying and solving potential problems. When deaerators have issues, they send out distress signals for all to see, but so often they are overlooked. The vent is rarely where it can be conveniently observed and in many cases it isn’t even visible. The vent’s physical layout can tell you a lot, but the venting can tell a story like no other.

Understanding Steam System Tests and Critical Parameters

  • 9 janvier 2024
  • Author: Chem-Aqua, Inc
  • Number of views: 1250
  • 0 Comments
Understanding Steam System Tests and Critical Parameters

Steam boiler systems provide energy to a variety of commercial, institutional, and industrial applications. Properly treated water is necessary for reliable and efficient operation of these systems. Water treatment control ranges for steam boilers can vary based upon the makeup water quality, boiler design, operating pressure, steam requirements, and steam quality/purity needs.

Monitoring Ionic Balances in Cooling Towers

  • 5 décembre 2023
  • Author: James McDonald
  • Number of views: 1454
  • 0 Comments
Monitoring Ionic Balances in Cooling Towers

The term “cycles of concentration” is the basis for one of the most important concepts in industrial water treatment. The cycles of concentration measure the degree to which the solid impurities in the makeup water are concentrated in the recirculating water of an evaporative system. The higher this ratio, the more the impurities in the makeup water are being concentrated in the system water. This directly impacts the system’s water usage and treatment requirements along with the potential for waterside problems to occur, such as scale deposits and corrosion.

Importance of Expansion Tank Monitoring in Closed Hydronic Systems

  • 6 novembre 2023
  • Author: John Bychowski
  • Number of views: 1880
  • 0 Comments
Importance of Expansion Tank Monitoring in Closed Hydronic Systems

As water changes temperatures, its volume can expand or contract. This physical characteristic is important when designing closed recirculating hydronic systems without open sumps/tanks. These closed systems have specific volumes with pressure relief valves that will release water if the pressure set point is exceeded to avoid bursting pipes or damaging other equipment

Troubleshooting Water Softener Capacity Problems

Design and Operational Impacts

  • 17 octobre 2023
  • Author: Jeff Lazor
  • Number of views: 2901
  • 0 Comments
Troubleshooting Water Softener Capacity Problems

Theoretically, the maximum hardness-removal capacity of a water softener can be calculated from the grains of hardness of the water to be softened, the volume of resin, and the resin capacity expressed in grains/gallon. The actual capacity of a water softener may be impacted by many factors:

Steps for Bringing a Seasonal Boiler Back Online

  • 22 août 2023
  • Author: Tony Self
  • Number of views: 1873
  • 0 Comments
Steps for Bringing a Seasonal Boiler Back Online

It’s that time of year when seasonal boilers should be prepared for the heating season. Before flipping that power switch to the “ON” position, however, the entire steam distribution and condensate return system needs to be surveyed to ensure it is ready for safe and successful operation.

Causes of Cooling Tower Foaming

  • 11 juillet 2023
  • Author: James McDonald
  • Number of views: 4794
  • 0 Comments
Causes of Cooling Tower Foaming

By design, recirculating aerated water cascades through cooling towers to extract unwanted heat to the atmosphere. When foaming occurs, it can have negative impacts on both the cooling tower system and the surrounding environment. Foaming can not only confuse sensors and damage nearby equipment and car paint, it can also serve as a carrier for Legionella bacteria. Cooling water can foam due to a multitude of reasons. In some cases, it is even the result of a combination of factors. Some reasons cooling tower foaming may occur include:

Increasing Water System Sustainability - Part 7:

Solid Water Treatment Programs

  • 19 juin 2023
  • Author: Chem-Aqua, Inc
  • Number of views: 2014
  • 0 Comments
Increasing Water System Sustainability - Part 7:

Cooling towers, steam boilers, and recirculating closed loop systems require effective water treatment chemistry for reliable and efficient operation. Liquid treatment chemicals are traditionally used because they are easier to manufacture and add to systems, but liquids aren’t always the best fit and present safety and environmental concerns that are often overlooked.

RSS