1

Closed Cooling Water System

Closed Recirculating Systems
(CLOSED LOOPS)

 Key features
 Transfer heat between processes using a fixed volume of
cooling water
- Cooling circuits – e.g. radiators, chillers
- Heating circuits – e.g. Hot water boilers
 Not open to the atmosphere
 Do not lose water through evaporation
 Water holding time index is high (>500h)
 Limited make-up
- < 5% System Volume/Month
- Replace losses due to leaks
Closed Recirculating Systems - Generic
Process
Heating or
Cooling

Heat Exchanger

Heat Exchanger

Advantages: Disadvantages:
•Minimal make-up requirements •Requires a second cooling system
•Relatively small volumes to treat •Limited to smaller, critical systems
•Make-up can be pretreated economically
Closed System - Water-to-Water Design

Cooling Water
Return

Cooling Water
Supply Closed
System
Make-up

Circulation
Pump
Closed Circuit – Why?

 Conservation of costly heat transfer fluid

 Extreme temperatures
 Protection of high value plant
 Precise temperature control
 Maintaining low conductivity
 Avoiding regulatory compliance (Legionella legislation)
 Water conservation
 Portability
Closed Systems Characteristics

 Types by temperature
 High Temperature Hot Water ( Pressurized )
- 100 – 204oC
 Hot Water
- 71 - 100oC
 General Cooling Water Systems
- 18 – 71oC
 Chilled Water Systems
- 1.7 – 10oC
 Sub Freezing Systems
- < -1oC
- Glycol or Brine (CaCl2)
Closed System Principles

 To prevent scale: use at least softened water

 Depending on circumstances: use demin / RO water quality
 Difficult to stabilize scale in closed systems

 Because of this: water is corrosive

 Use corrosion inhibitors to prevent corrosion

 Make the system as closed as possible

 N2 blanketing, closed buffer tank, …

 Everything added will stay in the system

 Depending on leakages and / or blow down
 Be careful with non oxidizing biocides: Breakdown products
 8

Closed Cooling Challenges

 Mechanical  Operational
 Extreme temperatures  Water Loss, leaks - System
 Very small orifices and contamination (organics /
cooling channels fouling)
 Low Flow Rates
 Chemistry
 Dead ends / Idle
equipment  Make up water quality and
 Multi metals (galvanic leakages (hardness /
coupling: Cu/Al, …) scale)
 Corrosion
 Fouling (iron, micro bio,
magnesium silicates, …)
 Severe Micro bio Problems
 Breakdown of biocides
Make Up Water Quality

 Closed systems typically cannot tolerate high solids water

and are designed to operate very clean
 City or municipal is adequate in most applications
 Conductivity < 500 µS/cm, low biological activity and turbidity
 Pretreat if specifications require
- Softening
 Recommended for hot water applications
- RO
- Demineralization
 Specified in low conductivity applications

It is critical to start with good quality make up water

Water Side Operating Problems

 Corrosion
 Primary problem experienced in most closed systems

 Biological
 Issue in the active growth temperature ranges

 Scaling / Fouling
 Not typically experienced as minerals are not
concentrated
- However scaling can be experienced in hot systems with leak
 Most deposits are iron oxides from corrosion
Corrosion

 Ideal set up
 Oxidizable metals in contact with an oxygen saturated electrolyte

 Mixed metallurgies
 Mild steel, Stainless Steel, Copper, Brass, Aluminium, etc

 Predominant Corrosion Types Active End

Magnesium
Galvanized Steel

 Uniform Corrosion Mild Steel

Cast Iron
18-8 Stainless Steel Type 304 (Active)

 Galvanic - mixed metallurgy

18-12-3 Stainless Type 316 (Active)
Lead Tin
Muntz Steel
Nickel (Active)
 MIC : Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion 76-Ni-16 Cr-7 Fe Alloy (Active)
Brass
Copper
70:30 Cupro Nickel
67-Ni-33 Cu Alloy (Monel)
Titanium
18-8 Stainless Steel Typ 304 (Passive)
18-12-3 Stainless Steel Type 316 (Passive)
Graphite
Gold
Platinum
Passive End
General Corrosion Mechanism - Recap
Water (electrolyte)

OH- H2O
O2
Fe++
O2
O--
Fe(OH)3

Fe(OH)2
Anode Cathode
e- e-
Electron Flow
Ferrous Metal (steel)

Anodic Reactions Cathodic Reaction

Chemical Oxidation Chemical Reduction

Fe0  Fe    2e -
½ O2  H2O  2e -  2OH-
2Fe(OH) 2  ½ O2  H2O  2Fe(OH) 3
Microbiological Control
 Routinely test for bacteria if system operates in the active growth temperature
zone
 Dose biocide when you hit a target activity
 Usually 103 cfu/ml

 Non-oxidizing biocides
 glutaraldehyde
 isothiazolone

 Avoid bleach and halogen based biocides.

 Halide accumulation increases corrosion potential
 Oxidizes nitrite (NO2) to nitrate (NO3)

 Chronic biological problems are usually the result of an infected area.

