Cooling Water Treatment – Lessons Learned

Michael Lyon

Heat Transfer Consultant

DuPont

ABSTRACT

Cooling water is a site utility that generally receives little attention when it works, but can cause plant shutdowns or operational nightmares when it doesn’t. In the modern era, plant sites are more reliant than ever on vendor expertise and recommendations for water treatment, but miscommunication and a lack of site expertise can often cause cooling system problems to accumulate over time. Cooling water treatment programs generally focus on three key concerns: corrosion prevention, fouling prevention, and microbial control. Case studies and examples highlighting each of these concerns will be presented to highlight the difficulties that can be caused by improperly-maintained cooling water. The root cause of each case will be discussed, along with suggested best practices for preventing future issues.