Application of ozone treatment in cooling water systems for energy and chemical conservation

In this study, a complete set of recirculating cooling water system and the required instruments were built in a semi-industrial-scale and a 50 g/h ozone generation plant and a chlorine system were designed for cooling water treatment. Both chlorination and ozonation treatment methods were studied and the results were analyzed during two 45-days periods. The concentrations of ozone and chlorine in recirculating water were constant at 0.1 mg/lit and 0.6 mg/lit, respectively. In ozone treatment, by increasing the concentration cycle to 33%, the total water consumption decreased by 26% while 11.5% higher energy efficiency achieved thanks to a better elimination of bio-films. In case of Carbon Steel, the corrosion rate reached to 0.012 mm/yr and 0.025 mm/yr for the ozonation and chlorination processes, respectively. Furthermore, consumptions of the anti-corrosion and anti-sedimentation materials in the ozone cooling water treatment were reduced about 60% without using any oxidant and non-oxidant biocides. No significant changes in sediment load were seen in ozonation compared to chlorination. The Chemical Oxygen Demand of the blow-down in ozonation method decreased to one-sixth of that in the chlorination method. Moreover, the soluble iron and water turbidity in the ozonation method were reduced by 97.5% and 70%, respectively. Although no anaerobic bacteria were seen in the cooling water at the proper concentration range of ozone and chlorine, the aerobic bacteria in chlorine and ozone treatment methods were 900 and 200 CFU/ml, respectively. The results showed that the payback time for the ozone treatment is about 2.6 years.