Epri 2019 Generation Technology Transfer Award

If you have an open condenser system as part of your facility, this is a blog post you will not want to miss. Commonly referred to as the "cooling tower system," your open condenser system needs to be properly treated and maintained in order to run at peak efficiency. This post will address what you need to do before the end of cooling season.

WHY is this So Important?



A cooling tower introduces condenser water to the atmosphere so that heat energy can be transferred to the open air by way of evaporation (hence the term "open" condenser - because it's "open" to the atmosphere). In doing so, the water in the cooling tower is always exposed to whatever may be flying around in the air, like dirt, organic materials, bugs, bacteria, etc, etc... These types of materials can accumulate in the tower water and, if left untreated, they could lead to very big problems like biofouling and corrosion issues. A system that runs dirty is using more fuel and energy to maintain cooling than a system that runs clean. In some cases, this can translate to tens-of-thousands of dollars down the drain in lost energy. Operating a dirty cooling tower is also dangerous; a fouled cooling tower presents ideal conditions for harmful bacteria like Legionella (the cause of Legionnaires' Disease) to grow. The proper water treatment chemistry program, pre-treatment of makeup water, system filtering, regular tower cleanings and proper layup procedures during non-use, will ensure that your tower system will operate at peak efficiency and hazard free for years to come.

What Needs to Happen at the End of the Cooling Season?

Many of the best cooling tower cleaning companies will quote OSHA standards becuase of the safety benefits:

?Cooling towers should be cleaned and disinfected at least twice a year. Normally this maintenance will be performed before initial start-up at the beginning of the cooling season and after shutdown in the fall.??

-OSHA Technical Manual ? Section III: Chapter 7

Regardless of whether or not your cooling tower runs year round or not, it should be cleaned at LEAST twice per year. Additionally, if you shut your cooling system down during part of the year, there are methods of "laying up" your system that you will want to follow to keep it well protected during its non-use. Many industrial water treatment service providers offer these services as part of their monthly water treatment contracts and they will know which method of mechanical cleaning and layup is best for your system. We are still experiencing some pretty mild weather in the northeast United States but those cooler months are coming up on us quickly. Now is the right time to start thinking about cleaning your cooling towers and laying them up for the winter.

What Happens If I DO NOT Lay Up My Towers During Non-Use?

You are taking a pretty big risk. Chances are you will experience some kind of issue(s) in your system. Many operators believe that their stainless steel cooling towers will hold up to anything that mother nature can throw at them, however, this is very often not the case; and it is not even the cooling tower itself that is most susceptible to damage - it's the chillers that they share their water with. Chillers are expensive pieces of machinery that contain the most important heat transfer surfaces inside of them (they are usually made of very thin copper tubes); whatever 'lives' inside the towers is making its way to the chillers. Deposits love heat, so the heat transfer surfaces are usually where you will have the biggest issues. Sulfur reducing bacteria can eat their way through copper tubes and mild steel tube sheets given the right circumstances.

My Water Treatment Company is Responsible for that Stuff, Right?

Technically yes; but as a facility owner/operator there are ways for you to double check that things are being done correctly. Check out this video for an example of what we found inside a one-year-old cooling tower/chiller system that was not properly maintained at the end of the cooling season:

Don't make this mistake with your cooling towers!

What Should I Be Doing To Protect My Tower During the Off Season?

In the northeast United States, the end of cooling season is coming up soon. Now is a perfect time to have your towers professionally cleaned and chemically passivated. Consult with your water treatment service provider as to which method they recommend to lay up your system for the winter. If your cooling system runs year round, it is still a good idea to consider a cleaning during the next month or so. If you need help in assessing your specific situation, we are always available to help.

My Cooling Tower Always Looks Dirty, What Can I Do?

Dirty water doesn?t always mean bad water treatment; however, it is something that needs to be dealt with. While you may need to re-evaluate your current water treatment program, many times there are mechanical issues that need to be addressed first. For instance, if it doesn?t already exist, you may need to add filtration to your system of some kind. Usually an industrial grade sand filter on a cooling tower system is a very good thing; however, picking the right kind can be the difference between a clean cooling tower system and a complete waste of money. These decisions should be made with the help of an Industrial Water Treatment Specialist from a reputable water treatment company.

Want to learn more about the most advanced solid feed cooling tower treatment?

Click this link:

Greg Frazier is an expert in Industrial Water Treatment and is currently the Managing Partner of Clarity Water Technologies. He has over 18 years of Industrial Water Treatment experience and holds a degree in antiscalant chemical price Engineering from the University of Tennessee.

 

Are Your Boilers Running Without Automated Blowdown?

