The Challenge
- The seawater strainer cleaning interval had fallen to once every two weeks
- Mussels and crustaceans attached to pipework and strainer areas
- Growth returned quickly after repeated cleaning
- Lines were hot-soaked and back flushed every two weeks
- The system had to be treated at flows of at least 4,500 m³/hr
The Solution
One HydroFLOW® Custom 16 inch unit was installed in a zinc smelting operation. The unit has been installed before the manifold header pipe and strainers, so treatment could act across multiple lines. Three underwater pumps feed water through 150 m of 400 mm pipe from the Derwent Estuary into a common header and strainers supplying gas scrubbers. Early inspections still showed marine growth despite cleaning, and performance improved over the course of the trial. By the final inspection the high-flow sections were largely clean with no mussels or crustaceans observed, and strainers were running four to five months between cleans instead of two weeks.
Testimonial
“There are still signs of sea grass on some housing, but high-flow areas remained clean, and importantly mussels and crustaceans were not observed.” — Customer inspection feedback
