Water & Energy Systems Technology, Inc.

2516 Woodland Drive Anaheim, CA 92801 Telephone (714) 761-5191

FAX: (714) 761-5198

Closed Water Systems

Water is an efficient method of transporting heat in many industrial and commercial applications. When the water being used for this purpose is enclosed within some type of circulating system that prevents contact with air, it is defined as a closed system. The term closed means closed to the atmosphere. Common examples of closed systems are automobile radiator systems, and the systems within many large buildings that transport hot and chilled water for air conditioning purposes. Refer to the following schematic of a typical closed chilled water system.

Refrigerant

Expansion Tank Air Handler

Chiller

Chemical Pot Feeder A

Typical Closed Water System Used to distribute Chilled Water For Air Conditioning
Makeup Water Chilled Water Pump

Strainer/Filter Drain Valve

Ordinarily, only a small amount of makeup water is required for these systems, as evaporation, windage, and blowdown losses associated with open systems are eliminated. Fresh water is required only to make up for relatively small losses from pump seals and valve packing. The small amount of makeup simplifies the corrosion, scale, and microbiological problems associated with open systems, but these problems are by no means absent. Improper commissioning and neglect of proper water treatment can cause serious damage to piping and equipment, and adversely effect operating efficiency.

Some of the most serious corrosion damage is done to new systems because of improper startup procedures. In almost all cases, the problem is caused by filling a system with untreated water for the purpose of performing pressure tests. Typically, the system is then left stagnant, sometimes for months, until it is ready to be commissioned. During that time, oxygen corrosion, under-deposit corrosion, and microbiologically influenced corrosion will waste system metalssometimes to a considerable degree. New systems should never be filled with untreated water and even when treated, should not be left stagnant for long periods of time. In addition, the system should be thoroughly cleaned and flushed with a good chemical pre-treatment as early as possiblepreferably with the initial filling. Chemical company recommendations should be followed on the cleaning and flushing procedure. After the system has been cleaned and thoroughly flushed of pretreatment chemicals, the system should be immediately refilled with water and the recommended corrosion inhibiting and microbiocidal treatments. The system should not be allowed to sit empty for any length of time unless extraordinary effort is made to insure that it is completely dry. Corrosion inhibiting treatments for closed water systems are usually composed of several constituents, but typically contain molybdate, nitrite, or nitrate as the control parameter. Manufacturers recommendations should be followed as to the amount of inhibitor that should be maintained in the system. This usually translates into a maximum and minimum part per million level for the treatments control parameter. For example, 800 to 1200 ppm nitrite as NO2, or 75 to 125 ppm molybdate as Mo. Chemical additions to closed water systems are usually made with a pot feeder similar to that shown in the above diagram. The pot size depends on system volume, but is usually in the range of 2 to 10 gallon capacity. The pot is installed across a pressure differential, usually the circulating water pump, which will cause water to flow through the pot. The pot feeder is used by first isolating it from the circulating water system. This is done by closing valves A and B shown above. After the pot is isolated, pressure is relieved by opening valve C to drain. Once this is done, the fill opening on top of the pot can be opened and the pot drained down. After the pot has been drained to make sufficient space, the bottom valve (C) is closed and the desired amount of chemical treatment added. If the chemical treatment does not completely fill the pot, one of the isolating valves (A or B) should be slowly opened and system water added in order to eliminate any air space in the pot. With the air space now minimized, the top fill connection on the pot feeder can be closed. The chemical treatment is then flushed into the system by opening both of the isolation valves A and B. After it is felt that the chemical has be completely flushed into the system, the pot feeder can again be isolated by closing valves A and B. However, some models of pot feeders incorporate bag filters in their design and, therefore, should be left on-line.

After adding treatment, the system should be allowed to circulate long enough to insure good chemical distribution. The system should then be tested for the specified control parameter and, if necessary, the process repeated until the parameter comes within prescribed limits. After the corrosion inhibiting treatment has been brought up to level, a microbiocide should be added to the system. Because of possible incompatibilities of the concentrated chemicals, this should not be done at the same time as the corrosion inhibitor addition. Since very few microbiocides have test parameters, the amount to be added must be based on the amount of water in the system and the manufacturers recommendations. Once the amount has been calculated, it is added to the system in the same manner as the inhibitor. That is; via the pot feeder. Once a tight closed water system is treated, it should rarely require chemical additions. However, water losses from leaking pump seals and valve packing will also cause a loss of chemical treatment that will necessitate replacement. The need is determined by testing the system on a regular basis. The frequency of testing is based on experience but should be done no less than monthly for most systems. However, where experience shows the systems to have virtually no water losses, a test frequency of once per quarter may be sufficient. Closed water systems that are out-of-service, or that are only used seasonally should not be allowed to sit stagnant for extended periods of time. This can result in unwanted microbiological activity and a breakdown of the protective inhibitor film on the metal surfaces. For this reason, all out-of-service systems should be circulated a minimum of one hour per week, and should be tested with the same frequency as for those in-service.