First Comprehensive, National Study Of Coal Ash Pollution Finds Widespread Groundwater Contamination

indoor jungle gymPower Plant Groundwater Monitoring Data Reveal Unsafe Levels of Toxic Pollutants at 91% of 265 Sites Across U.S., in 39 States Including TX, NC, WY, PA, TN, MD, UT, MI and KY

An examination of monitoring data available for the first time concludes that 91 percent of U.S. coal-fired power plants with monitoring data are contaminating groundwater with unsafe levels of toxic pollutants.

The study by the Environmental Integrity Project, with assistance from Earthjustice, used industry data that became available to the public for the first time in 2018 because of requirements in federal coal ash regulations issued in 2015.

The report found that the groundwater near 242 of the 265 power plants with monitoring data contained unsafe levels of one or more of the pollutants in coal ash, including arsenic, a known carcinogen, and lithium, which is associated with neurological damage, among other pollutants.



?At a time when the Trump EPA ? now being run by a former coal lobbyist ? is trying to roll back federal regulations on coal ash, these new data provide convincing evidence that we should be moving in the opposite direction: toward stronger protections for human health and the environment,?? said Abel Russ, the lead author of the report and attorney with the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP).

Lisa Evans, Senior Counsel with Earthjustice, said: ?This is a wake-up call for the nation. Using industry?s own data, our report proves that coal plants are poisoning groundwater nearly everywhere they operate. The Trump Administration insists on hurting communities across the U.S. by gutting federal protections. They are making a dire situation much worse.??

The data came from over 4,600 groundwater monitoring wells located around the ash dumps of 265 coal-fired power plants, which is roughly three quarters of the coal power plants across the U.S. The rest of the plants did not have to comply with the federal Coal Ash Rule?s groundwater monitoring requirements last year, either because they closed their ash dumps before the rule went into effect in 2015, or because they were eligible for an extension.

EIP?s analysis of the data found that a majority of the 265 coal plants have unsafe levels of at least four toxic constituents of coal ash in the underlying groundwater. Fifty-two percent had unsafe levels of arsenic, which can impair the brains of developing children and is known to cause cancer. Sixty percent of the plants have unsafe levels of lithium, a chemical associated with multiple health risks, including neurological damage.

Many of the coal ash waste ponds are poorly and unsafely designed, with less than 5 percent having waterproof liners to prevent contaminants from leaking into the groundwater, and 59 percent built beneath the water table or within five feet of it.

The report lists and ranks the sites across the U.S. with the worst groundwater contamination from coal ash. Below are the ?Top 10?? most contaminated sites, according to the monitoring data reported by power companies in 2018:

Texas: An hour south of San Antonio, beside the San Miguel Power Plant, the groundwater beneath a family ranch is contaminated with at least 12 pollutants leaking from coal ash dumps, including cadmium (a probable carcinogen according to EPA) and lithium (which can cause nerve damage) at concentrations more than 100 times above safe levels.

North Carolina: 12 miles west of Charlotte, at Duke Energy?s Allen Steam Station in Belmont, the coal ash dumps were built beneath the water table and are leaking cobalt (which causes thyroid damage) into groundwater at concentrations more than 500 times above safe levels, along with unsafe levels of eight other pollutants.

Wyoming: 180 miles west of Laramie, at PacifiCorp?s Jim Bridger power plant in Point of Rocks, the groundwater has levels of lithium and selenium (which can be toxic to humans and lethal at low concentrations to fish) that exceed safe levels by more than 100 fold.

Wyoming: At the Naughton power plant in southwest Wyoming, the groundwater has not only levels of lithium and selenium exceeding safe levels by more than 100 fold, but also arsenic at five times safe levels.

Pennsylvania: An hour northwest of Pittsburgh, at the New Castle Generating Station, levels of arsenic in the groundwater near the plant?s coal ash dump are at 372 times safe levels for iro group drinking.

Tennessee: Just southwest of Memphis near the Mississippi River, at the TVA Allen Fossil Plant, arsenic has leaked into the groundwater at 350 times safe levels and lead at four times safe levels. Recent studies show a direct connection between the contaminated shallow aquifer and the deeper Memphis aquifer, creating a threat to drinking water for thousands of people.

Maryland: 19 miles southeast of Washington, D.C., at the Brandywine landfill in Prince George?s County, ash from three NRG coal plants has contaminated groundwater with unsafe levels of at least eight pollutants, including lithium at more than 200 times above safe levels, and molybdenum (which can damage the kidney and liver) at more than 100 times higher than safe levels. The contaminated groundwater at this site is now feeding into and polluting local streams.

Utah: South of Salt Lake City, at the Hunter Power plant, the groundwater is contaminated with lithium at concentrations 228 times safe levels and cobalt at 26 times safe levels.

