Time spent getting a cooling tower cleaned and prepared in the spring will result in more reliable and efficient operation throughout the summer cooling season. Towers that have been off-line during the winter months can collect dirt, debris, bacteria and other contaminants from the environment, if not laid up correctly. This buildup can produce corrosion, equipment failure, biological fouling and microbiological [...]
Many biofuel plants are working toward efficiency and plant optimization to increase ethanol production. Often when plants move forward with expansion efforts, the adverse impact on system efficiencies , such as cooling, is overlooked. Without proper evaluation of the existing cooling system operation, plants could spend additional capital on an unnecessary cooling tower expansion or experience an increase in [...]
Programmable Logic Controllers ( PLCs ) are industrial digital computers that were adapted to control manufacturing processes, such as assembly lines, robotic devices or any activity that requires high reliability, ease of programming and process fault diagnosis. The first PLC system was installed at a General Motors manufacturing plant in the early 1970’s, which allowed for a more proficient way to modify the [...]
As featured in Process Cooling.
A successful water-management program for a process cooling water system will rely on a number of factors, some of which may be overlooked or ignored until a problem arises. There is much to consider in order to keep equipment operating efficiently, minimize rejection rates, prevent corrosion-related failures, conserve water and energy and reduce the risks associated with waterborne pathogens such as Legionella . [...]
We know brewery wastewater treatment can be overwhelming with contributing factors including stressors on water supply, risk of water shortage or water pollution. Each of these factors have environmental risks, as well as increased financial costs to your facility. We understand that there are many different wastewater options, including on-site treatment that may include pH neutralization, solids removal [...]
Greensand media has been incorporated into countless filters due to its flexibility and efficient iron and manganese removal in both the municipal and industrial markets. This user-friendly media is commonly found in horizontal pressure filters , vertical pressure filters and in gravity filters where iron is the primary contaminant to be removed. Greensand Media is versatile, able to also extract manganese, hydrogen [...]
As featured in Water Technology Online.
Most industrial boiler systems require soft feedwater and without this softening pre-treatment, boilers are at risk of developing hard insulating deposits that reduce the heat transfer efficiency and increase energy use. Severe deposit formation can permanently damage boiler tubes or cause dangerous failures from overheating. Water softening is an ion exchange technique used for removing calcium and magnesium [...]
Reverse osmosis is an effective process used to remove dissolved solids that lead to corrosion and scaling deposits in industrial water systems. It can also be used for desalination and removal of nitrates, chloride, and other inorganic compounds as well as softening applications in drinking water systems. To support your RO system and water sources, pre-treatment through media filtration is often [...]
Most people would agree that a traditional coupon is useful! Who doesn’t want to save $3 on box of laundry detergent? But when it comes to water treatment, there is a different kind of coupon to appreciate: the corrosion coupon. Corrosion coupons are used to measure the effectiveness of inhibitor chemistry on corrosion rates in recirculated cooling and heating process water. These coupons are pre-weighed [...]
As featured in Food Engineering.
Background The year 1972 saw the passage of the Clean Water Act (CWA) - an act that provided incentives, penalties, as well as funding for communities to clean their water. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), at the time, estimated that over two-thirds of the waters in America were unfit for fishing or swimming; a number that was cut in half after the CWA was established. Almost 50 years later, the [...]
Since airwash was first introduced into filters in the 1960s, it has been widely known that the introduction of air with water achieves greater media cleansing and promotes optimum performance of granular water filters. Simul-Wash™ is a simultaneous air and water backwash system. The Simul-Wash cycle consists of four steps: draindown, combined air/water backwash, air purge, and restratification. The key to [...]
As featured in Water Online.
The Federal and State mandated business closures and travel restrictions, due to the COVID-19 virus, have caused many businesses to reduce water flow in various complex building water systems. While the COVID-19 virus is not associated with building water systems, there are other pathogens and water quality issues that can potentially develop due to stagnant or reduced water flow in buildings. There may be [...]