Cooling towers are an effective way to remove waste heat from (or to cool) circulating water for systems such as air conditioning units, oil refineries and thermal power stations.
However, the nature of cooling tower operation lends itself to large amounts of airborne debris such as dirt and dust washing into the cooling system water.
This can create a bio-nutrient rich environment within the cooling tower, which is a perfect breeding ground for micro-organisms, algae and fungi. This is why an effective filtration system is so important.
Waterco provides Sidestream filtration systems for cooling water systems. This type of solution continually extracts part of the total system’s water volume to be filtered. After several circulation cycles, all water has passed through the filtration system.
This, combined with an agitation system which can be installed in the basin of the cooling tower, is a particularly effective combination to ensure high water quality. Agitation creates a turbulent environment below the water level to minimise the amount of suspended matter that settles into sludge on the low velocity areas of the basin.
To achieve high quality water in the system, filtration once per hour is recommended. Waterco’s Sidestream filtration options include: Trimline bag filtration, Trimline cartridge filtration, Granular/sand filtration and centrifugal filtration.
MultiCyclone device
The MultiCyclone is a centrifugal filtration device that is capable of saving water and reducing filter maintenance.
The MultiCyclone works on the basis of centrifugal water filtration. There are no moving parts to wear and tear and no filter media to clean or replace. Incoming water simply enters 16 hydro cyclones tangentially, generating a strong centrifugal effect.
Sediment is simply spun out to the hydro cyclone’s wall and then spirals down to the sediment chamber. The filtered water migrates towards the centre of the hydro cyclone where the flow reverses and spirals upwards through the outlet.
Accumulation of sediment can be visibly monitored through the MultiCyclone’s clear sediment chamber and is easily cleaned by opening the purge valve. Only 15 litres of water is discharged to cleanse the MultiCyclone.
They are installed prior to a filter system to minimise filter maintenance and water usage or installed as a standalone filter capable of filtering down to 30 to 40 microns.