Cold weather and freezing weather risks should be addressed by all industrial operations as winter approaches. It is especially important to address the needs of counterflow cooling towers, because special procedures are required in order to minimize ice formation. If a sufficient amount of ice builds up on a cooling tower, it can cause structural damage. Proper maintenance in freezing weather is essential for keeping your equipment in good shape. The following are three steps you can take to maintain your cooling tower in freezing conditions.
You should identify your individual needs when it comes to winter operation control. There is no substitute for the knowledge gained from frequent visual inspections of your cooling tower. After a while, you will gain enough operational experience to verify that specific settings are effective for different loads and ambient conditions.
Preheating the water in the basin before it goes up and over the cooling tower is key to a successful winter start up. A heat load should be applied to the cooling tower with the hot return water bypassed back to the basin. Water can then be routed over the tower when the basin water reaches a temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The fan speed and the number of fans operating can be used to regulate the basin water temperature.
All fans can be deactivated as an added step in maintaining heat within the water basin. Without operating fans, the airflow through the cooling tower will continue due to a thermal draft. The flow rate produced with the thermal draft will be up to one fourth greater than that of operating fans on low speed.
If you manually remove ice on columns and lateral supports, you could cause damage to the cooling tower. There is a better way to remove the formation of ice. The tower may be operated without fans until the hot water melts the ice formations and clears the supports.
Cooling towers, while strong machines, require detailed inspections to ensure that they are operating at peak efficiency. One of the most important components to maintain is the cooling tower gear drive. The experts at Amarillo Gear Service in Amarillo, Texas can help you maintain, clean, and repair your cooling tower gear drives. Call Us today at (806) 622-1273 or Contact Us by email to learn more about our services. We will be glad to tell you more about the regions we service and the quality workmanship we can bring to the repair or renewal of your gear drives.
