10-23: Structural Condition Assessment of Concrete Cooling Towers Environmental Impact

10-23: Structural Condition Assessment of Concrete Cooling Towers Environmental ImpactAs reinforced concrete cooling towers age, their harsh operating environments can lead to deterioration and structural distress. Both mechanical and natural draft cooling towers present unique conditions inherent to their type of construction and exposure conditions. With time, process and environmental exposure conditions render the towers susceptible to corrosion of embedded steel reinforcing, concrete cracking and spalling, and in cold climates

chromate treatment for corrosion control is preferred

The results are expressed in terms of water cooling capacity

and is starting to rival internal fungus attack as a causative factor

Design features incorporated into the specifications for major rebuild/repack projects for crossflow and counterflow towers to facilitate cold weather operation are also reviewed

These are related to the integrity and availability of the system from an operational standpoint and impact upon the environment and ecological balance

and icing damage

To reduce energy consumption nearer to design at other than design wet-bulb conditions

This paper discusses the performance of a new innovation for the measurement and control of polymeric dispersants used in cooling water systems and the advance moves in the industry towards the inevitable desire and efficiency of the direct measurement of functional treatment chemistries for the control and optimization of scale

and microbiological fouling

Revised January 2020

The impact of these two factors will be discussed in this paper based on different testing results for polypropylene

One key way of alleviating these concerns and making quick decisions concerning the quality of the water is using real time analytical instrumentation