Western Kentucky Industrial Water Treatment Services
Cooling systems rely on water to operate and cool equipment and facilities effectively. Since water sources can introduce various contaminants to cooling systems, proper water treatment is crucial. Western Kentucky industrial water treatment services help maintain safe water with proper filtration and chemical treatment methods.
Cooling equipment such as cooling towers, heat exchangers, boilers and closed loop systems rely on accurate testing and chemical treatment to prevent damage. Skilled water treatment technicians can effectively prevent contaminants from accumulating in cooling systems. Our treatments reduce the risk of harmful bacteria such as Legionella and prevent corrosion to extend system longevity.
- Paducah Area Cooling Tower Water Treatment
- Western Kentucky Heat Exchanger Chemical Treatment
- Boiler Feedwater Treatment
- Closed Loop Water Treatment in Kentucky
- Legionella Testing
We Serve Western Kentucky and All Regions of Kentucky
Paducah Area Cooling Tower Water Treatment
Cooling towers are essential components of removing heat from facilities and equipment. Treating water before it enters cooling towers is crucial for safe and efficient operation. Cooling tower water treatment helps reduce mineral deposits, decrease microbiological growth and prevent corrosion, extending the system's life span and reducing costs.
Typical cooling tower water treatment consists of the following services:
- Testing and reporting: Water treatment specialists test water quality and report results to determine the best treatment options. Collecting water samples reveals which minerals, bacteria and contaminants are present in the water. Specialists can then create an optimal treatment plan for each cooling tower's unique needs.
- Customized chemical treatment: Specialists can apply chemical treatments if water quality testing reveals harmful contaminants. Chemical treatment helps prevent bacterial growth and removes corrosive minerals from the water.
- Corrosion and scaling control: A treatment specialist may recommend solutions such as corrosion inhibitors, epoxy barrier application and pH level management to reduce and prevent corrosion. They can also manage or prevent scaling with treatments such as blowdown removal, chemical monitoring or conductivity monitoring.
- Passivation: Passivation prevents white rust on galvanized cooling towers. White rust develops in the presence of excess carbonate ions and a pH above 8.3. The passivation process forms a protective layer on steel surfaces.
- Continued maintenance: While a single treatment can significantly improve water quality and prevent damage, continued maintenance is crucial. Scheduling routine maintenance extends your cooling tower's life span and prevents potential complications. An experienced water treatment specialist will test and treat your cooling tower water and determine the best treatment plan moving forward.
Heat Exchanger Handling
Heat exchangers require treatment to reduce the risk of fouling. Water treatment technicians help companies maintain their heat exchangers with system cleaning, protective coating application and impurity filtration services.
Boiler Feedwater Treatment
Boilers produce steam, which makes them prone to scale. As the steam forms, it can leave behind impurities from the feedwater, such as iron, calcium and silica. As those impurities accumulate on the interior surfaces, they harden to form scale. Scale insulates heat transfer surfaces and hinders the boiler's ability to heat water, forcing the equipment to work harder and consume more energy.
Boilers are also prone to corrosion from water acidity or chemicals, reducing their life span and efficiency. Water technicians can apply the following treatments to prevent scale and corrosion:
- Blowdown: The blowdown process drains feedwater from a boiler to limit dissolved mineral concentration. It then replaces the drained water with new feedwater containing a lower dissolved mineral concentration.
- Chemical scale treatment: Chemical scale treatment produces a reaction to break down scale-forming minerals.
- Water softeners: Water softeners can remove minerals such as iron, magnesium ions and calcium from boiler water.
- Chemical corrosion treatment: Chemical corrosion treatment uses sulfite to absorb dissolved oxygen and disperse precipitated particulates to prevent them from settling.
Closed Loop Water Treatment in Kentucky
Closed loop cooling systems such as cooling tower loops, chilled water loops and refrigerant gas loops are prone to leaking. Leaks can introduce bacteria to the water and corrode components, eventually leading to contamination. Closed loop water chemical treatment prevents leakage via the following methods:
- pH level control: pH-balancing chemicals let closed loop systems maintain a noncorrosive pH level to help prevent corrosion.
- Chemical treatment: Technicians can also utilize various chemicals to work with a closed loop system's dissolved solids and make water less corrosive.
- Oxygen removal: When a closed loop system lacks air exposure, using water treatment chemicals to remove oxygen from the system's water is the most effective way to reduce the risk of corrosion.
- Passivation: Adding chemical compounds to a system's water passivates the system's surfaces to prevent corrosion.
A closed loop system can corrode from the inside, so it's crucial to change filters regularly and flush the system to extend its life span. Monitoring conductivity and pH is also essential to prevent components from corroding and deteriorating. An experienced water treatment technician can properly flush your closed loop system, test it and determine the best chemical treatment method to increase its longevity.
Legionella Testing
A human health hazard that can cause Legionnaire's disease when people come in contact with it, Legionella bacteria in feedwater can contaminate water systems. This bacteria is common in cooling towers because it grows easily in warm, wet environments. A Legionella management plan is crucial for water safety, and testing is an important part of this plan.
Amoebas consume Legionella bacteria until the bacteria multiply and cause the amoebas to explode. These explosions are what cause outbreaks, and they can happen unexpectedly, so it's essential to test for Legionella on a regular basis. Your necessary testing frequency will depend on your operation's level of risk.
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) established ASHRAE Standard 188 to provide guidelines for proper Legionella testing and management. According to this standard, water management plans must include regular Legionella testing and appropriate response guidelines.
Experienced water treatment technicians perform Legionella testing, and state-of-the-art laboratories perform further test analysis to provide the most accurate results. Regular testing allows technicians to detect if the bacteria is present and whether a system's conditions may facilitate bacteria growth so they can take corrective measures. In some cases, cooling tower disinfection and decontamination may be necessary to maintain clean water and help prevent and control bacteria outbreaks.
Contact Chardon Labs
Effective water treatment helps maintain cooling system components such as cooling towers, heat exchangers, boilers and closed loop systems. The right treatment can protect your cooling system from corrosion and reduce the risk of harmful bacteria growth.
When you work with Chardon Labs, our ISO-certified technicians collaborate with you to create a customized treatment plan. Our services can help you prevent system damage, protect human health and prolong your system's life span. We offer accurate testing, equipment installation, chemical water treatment and system monitoring. Contact Chardon Labs to learn more about our water treatment services and how we can help you maintain clean water and protect your cooling systems.