Cooling tower inhibitor reduction at a 700 MW Great Lakes plant
Cooling tower inhibitor reduction was one of three goals at a 700 MW power plant on the Great Lakes, alongside lower water use and unbroken cooling reliability. Its 10-cell recirculating tower used enormous volumes of water, chemical treatment was a major operating cost, and scaling risk held the plant at low concentration cycles. Two HydroFLOW® Multihead 60 inch units and a Custom 24 inch were installed on the tower pipework over a typical eight to twelve week evaluation. The plant ran at higher conductivity without additional scaling. Blowdown fell 60%, scale and corrosion inhibitor use fell 75.5%, and biocides and dechlorinator fell by over 70%. Annual savings came to 200 million gallons and around $350,000.
The Challenge
- Cooling tower inhibitor reduction was needed alongside lower water use
- The 10-cell recirculating cooling tower used large volumes of water
- Chemical treatment was a major operating cost
- Scaling risk held the plant at low concentration cycles
- Cooling reliability had to be maintained throughout
The Solution
- Units installed: two HydroFLOW® Multihead 60 inch and one HydroFLOW® Custom 24 inch
- Installation point: large cooling tower pipework
- System: 10-cell recirculating cooling tower on a 700 MW plant
- Trial: typical eight to twelve week site evaluation
Cooling tower inhibitor reduction followed from running at higher cycles. The three units were fitted to the tower pipework, and the plant raised conductivity over the evaluation without additional scaling. Higher cycles cut blowdown water demand by 60%, and inhibitor, biocide and dechlorinator use came down with it, while cooling differential and condenser vacuum stayed stable throughout.
Testimonial
“I would recommend evaluating HydroFLOW® for cooling tower water management applications.” — Plant Manager