 Investigate : dead legs , filters , surge tanks , cross overs , etc.

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 50
55°C
Active Growth Zone
Fouling in Closed Systems

 Definition: Fouling is deposition of suspended solids

from the water.
 Fouling Prevention
Loop Water
 Use clean makeup water Cleanliness Guide
- Low turbidity and low bio activity
TSS <=5 ppm
 Handle corrosion product build-up
Tot Fe<=1 ppm
- Low corrosion rates minimize the issue Cu <=30 ppb
- Effective side-stream filtration is nearly always
recommended
- Dispersant polymers can help prevent re-deposition in hot zones, BUT
 Polymers put into a system that has not been polymer-treated before can
pickup and suspend large amounts of Fe-oxides
 Orange water can distress rep and customer—
MANAGE EXPECTATIONS!
Scaling in Closed Systems

 Definition: Scaling is the precipitation and growth of species from

solution
 Primary species of concern: CaCO3, MgSiO3
 Scale potential is a function of:
 Temperature: higher is worse
 Holding Time: lower is worse as more water entering system means more dissolved
solids entering
 Water Chemistry: pH and dissolved ion levels
 Dispersant or anti-scalants in program

 If loop is critical or scale risk is high, scaling potential is simply eliminated by

pre-treating the makeup water
 Zeolite Softening (most common)
 Reverse Osmosis
 Demineralization Ion Exchange
Typical Concerns by Operating Temperature
High Temperature Hot Water: Process Corr Scale Mbio
Heating - 100 - 2040C

Hot Water: Hi Temp Process Cooling Corr Scale Mbio

and Building Heating - 71 - 1000C

General Cooling Water Systems: Corr Scale Mbio

Process Cooling - 18 - 710C

Chilled Water (CW) Systems: Process Corr Scale Mbio

CW and Building CW - 1.7 - 100C

Sub-Freezing Systems: Concentrated Corr Scale Mbio

Glycols and Brines - < -1 0C
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Treatment Program Selection

Treatment Program Selection

 Start with good plant survey

 System Dynamics
- Volume
- Temperatures
- Water losses
- Metallurgy
 Make Up Water Chemistry
 Environmental Restrictions
 Possible Contaminants
 Additional MOC / Historical Issues
Closed System Treatments

 General Classes Based on Steel Corrosion Inhibitor

 Nitrite (NO2)
 Molybdate (MoO4)
 Organics
 Blends of these base inhibitors

 Materials blended with base inhibitor

 pH Buffer to adjust pH to effective range
 Yellow Metal Inhibitor (azole)
 Aluminum Inhibitor (if necessary – typically silicate / nitrate)
 Dispersant
 Other ( Trasar , Dye , etc )
Closed System Treatments
Nitrite (NO2)
 Comments:
 Typically buffered with borate
 Compatible with glycol thermal process fluids Max. T = 150oC
 Can result in pitting if under dosed
Not recommended for
 Not an effective yellow metal or aluminum TES systems – microbio
inhibitor
 May support biological activity
- Need to monitor NO2, conductivity and pH closely
Bacteria
- NO2− + H2O --→ NO3− + 2H+ + 2e−

Dosage: 500 to 2,500 ppm as NO2

pH 8.5 - 10.5
Closed System Treatments
Molybdate (MoO4)
 Comments:
 Compatible with glycol thermal process fluids
 Requires dissolved O2 or nitrite
 MoO4 control dosage can be lowered when combined with nitrite
 Not an effective yellow metal or aluminum inhibitor
- Can be operated at lower pH to minimise Aluminium corrosion
 Does not support microbiological activity
 Higher COST

Dosage: 200 to 1,000 ppm as MoO4

pH 8.5 - 10.5
Closed System Treatments
PSO
 Comments:
 Compatible with glycol thermal process fluids
 Does not promote microbio growth
 Not an effective yellow metal or aluminum inhibitor
 “Green program” – no metals
- Good replacement for MoO4 programs
- Relatively low cost
 Pitting limits Cl + SO4 to 150 – 200ppm max.
- Cannot be overcome by dosing more

Dosage: 50 to 80ppm as PSO

pH 8.5 - 10.0
Closed System Treatments
All Organic
 Comments:
 Targeted for systems requiring low conductivity
 Traced for handheld or on-line monitoring and control
 Formulated for mixed metals
- Specific aluminium corrosion inhibitor
- Azole for yellow metal inhibition
 Will sequester and disperse iron
- Expect to see iron increase!
 Monitor and control biological activity < 104 CFU/mL
Dosage : 500 to 2,500 ppm
pH 8.0 - 10.0
Closed System Treatments
Silicate
 Comments:
• Protects Aluminum in slightly Alkaline pH
• Used in F&B systems due to food grade requirements
• Only to be used in low hardness waters.
• Potential for MgSiO2 scale in high hardness waters
• For systems with aluminum: avoid heavy metal ions: it can cause
galvanic corrosion

Dosage :
TRAC100: 1300 – 2500 ppm TRAC 102: 18000 – 22500 ppm
pH 8.5 - 10.5
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Microbiological Control
Microbiological Control

