Cooling towers and cooling water systems are an integral feature of many power plants and thousands of industrial facilities. The previous installments of this series focused on microbiological fouling and corrosion issues, as these mechanisms can cause severe problems. But by their very nature, cooling towers, in which water evaporation is the primary heat transfer method, cause an increase in concentration of both dissolved and suspended solids. Deposition and scaling can become quite problematic without careful chemistry control. This installment examines scale-forming mechanisms. In Part 5, we will examine modern corrosion/scale control chemistry. Some chemical inhibitors serve a dual function.
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