Contribution of air pollution to the fouling of heat exchangers in cooling water circuits

In an open recirculating system with a cooling tower, there are favorable conditions for the development of corrosion and fouling problems. These problems arise from the operating conditions and constant contamination of cooling water. A deep analysis of the system should provide the solutions for those problems. In the Sociedade Portuguesa de Oxigénio, SA, plant, a phosphate-based cooling water treatment ensures low corrosion rates. However, the fouling of heat exchange surfaces is promoted by the cooling water contamination. This contamination may result from the makeup water or from the air scrubbed in the tower. The fouling lowers the process efficiency and makes shutdowns for cleaning necessary. The air pollution produced by a neighboring plant is the main cause for fouling. To solve this problem, a decision was made to invest in equipment for makeup water treatment and reduce the stagnation conditions in the heat exchangers. It was also decided to hold negotiations to persuade the polluting company to reduce the particle emission to the atmosphere.