97-03: An Effective Method for Non-Chemical Control of Microbial Activity

This paper describes the methodology and results from a field test of a novel electric water treatment system for cooling towers. The technology has been widely used in Europe for over 5 years with success, and is now commercially available in the United States. The Cooling Tower tested was a new installation used to support shop air compressors in a manufacturing facility in Connecticut. The heart of the device is a variable high frequency transformer that imparts electrical energy to the cooling tower water. The system tested achieved high reliability from a patented data feedback circuit that constantly changes the applied voltage and frequency, based on the variable chemical and physical characteristics of the flowing water. The data produced, during the trial, showed excellent promise for non-chemical control of the bacteria and algae, and scale and corrosion prevention in cooling towers.