Online Industrial Training – Garden City Ammonia Program

Large industrial ammonia refrigeration systems predominantly use evaporatively cooled condensers for heat rejection, these condensers derive the majority of their heat rejection from the evaporation of water. As the water is circulated through the condenser, the dissolved solids in the water get left behind, concentrating up and potentially creating scale on the tube surface, corrosion of the heat exchange surface, or biological fouling. To minimize this potential, a proper water treatment program is of vital importance, and should be overseen by a competent water treatment specialist.

No two water treatment programs are going to be identical, differences in the materials being treated, differences in water quality and temperature, and the type of heat exchange device being treated all effect the program, but in general, water quality is usually maintained within these guidelines;

Again, these levels are dependent on the particular application, your water treatment specialist should adjust these levels to your specific application. Proper chemical treatment of the water combined with periodic blow-down of the recirculating water can control these levels. Always be sure that the chemicals being used are compatible with the materials being treated, chemicals should be added in a manner that ensures total mixing and dilution before reaching the cooling equipment, when adding chlorine be sure the levels do not exceed 1 ppm, and if the condensers do not share a common sump, each sump should be treated as a separate entity.

The conditions within an evaporatively cooled condenser are also ideal for biological growth of algae, slime, and other micro-organisms such as legionella. and at this link you can find an article on biological fouling.

Proper water treatment and cleaning of the condensers can keep your rejection, corrosion, and biologicals at acceptable levels, extending the life of your condensers.