23-04: A New Solutions for Mitigation of Performance Degradation Due to Cooling Tower System Stresses

The nonchromate phosphorus-based cooling tower corrosion inhibitor formulations in wide use today often suffer from performance degradation due to system stresses. These stresses can include mechanical factors such as low flow exchangers and hot spots in cooling loops, operational factors such as the need to operate at high concentration factors or chemical factors such as non-optimal makeup water composition or high levels of oxidizing biocides. These programs function through controlled precipitation and require the maintenance of moderate levels of supersaturation of mineral phases, enabled by precipitation inhibitors. In some instances, the combination of stress factors does not allow a usable operating condition to be found. The presence of these stresses can result in greatly increased treatment costs, suboptimal inhibitor performance, premature failures, reductions in heat transfer/throughputs leading to cleanings and replacements, increased effluent toxicity or all of these problems. This paper discusses application of an organic active with better environmental profile to provide solutions to these situations.