Mississippi: North of Biloxi, at the R.D. Morrow Sr. Generating Station, the groundwater is contaminated with lithium at 193 times safe levels, molybdenum at 171 times safe levels, and arsenic at three times safe levels.

Kentucky: At the Ghent Generating Station northeast of Louisville, lithium is in the groundwater at 154 times safe levels and radium at 31 times safe levels.

The researchers of this report could not determine the safety of drinking water near the coal ash dumps analyzed in this study because power companies are not required to test private drinking water wells.

However, the report contains examples of several well-documented instances of residential tap water contaminated by coal ash. For example:

At the Colstrip Power Plant in Colstrip, Montana, unsafe levels of boron, sulfate and possibly other pollutants migrated into a residential neighborhood. The owners of the plant had to provide clean water, and settled a lawsuit with 57 local residents for $25M in damages.

At the Oak Creek Power Plant in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, contamination with elevated levels of molybdenum seeped from ash landfills into at least 33 nearby drinking water wells. Wisconsin Energy purchased at least 25 homes around the site and demolished several of them.

At the Yorktown Power Station in Yorktown, Virginia, gravel pits were filled with fly ash, contaminating the water supply for 55 homes with arsenic, beryllium, chromium, manganese, selenium and other pollutants.

At Battlefield Golf Course in Chesapeake, Virginia, about 25 drinking water wells had elevated levels of boron, manganese or thallium that may have leaked from coal ash used as a construction material beneath a golf course.

At a coal ash landfill in Gambrills, Maryland, ash dumped in an old sand and gravel quarry caused unsafe levels of arsenic, beryllium, lithium, and other pollutants in multiple residential wells. Constellation Energy settled a lawsuit with impacted residents for $54M.

Additional examples of contamination of residential drinking water outlined in the report are in Indiana, Illinois, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Wisconsin and North Carolina.

?This report is yet another example of why we must require full cleanup of these unlined and leaking coal ash pits,?? said Amy Brown, a resident of Belmont, North Carolina, who lives near coal ash waste sites of the Duke Energy Allen Steam Station.

?The findings of this report are disturbing, but unfortunately not surprising,?? said Jennifer Peters, National Water Programs Director for Clean Water Action. ?For decades, coal utilities have been dumping their toxic waste in primitive pits? often unlined, unstable, and near groundwater?while state and federal regulators have mostly looked the other way. These dangerous coal ash ponds should have been closed and cleaned up years ago.??

The report details steps that EPA should take to more effectively protect public health and the environment from coal ash pollution. A more successful regulatory program would: regulate all coal ash dumps, including those that are inactive; require the excavation of dumps within five feet of the water table; require more monitoring, especially of nearby residential wells and surface water; and mandate more transparency and public reporting.

About Environmental Integrity Project

The Environmental Integrity Project is a nonprofit, nonpartisan watchdog organization that protects public health and the environment by investigating polluters, holding them accountable under the law, and strengthening public policy

Earthjustice is a leading environmental law organization that wields the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people?s health. We preserve magnificent places and wildlife; advance clean energy; and combat climate change. We are here because the earth needs a good lawyer.

Should one Has A Dealkalizer As Part Of Your Boiler Water Treatment?



We all know that a dual alternating biocide program is better than a single biocide program. So why do you still have problems maintaining a kill in your cooling tower? The most common problem associated with biocide feed is adequate biocide dosage and contact time.

Biocide feed instructions are always listed on Momar?s Aquatrol product label and the label states that if the system is badly fouled, it must first be cleaned. If you have mineral or iron deposits, use the appropriate descaler. If the system is fouled, a strong biocide feed with a biodispersant is recommended. Most biocides can only kill surface layers with marginal penetrating abilities for soft play (https://www.irochemical.com) biofilms and none for mineral and iron deposits. Just remember, a biocide can only kill what it comes in contact with.

For clean to moderately clean systems, you can go directly to the initial and subsequent dosage rates. Remember that the dosage rates are typically listed as ___ gallons or ___ pounds per 1,000 gallons volume in the system. One of the more common problems is that not enough biocide was fed to achieve the maximum kill. That is why it is important to know the volume of the system you are treating. Too little biocide will achieve a partial kill, but a quick re-growth will occur. Within a short amount of time, the biocide will become ineffective and fouling will occur. Remember that for slug or intermittent feeds, your dosage rates will be higher (a larger volume of biocide) and that continuous feed is maintained at a lower rate.

