Aligning Debris Management and Water Treatment Procedures Is essential to Cooling Tower Safety and Efficiency
The following is a vital reminder of the requirement for all firms that use cooling towers, to consider and keep diligent within their maintenance and water treatment plan. Why? because what's on the line is really a companies worker safety and health, the business's reputation and operational efficiency; it may be dramatically impacted by the unsafe condition of merely one cooling tower.
In 2001 a significant worldwide auto manufacturer experienced an emergency when four of their facilities maintenance employees became ill with pneumonia-like symptoms that ultimately claimed the lives of two. The reason - Legionnaires Disease brought on by the Legionella bacteria present in one of the manufacturers process cooling towers. The organization quickly gone to live in conduct a "cause analysis" by inspecting its cooling towers worldwide to recognize how systems were being maintained and also to determine best maintenance practices. This ultimately led to the establishment of the first class monitoring and maintenance procedure that ensures this type of tragedy should never be repeated in the company.
How a Legionella Tragedy Can Happen
Interestingly, when someone becomes ill from a hazardous cooling tower it usually is not the effect of a company's blatant negligence; rather, it's often the consequence of a business lacking a definite understanding of the requirement for their water treatment plan to be in alignment by having an effective debris management and cooling tower maintenance program. Although it may seem obvious when the quantity of debris within a cooling tower exceeds the established biocide dosage, the demand placed on the dosage will begin to be consumed and can have little impact on the bioactivity. Quite simply, the debris and bioactivity occurring inside a cooling tower can overwhelm caffeine dosage. It's well-known and remember this that cooling towers are highly efficient air scrubbers; anything drifting past a cooling tower is probably to get caught in the draft and become sucked-in.
When organic debris for example cottonwood seed, leaves, insects, pollen, grass, birds as well as their droppings, etc. enter water and decompose, it along with the relatively warm weather of the water produce a nutrient rich environment for bacterial growth including Legionella. Further, you need to notice that when the amount of decomposing debris exceeds caffeine dosage's capability to provide control, the cooling tower will silently grow dangerous whilst chemical dosing continues. The very fact of the matter is the fact that it is not difficult for companies to build up an incorrect feeling of security that their cooling towers are secure either because they're treating water themselves or, because they've hired a water treatment plan to establish dosage levels which should make sure the tower is protected. Either way, if organic debris management isn't in alignment with water treatment dosage levels and made integral to the maintenance process, it comes with an increased probability of the tower being a safety and health hazard. Regardless how small or large a business or perhaps a cooling tower is; bacteria including Legionella doesn't discriminate - it'll thrive in a poorly managed cooling tower!
An Obvious Question
"What may be the needed ratio of water treatment chemicals to that particular of debris load within the cooling tower to make sure cooling tower safety? " Even though real question is obvious, the solution isn't. Organic debris is drawn into cooling towers in various concentrations based upon location and season. All sorts of debris places another demand upon the biocides and scale inhibitors being dosed in to the water; therefore, there isn't any known ratio which will hold constant for each cooling tower. However, it's reliable advice that if you don't deploy diligent maintenance procedures that specifically demand preventing organic debris from getting in to the cooling tower or its periodic removal, more water treatment chemicals is going to be required to keep it safe. Some may say, "load the tower track of chemicals to make sure safety", however, state and federal EPA guidelines place restrictions on the amount and kind of chemicals you can use, and so the utilization of chemical treatment alone isn't the solution. Furthermore, adding chemicals to offset poor maintenance practices is really a shortcut which will do little to avoid fouling and clogging of the fill, strainers, blow down valves, chiller as well as heat exchangers and may eventually result in safety and health problems along with a decrease in equipment performance. Even though answer to the chemical ratio to debris question isn't apparent, the solution to how to keep a secure cooling tower is superior and may be essentially - "Keep the cooling tower free from debris and deploy a great water treatment plan as well as your cooling tower will operate safely and efficiently. " This may seem like an over simplification, but actually if you keep the debris out of the cooling tower, you'll break the bacteria supporting food chain. Additionally, whenever you chemically treat water you create an atmosphere non-conducive to bacteria habitation. In a nutshell, whenever you eliminate food and shelter for bacteria it's not going to take-up residence inside your cooling tower!
