COOLING TOWER AND CHILLED WATER LOOPS

Both applications use the filter system on a side-stream basis allowing the system to backwash without interrupting the system flow. The fixed percentage of the tower water is by-passed through the VORTISAND system which will filter the equivalent of the total volume several times daily depending on the location and the presence of contaminants. The VORTISAND system can be installed on cooling towers as well as on cold or hot water loops alternately. The VORTISAND will be stationary if the loops are close together, or will be portable if they are far apart. The portable unit allows a consistent rotation on all the systems. This will ensure adequate filtration on all loops and optimum performance of the equipment. Alternate Water Loop Filter can be used on both open and closed loop systems. Primary filtration on cooling tower loop and secondary (alternate) filtration on closed loop when required. Download our installation diagram. 1433 kb English

ADVANTAGES

Our experience in cooling towers over the last 25 years indicates that the great majority of suspended solids in recirculation systems are less than 10 microns in size. It is then very important to use a very fine filter to remove those contaminants before they agglomerate in low flow areas, clog strainers and nozzles, foul heat exchangers. Because of its fine filtration capability, VORTISAND® sub micron removal filter is the most valuable equipment to be installed.

RETURN ON INVESTMENT (ROI)

Keeping your refrigeration condenser or heat exchanger tubes clean is critical for proper top performance. Unwanted deposits in tubes can cost your company 15-30% more in energy consumption. Conventional techniques for cleaning makes it necessary to take equipment out of service and manually clean the tubes with dangerous chemicals, or to manually brush each tube. Both techniques are labor intensive, costly, and result in expensive down time of equipment. In addition, cleaning offers only a temporary solution, and must be repeated periodically. The heat transfer across that tubes starts deteriorating almost immediately after start-up.

In HVAC application, there is a great need to cut the operating cost in order to improve a factory competitiveness. Electricity spent in HVAC/HVIC is definitely the biggest portion as a whole (around 65%). Savings realized with the use of a VORTISAND filter, payback period can be less than 12 months. Contact us for a payback calculation estimate.


The portable VORTISAND (skid mounted on wheels) is widely used for multi loops applications.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. Why should water from cooling/heating systems be treated with VORTISAND?
2. Why can't conventional sand filters do the job?
3. Should the VORTISAND system be stationary or portable?
4. What designates the VORTISAND system selection?
5. Why is the VORTISAND return on investment so good?
6. Why does the VORTISAND filter require less water for backwash?
7. Can the VORTISAND filtration system be used for other purposes?
8. Why using Laser Particle Analysis (LPA)?

Recent studies carried out using laser particle counters have shown that 85-95% of the particles present in the recirculation water of either closed loops (evaporator circuit) or open loops (cooling tower circuit) are less than 5-micron in size. It is known that the water from the cooling tower absorbs most dirt and airborne contaminants surrounding the tower. Microorganisms and particles of that size produce fouling which can result in scale build-up and algae contamination. They also become food and support for bacteria.

The chemical program enhances the need for finer filtration: iron precipitates when oxidized and creates a very fine crystal that is a fraction of a micron, then becomes larger and larger. But the iron particle circulating through the heat exchanger is very fine and it needs to be that way otherwise fouling occurs very quickly. Dispersing agents are used to keep the solids fine enough and charged so their tendency to agglomerate and to get larger is then reduced artificially.

Chemical treatment alone will not solve the problem. Particles must be removed in order to prevent corrosion, slime formation, and bacterial contamination. Ultrafine filtration, in conjunction with the chemical treatment program will improve the efficiency of heat exchangers, and reduce the regular cleaning of the cooling tower sump and pipes. The VORTISAND system will eliminate most of the very fine suspended solids and airborne contaminants from the recirculation water. The VORTISAND filter is suitable for both hot water heating and chilled water applications (cooling towers or closed loops).

