Factory cooling tower scale controlled with 75% less chemical
Factory cooling tower scale forced a Texas manufacturing plant to hold its cooling system at low conductivity, which meant heavy blowdown, high chemical use and pressure on a well supply that was already being depleted. Scale affected both the chiller loop and the washer recirculation system, and wastewater discharge limits ruled out simply flushing more water through. In January 2023 a HydroFLOW® Custom 14 inch unit was fitted to the chiller return and an i100 to the washer recirculation line. Conductivity was then allowed to rise from 1,300 to 4,500 microsiemens with no scale forming, and chemical use fell by 75%.
The Challenges
- Factory cooling tower scale forced the plant to run at low conductivity
- High chemical usage was needed for scale control
- Scaling affected both the chiller loop and the washer recirculation system
- Blowdown was depleting the well supply
- Wastewater discharge limits restricted how much water could be flushed
The Solution
- Units installed: two HydroFLOW® units, a Custom 14 inch and an i100
- Installation point: Custom 14 inch on the chiller return, i100 on the washer recirculation line
- Installed: January 2023
- Previous treatment: chemical dosing at low conductivity, with heavy blowdown
Once the two units were fitted, the plant no longer had to hold conductivity down to manage factory cooling tower scale. The signal disrupts the conditions that bond scale to surfaces, so the system could run at much higher cycles of concentration. Conductivity was raised from 1,300 to 4,500 microsiemens, blowdown and make-up water both fell, and chemical dosing was cut by 75%.