How to keep a secure Cooling Tower
In the past few years ASHRAE has built excellent strategies for cooling tower maintenance referred to as Guideline 12. Along with recommending maintenance activities, additionally, it requires establishing procedures which are measurable. Although ASHRAE guidelines are fantastic, companies must ultimately weigh the operational and economic realities associated with a maintenance procedure they deploy. As the saying goes "There's more than one method to skin a cat". If on the one hand maintenance procedures are too frequent, cumbersome or complex, it commonly leads to more downtime, lost productivity and better maintenance costs. Furthermore, natural human tendency would be to cut corners to quickly complete a distressing job - quite often with unsatisfactory results. Conversely, when the intervals between maintenance are too long, it may be more economical, however the condition of the cooling tower each and every interval may be under desirable and potentially place maintenance workers, employees, tenants and the public in danger. Therefore the answer largely lies somewhere in the centre where water treatment and managing debris within the tower get together.
Today, companies have numerous possibilities for them for managing debris; they incorporate a number of water based filtration technologies and air intake filtration technology. Purification might help manage waterborne along with other debris after it enters the cooling water while Air intake filtration technology is extremely good at stopping airborne debris from getting in to the tower by filtering the environment because it enters the machine.. Furthermore, air intake filtration may be used in glycol based cooling systems as well as on other air-cooled condenser systems to keep airborne debris out of the coils, enabling optimal cooling efficiency.
When determining what maintenance and debris management technology to make use of, you should first figure out what the origin of debris is. When the supply of debris is waterborne (e. g.; sediment, algae from pond or river, or water rich in dissolved solids content), purification in conjunction with a great water treatment plan is usually the best solution and can protect the chiller as well as heat exchanger from scaling and fouling. If on the contrary, the origin of debris is airborne related (cottonwood seed, insects, leaves, pine needles, paper, birds & droppings, harvest chaff, construction debris, etc), then purification systems won't stop the debris from getting in to the cooling tower (particularly the fill). For airborne debris related problems, the best option would be to avoid the debris from getting in to the system by utilizing air intake filtration technology that filters the environment because it enters the machine. Air intake filtration in conjunction with a great water treatment plan is extremely good at stopping the type of debris that clogs strainers, blow down valves, fill, chillers as well as heat exchangers - In a nutshell, air intake filtration effectively protects the whole system. In extraordinary instances where both waterborne and airborne debris is problematic, both air intake filtration and purification in conjunction with a great water treatment plan may be expected so as to keep the cooling tower safe and operating efficiently.
Personal Safety
No appear procedures are adopted to maintain cooling towers, personal safety measures should be integral to the maintenance procedures. Best practices require workers to put on respirators, gloves and protective clothing to assist prevent contact with bacteria, especially Legionella. Important Note: cooling water does not have to appear dirty to be dangerous - just because water is apparent does not mean it's clean reely of bacteria - Every cooling tower can harbor bacteria. Always, always take precautions because unless water is routinely tested for Legionella along with other bacteria, the bacteria won't ever announce its presence until it's too late.
Consider the expense of the Sick Tower
Companies that do not take appropriate precautions and require diligent cooling tower maintenance procedures put not only their employees safety and health in danger, but also their business and reputation. Think about the price of just one cooling tower related Legionella incident:
- Reduced employee moral and productivity because of a hazardous work environment.
- Negative customer perceptions of the company as well as their willingness to purchase goods & services should a Legionella outbreak become public. (especially risky for food and related processors)
- Loss of greenbacks to families whenever a loved one becomes ill or die from Legionella.
- High cost for litigation which could follow.
- Higher company insurance charges when claims because of job related sickness or death occur.
Follow a Leader
So you may be wondering how the major automotive company mentioned at the start took a tragic situation and turned it right into a world-class maintenance program. They formed an oversight committee sponsored by executive management, which was charged with the responsibility of dealing with consultants, water treatment professionals and maintenance employees to determine a worldwide water management program that encompasses specific maintenance tasks, maintenance methods & procedures, maintenance schedules, management accountabilities and reporting guidelines in the facility level. The representative each and every facility is accountable to some regional representative who reports activities and results to the oversight committee. The establishment of the oversight committee and it is global management network ensures uniformity of the program plus, provides the company an automobile to quickly implement changes and enhancements that offer continuous improvement for their global water management program.
It Doesn't Take Rocket Science
It simply mandates that companies using cooling towers "step-up to the plate" and initiate proactive and on-going maintenance procedures that align effective debris management technology with effective water testing and treatment techniques because when these components have been in alignment, it makes sense a secure, healthy and efficient operation.
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