Chemicals used in cooling tower

water treatment
In this article, it is discussed what is cooling tower chemical
dosing and what are Chemicals used in cooling tower water
treatment along with the function.

Utilities are used in the chemical industry for maintaining

process parameters and among those cooling water as a utility
is widely used in almost any chemical industry. Cooling water
quality is to be maintained as a disturbance in cooling water
quality or parameters can affect various equipment and pipes.

We had covered cooling towers in detail such as types of

cooling tower and we had also covered important terms related
to cooling towers such as cooling tower approach and efficiency
calculation.

To maintain the quality parameters of cooling tower water,

different types of chemicals are dosed in it. These chemicals are
used to treat cooling water so that it remains as productive for
the equipment and pipes.

Prior to getting into what chemicals are used in the cooling

towers, let us get a brief introduction on what is dosing, What is
a Cooling Tower Water Treatment? and why to maintain cooling
tower water quality and treat cooling tower water.

What is dosing?
Dosing refers to injection. In the chemical industry, chemical
dosing pumps which are usually positive displacement pumps,
are used to add chemicals to the process stream which are
essential to the manufacturing process. A similar type of dosing
pump is used in cooling towers to dose chemicals.

Now, that we had learned what is dosing, let us move forward

with what are the cooling tower dosing chemical and what are
the uses of those.

What is a chemical dosing system in a

cooling tower?
In a cooling tower, maintaining water quality is crucial. To
maintain cooling water parameters, chemicals are dosed which
helps in maintaining cooling water parameters. the chemical
dosing system in the cooling tower helps and protects the
cooling tower from corrosion and also protects other
equipment.

Chemicals used in cooling tower water

treatment
Different chemical are use in cooling tower chemcial dosing to
maintain the quality of water which ultimately improves the
efficiency of the cooling tower and provids us the best possible
result. Here are the chemical and their purpose in cooling water
treatment.
pH Adjusters
Cooling tower water pH is maintained at 7.0 as neutral as highly
acidic or basic water can damage cooling tower parts and also
equipment in which that water is circulated in the system. As pH
increase or decreases, it can cause corrosion to the cooling
tower parts, hence pH is maintained at 7.0.

To maintain pH Sulphuric acid is used to adjust the pH of

cooling tower water. Hydrochloric acid is not used in place of
sulphuric acid as the H+ icon of hydrochloric acid can form
bonds with ca+ and mg+ present in form of hardness in water.

In place of base, sodium hydroxide is used to reduce the pH of

cooling tower water and hence maintain the pH of the cooling
water system.

Scalent Inhibitors
Scaling and deposition is a major problem in cooling towers.
Several minerals are present in the cooling tower water as
soluble and insoluble forms. Evaporation takes place in the
cooling towers and because of this, the scale-forming minerals
presents started to concentrate and because of that scaling
occurs. Scales such as calcium carbonate, silica, and calcium
phosphate, calcium sulfate are found in the water of the cooling
tower.
To prevent scaling, pre-treatment is performed to remove the
hardness of water by passing through ion exchange columns
where ca++ and mg++ ions are removed.

Algaecides & Biocides

In a cooling tower, several types of impurities are present in the
water such as organic, inorganic, and other salts. Over the
period of time, micro-organism growth occurred along with
algae formation. Hence to prevent those microbial growths,
biocides are dosed which contains bromine and chlorine. These
chemicals kill bacterial growth, prevent algae formation and
improve cooling tower water quality.

Corrosion Inhibitors
Cooling tower water contains minerals and which cause
corrosion. This corrosion not only weakens the structure but
also do metal loss. To prevent and minimize the rate of
corrosion, corrosion inhibitors such as Cathodic or anodic
inhibitors. These inhibitors create a thin layer or coating on the
surface of the metal which prevents the access of metal surface.

Defoamer
Foaming in a cooling tower is another problem that can be
caused by many reasons such as excessive or overdosing of
chemicals, Excessive Alkalinity in water, High Degree of
Suspended Solids, or process contamination. Hence to prevent
foaming, defoamer chemicals are used in the cooling towers.
These defoamers chemical breaks the air bubble and release air
from them and hence defoam the water.

These are the cooling tower water treatment chemicals that are
used in maintaining water quality and parameters of cooling
water.

FAQ
What is the pH of cooling tower water?
pH of water in a cooling tower is maintained as neutral i.e. of 7
pH. As acidic or basic water can damage the pipes and
equipment such as heat exchangers and reactors jacket.

What chemicals are used in cooling towers?

Various types of chemicals are dosed in cooling towers to
maintain cooling water quality. Chemical such as
pH Adjusters
Corrosion Inhibitors
Scale Inhibitors
Algaecides and Biocides
Defoamer

Why are biocides used in cooling water?

Microbial growth is one of the major problems in cooling water.
To prevent and control microbial and bacteria in cooling
water systems, biocides are used and improved water quality.
Why H2SO4 is used in cooling towers and not
HCL is not to adjust pH?
Cooling water is raw water that contains calcium and
magnesium as hardnesses. If we dose HCL, it will form an H + ion
which forms a bond with ca+ and mg+ ion, and forms salts which
can cause scaling.

Why acid is used in cooling towers?

Sulphuric acid (H2SO4) is used in cooling towers to maintain pH.