Condenser Water Solutions for Industrial Air Conditioning Service

The condenser / open water cooling loop is the last stage of heat transfer in the central air-conditioning system.  Heat is removed through water evaporation which occurs in the cooling tower.  When water evaporates, all the residual dissolved minerals are left to concentrate in the condenser/open water loop.  The high rate of evaporation at the cooling tower causes these minerals to concentrate rapidly, which can cause scale formation and fouling.  At incoming water hardness of 80ppm, a typical 1500-ton central air conditioning system can leave behind approximately 70kg of calcium/magnesium per week, operating 12 hours per day 7 days per week.  The corresponding water evaporation is approximately 858,000 Liters per week (122,570 Liters/12 hours).  An average 200-ton cooling tower can take up dust and debris of up to 1 kg per 3 hours of operation.

Untreated or not sufficiently treated condenser water creates an environment conducive for bio-growth such as bacteria and algae.  The condenser water loop, particularly the cooling towers, can provide a suitable environment for bacteria such as Legionella bacteria (which causes the Legionnaires Disease, a multisystem illness).

With the condenser loop being open to the atmosphere, oxygen and CO₂ dissolve in the loop water making the water more corrosive than closed loop water.

GLWC is proud to propose a safe, non-toxic and reliable solution which tackles all the above mentioned challenges of air-con water treatment.

GLWC introduces our proprietary Clean CT-01™ Intelligent System for condenser / open water cooling loops. It is an all-in-one system that includes pre-treatment of incoming water, on-demand Clean CT-01™ dosing, on-demand system blow-down, continuous filtration, continuous disinfection and monitoring of relevant water parameters.  All the individual components in the Intelligent System are integrated and communicate through a controller – the brain of the system.  This results in the “self thinking” mode that counters against on-going water quality fluctuations, weather changes and air contaminants.

The Intelligent System removes scale causing minerals from incoming water system through a pre-treatment process before they can enter the condenser water. On Demand Clean CT01^TM dosing takes care of any remaining minerals.  The system further addresses the dust and debri collected from the air through continuous filtration.  The physical removal of minerals, dust and debri significantly reduces the need for water blowdown, thus creates water savings. A clean system without any fouling or scaling prevents any unwanted layers of insulation which can otherwise reduce the heat transfer inside the chiller tubes. This ensures efficient heat transfer, a requirement for maintaining optimal energy efficiency at all time.

Corrosion occurs mostly if the pH is too low (acidic, below pH7.0) or too high (alkaline, above pH9). The intelligent system maintains at all times a pH between pH8.0 to pH8.5. This is made possible through the on-demand treatment feature. At the same time, the so created pH range creates a non-conducive environment for bacteria and bio growth. Preventing bacteria growth is important not only to prevent Legionella bacteria but also sulfate and iron/ferrum bacteria. These bacteria can significantly contribute to corrosion. Copper corrosion can also occur if the total dissolved solids, TDS, is above 1000ppm.  Thus, to prevent this from occuring, blowdown will be carried out automatically whenever TDS level is above design setpoint. Finally, removal of sand, sediments and other grit from the system through the continuous filtration prevents hydraulic wear on wetted surfaces such as copper tubes, sensors, valves, motor seals, and other wetted surfaces.