How cooling tower water filtration systems can help your cooling system operate more efficiently

December 5, 2020 | Blog

Evaporative cooling systems such as cooling towers use water for removing excess heat in a variety of buildings and facilities. Whether these cooling towers are used for an industrial facility or simple air conditioning in a hotel, a water filtration system can make a big difference in their operation.

While it’s easy to overlook preventative measures and maintenance systems, a filtration system is your cooling tower’s first line of defence against many issues. Without filtration, the solid buildups, airborne dirt and pollen have the potential to foul and possibly halt the inner operation of any cooling tower water treatment. This type of scaling and fouling also gives room for bacteria such as Legionella to grow.

A water filtration system removes suspended and settled solids, which can help improve energy efficiency and prevent health risks posed by waterborne bacteria. The use of a filtration system can also help in trouble-free operation and savings in maintenance costs. Yet, many cooling tower operators are still not using a filtration system as part of their regular water treatment program.

While it’s understandable that the filtered water will be cleaner, how can this help in running your cooling system more efficiently? To answer your question, here are the main reasons why filtering cooling tower water treatment makes sense:

1. Less blockage & downtime

With a proper type of filtration system, particulate matter, biological growth and suspended solids will be removed from the cooling tower water. It will also decrease solid deposits in the cooling tower, as well as reduce blockages in heat exchangers, tubes, and other critical process equipment. This, in turn, can improve the operational efficiency of your cooling system with less unscheduled downtime.

2. Extend equipment life

  Solid buildups of dirt particles, precipitates and biological deposits in cooling water may require higher cycles of cleaning and maintenance. Combined with scaling and fouling, this will end up damaging your cooling tower equipment. Thus, filtering suspended solids and microorganisms from your cooling tower water is a simple preventive step to extend the life of your equipment.

3. Save water & chemicals

Minerals in unfiltered water may increase blowdown in your cooling towers. This lost water then has to be replenished, which can amount to thousands of gallons. By filtering out those particles, an effective filtration system can help you reduce the blowdown and increase water savings. By preventing scaling and biofouling, it can also eliminate the dependence of water treatment chemicals, which are required to clean your cooling system.

4. Reduce maintenance and energy costs

With the installation of the right water filtration system, you can achieve significant savings in energy and maintenance costs. Less buildup in cooling towers means less time for cleaning. Cleaner water in cooling towers with fewer deposits requires less reactive maintenance overall. Furthermore, a well-maintained cooling tower will continue to function at the original optimum efficiency, thus reducing energy costs.

5. Improve operating efficiency

A cooling tower filled with dirty water can not work efficiently. All that buildup clogs tubes and coats heat transfer surfaces, forcing the cooling system to consume more energy. An effective filtration system not only minimizes those deposits but also increases the effectiveness of the corrosion inhibitor that is utilised.

Conclusion

A water filtration system is an integral part of a cooling tower water treatment program as they can greatly benefit the operation of a cooling tower. Proper filtration is also important for water savings in cooling towers. Hence, it is important to consider water filtration in your plans to keep your cooling system operating more efficiently.