Even though the biocide is being fed at the dosage listed on the label, problems may occur. The most common problem is insufficient contact time. Contact time is the number of hours that the biocide is present in the cooling tower (at the recommended concentration or dosage rate). Oxidizers fed at a rate of 1 to 2 parts per million quickly kill microorganisms, usually within 1 hour. Therefore, the contact time for most oxidizers is one hour. This means that the oxidizer is fed at an amount to maintain 1 to 2 parts per million in the system for a duration of one hour.

For non-oxidizing biocides the contact time is longer ? from three hours to 36 hours depending on the type of non-oxidizing biocide. Cooling towers receive continuous blow down to maintain proper cycles of concentration and the biocide is being removed with the blow down water. For non-oxidizing biocides there are two methods of maintaining the recommended dosage in the system for the contact time required. First, if you are manually feeding the biocide, feed a high enough dosage so that, after the required blow down, the biocide is maintained at the recommended rate for the duration of the required contact time. A second method is to utilize a feature available on many controllers; pre-bleed the system to a low conductivity and then lock out subsequent bleed for a period of two to four hours. This will allow you to feed a lower amount of the biocide and still maintain the desired dosage rate for the recommended contact time.

Dow Completes Capital Investment For Versene Chelating Agents

indoor playground equipmentFluid Technology Solutions (FTS H2O) Establishes Strategic Partnership In India With Industrial Water Leader Ion Exchange

Partnership provides a platform with which FTS can provide advanced, membrane-based water treatment solutions to end customers in the fast-growing Indian market

Fluid Technology Solutions Inc. (FTS) a leading provider of membrane-based water treatment technologies including Forward Osmosis (FO) and High Brine Concentration Recovery (HBCR), recently announced the commencement of a strategic partnership in India with leading water systems, projects and services provider Ion Exchange (India) Ltd. This partnership will focus on providing optimised effluent wastewater reuse and zero liquid discharge (ZLD) solutions to industrial customers in the fast-growing Indian market.

Ion Exchange (India) Ltd. President Mr. Ajay Popat commented, ?Our Company strives to bring new technologies into India and other geographies served by us to help solve pressing water treatment needs with lower cost of ownership and higher reliability. Forward Osmosis and other osmotic brine concentration technologies by FTS will help us further reduce costs for customers requiring zero discharge for their plant?s effluent streams. We see it?s applicability in the ZLD schemes for chemical, textile, food & beverages, sugar, power industries, CETPs (centralised effluent treatment plants), etc., to name a few where we have already set up impressive working references for ZLD systems.??

FTS is a pioneer in the application of FO to treat difficult industrial, municipal, and agricultural water and provide fresh water for reuse. The company has provided commercial systems for landfill leachate treatment, pharmaceutical concentration, shale gas produced water treatment and mining effluent treatment. FTS President Mr. Keith Lampi discussed the company?s expansion into new markets, stating ?Since the founding of FTS in 2015, our mission has been to apply our technologies both domestically and internationally ? water scarcity and the need for reuse are global challenges. For the Indian market, we see Ion Exchange as the preferred partner corrosion inhibitor for water us, having strong complementary technologies to our FO and brine concentration, and the two companies share a culture of providing well thought-out and complete solutions to customers.?? In the Indian region, the strategy for FTS and Ion Exchange is to improve the operating cost and capital cost of ZLD processes, increasing the number of sites that can employ such water saving treatment methods.

About Fluid Technology Solutions Inc.



FTS is committed to the application of advanced membrane technologies to solve issues with difficult waters for industrial, agricultural, and municipal customers around the world. If the goal is water reuse and minimal discharge, FTS can develop a solution.

The company also offers a family of personal hydration products, based on FO technology, for survival and humanitarian needs. These 0.0007 micron filters are unique in that they excel at generating high-quality fluids from any water, even salt water and highly turbid sources. For more information, visit www.drinkanywater.com .

The FTS base of operations is in Albany, Oregon, with sales offices in New York, Boston, Seattle, Beijing, and partner engineering and manufacturing operations in Shanghai. For more information visit http://www.ftsh2o.com.

About Ion Exchange (India) Ltd.

A pioneer of water treatment in India and specialists in water and waste water, Ion Exchange offers total water and environment management solutions for all sectors - infrastructure, industry, institutions, municipal, homes and communities, urban and rural.

360? environment management adds value across the entire circuit - from influent water through potable and industrial process water to effluent/sewage treatment and water recycle for zero discharge and waste to energy projects for solid waste management.

Ion Exchange is a manufacturer of world-class ion exchange resins for water and non-water applications, membranes, water treatment chemicals and speciality process chemicals, in ISO 9001, 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certified facilities.

Offering design and supply of water, process liquid, waste water treatment, water recycle plants - packaged, pre-engineered and custom-built, on turnkey, BOT and EPC basis.