Each year we get many of these questions from people, all stemming back to the central question of what is cooling tower lay-up and why do we do it? If any of these sound familiar to you then you may want to read on. “We wait to punch tubes until spring.” “I just drain the tower piping to the roof line.” “We leave the tower filled ‘just in case.'” “I [...]
U.S. Water’s Technical Manager, Gary Engstrom provided insight into wastewater trends for Flow Control Magazine. The article, written by Matt Migliore, appears below. As the scarcity of water becomes a more pressing issue worldwide, the drive for industry to reclaim and reuse wastewater grows more important. Moreover, industry faces increasingly stringent state and federal requirements regulating [...]
Efficiency, sustainability and conservation are all topics that must be considered in today’s business regardless of the industry. At the core of many businesses utility operations are cooling requirements that call for the use of a cooling tower. If allowed to operate in an uncontrolled environment, the water and energy efficiencies in cooling towers can be costly. Furthermore, an uncontrolled cooling tower [...]
With more and more steam boilers being asked to provide intermittent service, there is renewed focus on the proper treatment of boiler systems while they are offline. In the Power industry it is not uncommon for a combined cycle plant to operate less than 30% of the time, meaning the vast majority of the time the boiler is idle. The rise of renewable power assets that have intermittent and [...]
A membrane autopsy is a good description of the analysis that can be performed on a fouled membrane. It can also be the key to determining how to prevent fouling of new membranes and to maximize the efficiency of this key piece of water treatment equipment. U.S. Water Services performs this analysis in-house at our location in Cambridge, Minnesota, and then issues a comprehensive seven page report of the results. The [...]
Few subjects have captured the attention of boiler cycle chemistry experts and research dollars in the past 10+ years as flow accelerated corrosion (FAC). Having previously been most concerned about failures occurring in higher pressure areas of the cycle, FAC is now a primary concern as over 60% of all utilities have reported finding it in their facilities. Defined as localized rapid metal loss resulting [...]
Reverse osmosis (RO) systems behave similar to a boiler or a cooling tower in that they cause the dissolved salts in their make-up water to become more concentrated. As pure water permeates the RO membrane, the salts are left behind in a concentrated stream. If the solubility of any particular salt is exceeded, the potential exists that the salt will form scale directly on the membrane surface or possibly within [...]
The use of Ozone has become an optional biocide in smaller cooling towers, evaporative condensers and process applications where low to moderate traditional biocides, such as bleach and bromine, have been used. Facilities seeking ‘green' solutions are using Ozone to reduce chemical discharge, reduce on-site chemical handling by workers, and provide a hands off treatment approach, especially in hard to [...]
Reverse Osmosis (RO) is a proven technology with new applications for various industries. U.S. Water’s representatives pride themselves on having extensive knowledge of RO unit installation, operations, troubleshooting and cleaning procedures. Let’s review the standards and best practices for RO units by first reviewing the process of osmosis. OSMOSIS: A NATURAL OCCURRENCE Osmosis is a natural [...]
Introduction Water supply issues and sustainability are emerging as a national concern with the energy sector coming under increasing scrutiny. This is certainly the case with the ethanol industry. State discharge regulations have and are dictating that plant designs incorporate technological solutions to minimizing water use. These designs involve utilizing equipment that allows flexibility in reusing water [...]