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Industry Insights

FSMA Regulations and Their Impact on Water Treatment Chemistry for the Ethanol Industry

In 2011, the FDA was given a new mandate to require comprehensive, science based preventive controls across the food supply. These regulations, collectively called the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), apply to food for both human and animal consumption. While there have been rules governing food additives and safety for many years, these new rules further refine the requirements around control plans. The new [...]

March 30, 2016 Read more...

How Does Piping Design Affect Bacteria Growth in Water Systems?

Q&A with U.S. Water’s Project Manager, Jason Mitchell   What is high purity water, and where is it used? High purity water, also referred to as ultrapure or deionized water, must comply with quality requirements to sustain specific production goals and standards. It is used in a variety of industries where bacterial contamination is strictly regulated such as biopharmaceutical, [...]

January 1, 2015 Read more...

Reverse Osmosis Membrane Advancements

Every day consumers research and identify what goods and services are available in the market for the particular area they are looking for. They buy based on the features they value and the price they are willing to pay. It's not very common that a consumer will buy without some level of evaluation. Contrast that with decisions in the industrial world and many times that level of evaluation doesn't take place. [...]

June 24, 2015 Read more...

The Pursuit of a Green Carbon Steel Corrosion Inhibitor: Laying the Groundwork - Part 2

Abstract Many inhibitors considered for use in an environmentally friendly corrosion inhibitor program are organic in nature and may be subject to oxidation. This paper aims to expand on previous studies to determine acceptable green corrosion inhibitors for use in open system cooling waters by examining the effect of oxidizing biocide on their performance. Pilot-scale corrosion testing is used to generate results [...]

June 23, 2015 By Matthew LaBrosse, PhD & Donovan Erickson, CWT Read more...

The Pursuit of a Green Carbon Steel Corrosion Inhibitor: Laying the Groundwork - Part 1

Abstract Corrosion control of carbon steel heat exchange components is becoming more important as energy costs rise and the demand for environmentally friendly chemicals is on the water technology forefront. This article explores the effectiveness of various inhibitors in open system cooling tower water that is both corrosive and scaling. Part 1: Laying the Groundwork gives an overview of the inhibitors tested and [...]

November 8, 2014 By Matthew LaBrosse, PhD & Donovan Erickson, CWT Read more...

Why Should I Lay-Up My Cooling Tower?

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 [...]

September 27, 2014 Read more...

Trends in Industrial Wastewater Treatment

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 [...]

August 20, 2014 By Matt Migliore Read more...

Reduce Operating Costs Using Industrial Cooling Tower Automation

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 [...]

July 30, 2013 Read more...

Reverse Osmosis (RO) Membrane Autopsy: What You Need to Know

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 [...]

August 16, 2012 Read more...

Flow Accelerated Corrosion

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 [...]

July 5, 2012 Read more...

Preventing Scale Formation in Reverse Osmosis Systems

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 [...]

June 18, 2012 By Wes Byrne, Industry Consultant Read more...

Ozone Generators: A New Technology for Biocide Treatment

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 [...]

February 6, 2012 Read more...