A chemical free cooling tower at Nellis Air Force Base
Nellis Air Force Base wanted to know whether cooling tower 11 could run as a chemical free cooling tower, and whether scale would return once the chemicals stopped. The tower depended on chemical treatment to hold back scale and biofouling, with deposits adhering inside it and the usual maintenance that follows. One HydroFLOW® i160 was fitted to the tower for a six-month evaluation. Existing deposits loosened and were easily removed, chemical dosing was stopped, and no scale returned afterwards. That answered the question the base was actually asking before it would consider a wider rollout.
The Challenges
- A chemical free cooling tower was the objective, but chemical treatment was required for control
- Scale and biofouling were both a constant risk
- Deposits were adhering inside the tower
- The base was dependent on treatment chemicals
- The key question was whether scale would return once chemicals stopped
The Solution
- Unit installed: one HydroFLOW® i160
- Installation point: cooling tower 11
- Trial: six months
- Dosing stopped: chemical treatment, for the whole evaluation
The i160 was fitted to tower 11 and chemical dosing was stopped for the evaluation. The signal disrupts the conditions that bond scale and biofilm to surfaces, so existing deposits loosened for easy removal. The result the base needed was that no scale returned after the chemicals were discontinued, and tower 11 ran as a chemical free cooling tower for the full six months.
