Module 22: Industrial Pretreatment Programs Updated 2020

INTRODUCTION TO INDUSTRIAL WATER TREATMENT   1-1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE. This UFC provides an overview of industrial water treatment operations and management. As used in this UFC, the term “industrial water” refers to the water used in military power generation, heating, air conditioning, refrigeration, cooling, processing, and all other equipment and systems that require water for operation. Industrial water is not the same as potable water. Industrial water is never consumed or used in situations that require a high degree of sanitation. Industrial water requires water preparation or chemical treatment, or both, to avoid the problems described in paragraph 1-1.2. Water preparation and chemical treatment requirements are described in Chapters 2 through 5 according to the type of system in question. The Navy has special uses for shore-to-ship steam. The Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEASYSCOM) shore-to-ship steam purity standards are described in Chapter 3. Examples of industrial water systems and their uses are • Steam Boiler Systems. (See Chapter 3.) Steam uses include space and hot water heating, sterilization, humidification, indirect food processing, and power generation. • Cooling Water Systems. (See Chapter 4.) Cooling water is used in cooling towers, evaporative coolers, evaporative condensers, and once-through systems. Applications are broad, ranging from simple refrigeration to temperature regulation of nuclear reactors. • Closed Water Systems. (See Chapter 5.) These include closed hot water, closed chilled water, and diesel jacket systems. 

This GSA Proving Ground (GPG) project assessed the performance of three alternative water treatment systems (AWT) for cooling tower water treatment applications at the Denver Federal Center (DFC) in Denver, Colorado. Cooling towers are commonly applied to water cooled chilled water plants in medium to large commercial buildings and are the point in the system where heat is dissipated to the atmosphere through the evaporative cooling process. Cooling towers also consume a large amount of water. Cooling tower related water consumption is one of largest potable water loads within buildings in the United States, with over 26% of water use associated with heating and cooling. Reducing water consumption is a priority for the General Services Administration (GSA) due to Executive Order 13693, Energy Policy Act of 1992, and regional water shortages. These factors have brought about the investigation of cost effective opportunities to reduce water use, such as AWT technologies for cooling towers. The current state of water treatment in GSA buildings is to use conventional chemical based cooling tower water treatment to maintain cooling tower water quality and contract out this specialized service to a third-party company specializing in such service.