R-Pro › Field cases › Cooling towers
Condenser/Fill Scale Buildup — Reduced Heat Transfer
Likely causes
High circulating water hardness — CaCO₃ precipitation when Ca²⁺/Mg²⁺ exceeds 200 ppm
Check: Analyze circulating water hardness — scale risk above 200 ppm; also check pH above 8.5
What to do: High-pressure water jet (100–150 bar) to remove scale → install softener or shorten blowdown interval → dose phosphonate-based scale inhibitor 20–50 ppm
Poor blowdown — concentration ratio above 5
Check: Measure TDS (conductivity) — above 1500 μS/cm = over-concentration; verify blowdown valve operation
What to do: Perform manual blowdown immediately → reset TDS setpoint to 1000–1500 μS/cm → inspect/replace automatic blowdown valve
Scale inhibitor not dosed or insufficient concentration
Check: Measure residual scale inhibitor concentration — below recommended 20–50 ppm = untreated
What to do: Immediately dose phosphonate-based inhibitor 20–50 ppm → chemical cleaning (2–3% citric acid circulation) → neutralize and drain after acid wash
Each 1 mm of scale reduces heat exchange efficiency ~10% — annual acid cleaning doubles condenser service life.
All 565 cases work offline in R-Pro, with error codes for 62 brands and P-T data for 108 refrigerants.
Open R-Pro →Related cases
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