Having a cooling tower is one effective way to help maintain normal temperatures in large structures such as shopping malls, power plants, oil refineries and water treatment systems. Cooling towers provide chilled water for production, power generation and air conditioning use. The size of these towers varies depending on the structure that requires them. Industrial-size towers are designed to handle large volumes of water and have pipes up to five meters in diameter. Refrigeration Technology Institute provides more detailed in this online article.
Most industries require the use of cooling towers 24/7, and sometimes, maintenance becomes an issue. When a tower requires repair or replacement, the company may be best advised to seek rental cooling tower services to fill gaps in operations and ensure that industrial processes continue unhindered.
Use and importance
Most of the cooling towers are neglected because they are always used in conjunction with chillers. Coolers usually get more airtime because they consume more energy when used. Operators do not realize that without the support of cooling towers, unwanted heat from the chiller will mix or transfer to other areas.
A cooling tower helps lower the temperature by evaporative heat rejection. Part of the cooled water is allowed to evaporate into an air stream, providing the remainder of the water stream with a much lower temperature than the ambient temperature. Cooling towers are actually more cost effective and energy efficient than other devices that do not use evaporative heat rejection (such as dry coolers), especially for large industrial structures such as power plants.
Maintenance issues
It is important to keep cooling towers in prime condition as polluted towers can result in reduced cooling capacity, which is a factor in long term reliability. In an industrial setting, a faulty pipeline can cause operations to be shut down for an indefinite period of time, impacting output and repair costs of thousands of dollars and lost revenue.
One of the problems faced by cooling towers is scale formation. Scaling is caused by the buildup of mineral deposits from air and water concentrations. Scaling causes blockages in pipes, affects air or water flow, and significantly reduces system capacity. When this occurs, the system needs to be shut down and the affected area cleaned or replaced. Corrosion is another problem and is caused by the dissolving of metals over time. Oxidation is another complication; it will eat up whatever metal is left and will soon ruin the entire operation.
Perform preventive maintenance
This situation can be avoided by performing regularly scheduled maintenance. Preventive maintenance for industrial cooling towers should be carried out annually. In addition to checking for scale formation, corrosion, and oxidation, maintenance work includes checking the condition of water pipes and other equipment for contamination, and minimizing the risk of Legionella and other bacteria forming in the system.
In addition to the annual thorough maintenance check, quarterly checks can also be useful for the system. It is important to identify hazards and possible treatment options, such as automation (blowing systems to control pH or other chemical buildup), water modeling (use of software to predict optimal tower usage and damage levels), and using green chemicals (use of solutions to reduce environmental impact). Proper and regular maintenance can also improve coolant efficiency, leading to long-term reliability.
For a deeper understanding of Cooling Towers, the The US Department of Energy has detailed documentation.
