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Proper Water Treatment for Cooling Towers: A Four-Legged Stool Approach - Leg 2, Scaling Prevention

Proper Water Treatment for Cooling Towers: A Four-Legged Stool Approach - Leg 2, Scaling Prevention Insight Partners

Continuing our series on effective cooling tower maintenance, today we dive into Leg 2: Scaling Prevention. 


Leg 2 - Scaling Prevention


Scaling occurs when dissolved minerals in the water precipitate and form deposits on heat exchange surfaces, reducing efficiency. Preventing scaling involves maintaining proper water chemistry and controlling the concentration of dissolved solids. 



Water Softening: Removes hardness ions (calcium and magnesium) from the water using ion exchange resins. These resins replace hardness ions with sodium or potassium ions. 


Chemical Scale Inhibitors: Scale inhibitors, such as phosphonates and polymers, are added to the water to prevent the precipitation of dissolved minerals. These chemicals bind to hardness ions, keep them in solution, and prevent them from forming scale. 


Conductivity Control: Monitoring and controlling the conductivity of the water is essential for scaling prevention. Conductivity meters measure the concentration of dissolved solids in the water. When conductivity reaches a certain level, a bleed-off process (blowdown) is triggered to remove high-solids water and replace it with fresh makeup water, diluting the concentration of dissolved solids.


Regular Cleaning: Periodic cleaning of heat exchange surfaces helps remove any scale that forms, maintaining the cooling tower's efficiency. Non-acidic scale removers can dissolve scale without damaging the equipment. 



Join us tomorrow as we discuss Microbiological Control! 


The Engineers HVAC Podcast provided this content with guests Trace BlackmoreJustin Lynch, and Clint Burns



Stay tuned for our next post on Scaling Prevention and subscribe to get notified about future insights in our four-part series!


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