Your facility’s cooling tower (or towers) serves as an often overlooked but important aspect of your overall costs, not only in repairs but also utility and water bills. Your towers require water to run and energy to operate, which means that it is in your best interest to make sure that they are as efficient as possible.
However, doing so may sound more difficult or overwhelming than it actually is. If you would like to improve your cooling tower’s efficiency, you can begin by checking the following items as a great place to start.
How Is Efficiency Of Cooling Tower Measured?
If you want to improve efficiency in your towers, you must understand how to measure that idea as a tangible metric. In general, cooling tower efficiency is measured in two ways: how much energy it takes to achieve the desired output and how much water it uses (and wastes).
Multiple measures can help you to shore up both of these areas, leading to less waste and therefore lower bills. Investing in efficiency changes now will save you money in the long run, and many of these changes are simple and in your best interest for other, non-monetary reasons as well.
Consider Your Piping Setup
One of the first areas to consider when trying to boost your cooling tower’s efficiency is how your piping is set up. Simply altering your piping to discharge blowdown water to return hot water is enough to boost the overall effectiveness of your system by as much as 2%.
That may not seem like a large number, but consider how much water and energy your system uses every month or even every year and then deduct 2%. Suddenly, this seemingly minor change can be significant. Be aware that pipe replacement is a relatively simple job, but it is best handled by a professional for safety reasons.
How Much Does Your Tower Recycle?
Your cooling tower uses water, but that does not mean that it cannot keep using the same water repeatedly. The highest-quality towers are designed with this idea in mind, and they will generally recycle as much as 98% of the water they use. Gather data on how much water your tower wastes or does not recapture and determine why. Reusing water is a great way to help the environment, save money and become more efficient in your operations.
Do Not Neglect Inspections And Maintenance
Inspecting your cooling towers is a task that can fall by the wayside, especially if your tower is not outwardly displaying any problems. However, regular maintenance is critical for efficiency—as well as for regulatory compliance.
Consistent inspections will reveal problems with corrosion, scaling, biofilms and more that indicate that your water treatment plan may need adjustment. If you allow scaling and other issues to worsen, your system will need to work harder to exchange heat through the new, thicker layer of unwanted sediment, meaning that you are paying for more energy to do the same intended task. Keeping your system clean is a simple and effective way to maintain high efficiency.
Change the Number Of Cycles
When you think of the number of cycles that your tower uses, you may imagine that cutting that number down would save on energy. However, increasing cycles from three to six actually improves how effectively the tower operates, which can result in water reduction by as much as 20%, as well as cutting the blowdown of your system by up to half.
This simple change may be all that you need in order to begin to significantly reduce the energy and water usage at your facility that is attributed to cooling towers. Your towers’ efficiency should see a relatively significant improvement by implementing one or more of these strategies, helping you to save money, keep your tower in good condition for longer and protect the environment against unnecessary waste.
Trust The Experts For The Efficiency Of Cooling Tower
Each building and water system is unique, which means that so too is each building’s cooling tower setup. How your specific system can be improved for greater efficiency may involve one or more of the previously mentioned strategies, but you do not need to figure this out on your own.
The experts at Tower Water set the standard in water treatment and cooling tower management and would be happy to help you understand your options for boosting efficiency and cutting down on waste. We will provide a customized strategy that is suited to your specific needs. Reach out to learn more about how we can help or to set up an appointment to discuss your options.