Water Quality Improvement and Treatment Cost Reduction From Ozone Cooling Tower Retrofit

Presented at:

International Ozone Association
World Congress
2004 Annual Conference
Windsor, Ontario
September 13, 2004

James R. Jackson, Paul K. Overbeck, David A. Smith
GDT Corporation
Phoenix, Arizona USA

ABSTRACT

Ozone, when properly applied, is the most powerful commercially available oxidizing and disinfecting agent. It rapidly destroys microbiological organisms, such as E. coli, coliforms, Legionella bacteria, virus and parasitic cysts; degrades organic contaminants and improves water clarity and filtration efficiency.

Preventing microbial fouling of heat transfer surfaces is critical to the efficient operation of heat exchange processes utilized by industry. A Southwestern Food Processing facility decided to investigate the benefits of ozone treatment for their 13,200 gpm ( 4,400 ton) cooling tower when water treatment costs began to spiral out of control. Their investigation of treatment options lead to the addition of an ozone to their convention water treatment program.

After two years of operation, the facility has saved over $ 70,000 per year in annual water treatment costs. This paper examines the operation of the cooling tower system and provides a detailed look at capital equipment employed and operating costs, the tower water system's cleanliness, metallurgic corrosion rates and microbiological plate counts which resulted following the start up of the cooling tower ozone system.