Suspended solids less than 5-micron in size cannot be removed by traditional filters. VORTISAND^® high efficiency filtration system is the best available technology for side-stream filtration and shall remove 50% or more of the 0,45 ?m particles and larger and 80% or more of the 2 ?m particles on each pass through the filter provided biocide treatment is used and efficient in maintaining low biological activity in the water. VORTISAND filters have a filtration capacity up to 17 gpm/sq.ft. which is 4 times greater than conventional filters.

The VORTISAND system can be installed on cooling towers as well as on cold or hot water loops alternately. The VORTISAND will be stationary if the loops are close together, or will be portable if they are far apart. The portable unit allows a consistent rotation on all the systems. This will ensure adequate filtration on all loops and optimum performance of the equipment.

Our experience of filtering closed loops of HVAC systems shows that it takes, as a general rule of thumb, 30 to 40 filtrations of the system volume to clean up the water. This should not be considered as exact science because particular conditions like the nature of the contamination, the thickness of the fouling on the metal surfaces, recirculation flow, the chemicals used, etc. can affect the time required for cleaning the water.

This means that the speed of cleaning will also be dependent upon the size of the VORTISAND filter installed for that purpose.

The most suitable VORTISAND system will be chosen according to the tonnage of the refrigeration system, the circulation flow and/or the volume of water in the system. Other parameters such as temperature and conductivity will also be considered.

By reducing fouling, we reduce maintenance costs associated with cleaning heat exchangers and coils, condenser tubes, and tower basins. By using clean filtered water, heat exchange efficiency will be increased and chemical treatment will be optimized. The improved pumping operations and heat exchanger efficiency will result in energy savings!

As the raw water enters the vessel, the cyclonic swirl (vortex effect) created will thrust most weighted particles against the inside wall of the tank, storing them above the sand media. The smaller and lighter contaminants will be carried on to the sand which is compacted by the centrifugal action. The majority of contaminants is stored above the media bed and is easily removed during backwashing which requires 75% to 90% less water and a shorter operating time than with conventional systems. Backwash is started automatically when the differential pressure across the filter bed reaches the preset point (usually 15 psid). Conventional filters typically backwash at their designed flowrate or greater which is necessary to extract contaminants embedded in the filter media. For example, a conventional 100 gpm capacity sand filter will use about 2 000 gallons of water for backwashing. VORTISAND uses 250 gallons for the same filtration capacity - a substantial saving in new water, and waste water treatment if required.

Backwash shall be performed via a clean chlorinated water source at a determined flowrate by filter vessel size and model.

The VORTISAND^® filtration system is also used as a polishing filter or tertiary treatment for waste water plants to remove fine solids from water and meet the environmental regulations on suspended solids or other contaminants. Its compact size makes it very suitable in new installations or for adding to an existing system.

Recent studies carried out using laser particle counters have shown that 85-95% of the particles present in the recirculation water of either closed loops (evaporator circuit) or open loops (cooling tower circuit) are less than 5 microns in size. It is known that the water from the cooling tower absorbs most dirt and air-borne-contaminants surrounding the tower.

VORTISAND will reduce water treatment chemical cost, eliminate shut downs for descaling and biofouling and will reduce maintenance costs. Continuous side stream filtration shows clear advantages.

We recommend a Laser Particle Analysis (LPA) to be done in order to get a handle on the size and distribution of the suspended solids. By knowing what to be dealing with would pay off in the long run when selecting an appropriate filter.

In essence, an LPA will identify the number and size of all particles present in the water (or solution). An LPA will generate a report that lists particle size and the distribution of the particles as a percent of the total present.

Filter performance can be determined by comparing the percent total reduction of the particles between the filters influent and the effluent. It will also be noticed how effective the unit is at removing particles of various sizes. E.g.: A conventional filter may remove 80% of the 10 micron and larger particles but if the impurities are smaller than 10 micron, benefits will be minimal.

DOCUMENTATION

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Download our cooling water installation diagram:
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