The Challenge
- Data centre cooling water treatment was needed for persistent limescale on spray nozzles, cooling packs and pipework
- A previous vortex conditioner had failed to control the scaling
- Clogged nozzles were reducing cooling system efficiency
- The site needed an effective solution that avoided chemical dosing
- Water use had to fall without compromising cooling capacity
The Solution
Twelve HydroFLOW® i-130 units were fitted to the return pipes of all six BAC cooling towers in February 2022, with no shutdown required. The signal disrupts the conditions that bond scale to surfaces, so existing limescale loosens and washes through while new growth does not form. Nozzles stayed clear, the cooling packs recovered their performance, and because the towers could run at higher cycles of concentration without scaling, blowdown fell sharply. The data centre now runs a 75% water saving on its data centre cooling water treatment with no chemical dosing.
For data centre operators, the relevant point is that the water saving came from running the towers harder, not from restricting cooling. The same approach applies to any evaporative cooling plant where scale is what caps the cycles of concentration.
