The Quest for Control in Today's Cooling Water Programs
In today's competitive business environment, the need to cut operating costs while maintaining reliability and performance has become increasingly more challenging. One way to meet this challenge is to gain better control of your cooling water systems. Many maintenance departments today use the "Hit-The-Wall" control strategy-that is, turn the pump down when you hit the top of the control limit; turn the pump up when you hit the bottom of the control limit. The problem is that it is inefficient, costly, and potentially damaging to the process equipment.
One type of control method involves employing a programmable timer to insure that the treatment is fed at regular intervals. This method is most often used for controlling the addition of non-oxidizing biocides and will prevent the chance of missing a treatment addition.
In the flow-proportional control method, the chemical feed is metered into the system in relation to fresh water addition. A water meter uses an integral timer to activate the chemical feed pump after a pre-determined amount of makeup water passes into the system. This very precise method is most often used to control the addition of both scale and corrosion inhibitors and dispersants.
The bleed/feed method incorporates the conductivity of the cooling water to determine if treatment is to be added. When the conductivity rises above the upper control limit, the system is bled, fresh water is added to dilute the conductivity, and treatment is added in proportion to the amount of make-up. Like the flow proportion method, the bleed/feed method is used to control the addition of scale and corrosion inhibitors and dispersants.
Underfeeding or overfeeding of chemical will no longer be a concern with a simple change in the control method employed at your facility. The quest for control is now within reach.
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