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Effect of alkalinity on the scaling of simulated cooling tower water
Author(s) -
Morse Robert W.,
Knudsen James G.
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
the canadian journal of chemical engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.404
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1939-019X
pISSN - 0008-4034
DOI - 10.1002/cjce.5450550306
Subject(s) - alkalinity , fouling , cooling tower , scaling , calcium carbonate , tower , mechanics , thermodynamics , environmental science , chemistry , water cooling , mathematics , materials science , physics , engineering , geometry , composite material , biochemistry , organic chemistry , civil engineering , membrane
The scaling behavior of simulated cooling tower water on a heat transfer surface was investigated. The alkalinity was the main parameter investigated. The fouling vs. time curves were fitted to the equation\documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$$ \[ R_f = R_f^* (1 - \exp ( - (\theta - \theta _D ))/\theta _c ) \] $$\end{document}which was derived from a simple model of the fouling process. Correlation coefficients ranging from 0.81 to 0.987 were obtained in fitting the data to the model. No particular pattern was observed for delay times and they appeared not to have a significant influence on the asymptotic fouling resistance. The latter is a complex function of the alkalinity but generally increases with alkalinity for the conditions of the experiment. Scale strength appears to be a strong function of the non‐calcium carbonate components of the scale.