When you are in charge of industrial equipment maintenance in your place of work, it can be a daunting and difficult task. However, if you get to know the potential problems that you can experience in your equipment, you can better anticipate what you need to do when. Cooling towers, used to help control the temperature of your equipment, need maintenance and monitoring as well to avoid potential problems. Get to know some of the problems that can develop in your cooling towers so that you can better handle issues as they arise.
Corrosion In Your Cooling Tower
A common cooling tower treatment or repair that needs to be done is to prevent or repair corrosion damage. Because water is used in most cooling towers and systems, there is a chance of corrosion in the system. Metals such as steel are forged into the pipes for the water in the cooling system, in part, by removing the oxygen from the metal itself.
However, water contains oxygen, and in a closed environment inside the pipe, it can start to reintroduce oxygen into the metal composition. When this happens, the metal starts to corrode and lose its thickness and strength.
There are different treatments that you can use to prevent corrosion in your system. Adding protective paints or sealants to the parts of the cooling tower and system that come into contact with water is one way to do this. However, the system will need to be dry and not in use for this to be an effective option. Another choice is to put corrosion inhibitors into the water in the system. These inhibitors will coat the metal surfaces that the water comes into contact with, creating a protective layer (or film) that will keep the corrosive chemical reactions from occurring.
Microoganisms Causing Trouble
Nearly all water in the world has other chemical elements and microorganisms in it other than just pure water molecules. While some microorganisms are harmless to your cooling tower operations, others can cause serious problems and issues.
If certain bacteria or other microorganisms are in a closed environment like a cooling tower or system, they may have just the right conditions to thrive and multiply. Depending on the type of microorganism, this can cause serious problems. Microorganisms can create a layer of film or slime that coats different components of your cooling tower. This can cause corrosion, fouling, and other issues. Some bacteria and other microorganism even create different gases that can cause your system to fail.
Dealing with microorganisms and preventing such buildup involves regularly checking the water for microorganisms, making sure you do not have stagnant water or water temperatures conductive to microorganism growth. You will also need to treat your water with antimicrobial chemicals if you discover abnormal levels during water testing. However, if you stay on top of these routine maintenance checks, you should be able to avoid such problems.
Now that you know more about a few of the potential problems with your cooling towers, you can be sure to take better care of your industrial equipment cooling systems now and in the future.
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