 Chronic microbio problems usually result from an

infected area that re-infects the system
 Dead legs, filters, surge tanks, etc.
 Biocide resistant populations (use Selecticide©)
 Cleaning/Sterilization may sometimes be required

 Each biocide has pros and cons

 E.g. surface activity and foaming with 90005
Microbiological Growth in Closed Systems
 Nutrients, organics, nitrite, phosphate, …
 Tanks, deadlegs, offline plant, etc…
 Ample time to develop and grow
 Growth mainly between 6oC and 70oC
 Anaerobic eg SRBs
 Aerobic/anaerobic (facultative) eg Pseudomonas
 Aerobic
 Other organisms (moulds/yeasts/fungi/algae)

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 50
55°C
Active Growth Zone
Closed System Microbiological
Activity- Rules of Thumb
Microbiological Analysis Good control
Total aerobic (bulk water) <1000 CFU/ml
Total anaerobic (bulk water) <1 CFU/ml
Pseudomonas (bulk water) <100 CFU/ml
Fungi (bulk water) <1 CFU/ml
Denitrifiers (bulk water) absent
SRB (CFU/10 cm2 swab) <100
Total Acid Producing bacteria (CFU/10 cm2 <100
swab)
Pseudomonas bacteria (CFU/10 cm2 swab) <103
Fungi (CFU/10 cm2 swab) <10
Total bacteria (CFU/10 cm2 swab) <106
Biocides in Closed Systems
Compatibility – Chemical and Operational
 Oxidation of inhibitor actives (Ox biocides)
 Precipitation
of inhibitor actives (cationic
biocides – anionic dispersants)
 Foam stabilization
 Accumulation of degradation products
 Local restrictions
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Oxidizing Biocides
 Oxidizing Biocides should not be used in general in closed
systems but with some exceptions possible depending on
metallurgy, HTI and the chemical treatment program (not in
combination with NO2 !)
 Oxidizing Biocides used in closed systems:
• Bleach – Hypochlorite
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Bromine Tablets
• Stabrex
• sometimes used in low HTI Primary Metals loops, not standard
treatment
• Chlorine dioxide

 Chlorides can accumulate and increase corrosion tendency

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Non-Oxidizing Biocides

 Interfere with metabolism or destroy

cell wall
 Are normally slug fed
 Require relatively high dosage
 Specific to type of microorganism
 Limited to specific pH range and metallurgy
 It is best practice to alternate between at least 2 biocides
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Monitoring and Control

Monitoring

The Purposes of Monitoring:

 To maintain system control parameters
 To maintain chemical treatment levels
 To realize performance goals
 To identify any adverse trends
Testing and Monitoring
 Typical Monitoring Tests
 Frequency
- Weekly, adjust based on system operation
- Monthly if system is tight and little concerns – e.g. HVAC chiller
 Inhibitor
- (NO2, MoO4 or TRASAR depending on base inhibitor)
 Conductivity
 pH
 Bacterial Activity (If system operates in the active biological
range)
 Corrosion (Steel , Copper , other metals of concern)

 TIP : Collect samples in CLEAR containers

Testing and Monitoring

 Special condition test

 Turbidity or Suspended Solids
 Oxidizable Metals ( Iron and Copper )
 Thermal Fluid such as glycol
Measuring Corrosion
Coupons Electronic - NCM100
• Average measurement • Instantaneous on-line
over the exposure period reading

• Simple low cost technique • Continuous data log

Corrosion Expectations

Closed System Corrosion Rate Guidelines

Steel Copper Alloys

Ferrous Metals Yellow Metals
mpy mmpy mpy mmpy

Excellent < 0.2 < 0.005 < 0.1 < 0.0025

Good 0.2 – 0.5 0.005 – 0.013 0.1 – 0.2 0.0025 – 0.005

Fair > 0.5 – 1.0 0.013 – 0.0254 > 0.2 – 0.3 > 0.005 – 0.008

Poor > 1.0 0.0254 > 0.3 > 0.008

mpy = mils per year where 1 mil = 1/1,000 inch
mm/yr = millimeters per year

Corrosion rates will vary depending on system operating

conditions and the corrosivity of the water.
Generalization can be misleading at times.
 Dipslide Biological Activity Test
Quantitative Interpretation (Bacteria/ml)

~ Simple estimate by colony

density
Biocide dose
~ Economical
~ Results in two days action point
~ No instrument needed
~ Wide range of detection Colony size doesn’t matter.
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Values

 Measure the performance

 Relate performance to the operation costs, impact on
production, …
 Chiller: energy loss
 Condenser: production loss
 Corrosion: lifetime of assets
 Water: optimize water usage
Closed System Best Practices
 Mechanical audit
 Velocities,
 dead ends,
 skin temperatures,
 system age,
 treatment history, …
 Make Up Meter – Leak Detection
 Database, compare to treatment consumption
 Filter to remove suspended solids
 Start with high mesh (inspect and change)
 Take care with sand filters
 Iron filters
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Thank You