Cooling towers are used in all kinds of sectors to cool industrial processes. Hereby water is usually used for cooling purposes due to the large heat absorption capacity of water.
Because water is a scarce commodity, cooling water is recirculated in cooling towers. Because a large part of the water evaporates, a concentration of salts in the cooling water is obtained. In order to avoid deposits of all kinds of hardness salts on heat exchangers, occasional drainage is required. The better the water quality, the higher the number of times that the water can be recirculated and thus the less purifying fluids and chemicals are needed to treat the water.
Ion exchange and membrane filtration techniques are technologies that are used for the production of cooling water. When a suitable water quality is obtained, the water is further conditioned in the cooling tower by means of chemicals. This is to prevent corrosion and to keep certain hardness salts in solution.
Both pre-treatment and chemical water treatment are crucial for the proper operation of a cooling tower, resulting in a stable process. Cooling water problems can lead to unexpected production stops and high operational costs.