DREW INDUSTRIAL DIVISION COOLING WATER TREATMENT

Closed System Cleanup Procedure

Purpose Mineral deposition or scale is usually not a primary

Open recirculating cooling water systems are subject to
deposits from a variety of sources. Dissolved and suspended
iron in the water may precipitate and/or settle in heat
transfer equipment. Microbiological growth can increase
deposit problems by becoming a binding agent for mud, silt,
organic and inorganic constituents.
Closed systems are less prone to deposits than open systems
since evaporation and exposure to external contaminants
are usually negligible. However, in systems where
deposition is a problem, the severity is complicated by the
fact that closed systems have no blowdown and therefore
deposits are not removed once they have formed.
Removing these deposits is essential to obtaining maximum
operating efficiency and reducing maintenance expenses. If
left in the system, these deposits can cause erosion-corrosion
by contributing to abrasion of pump impellers and seals or
they can settle in low velocity areas, blocking lines and
fouling heat transfer surfaces. Accumulated deposits also
increase corrosion by accelerating under-deposit and
microbiologically-induced corrosion. This Application
Bulletin will describe common approaches to removing
these deposits.
Types of Deposits
Information on the type of foulants to be removed from the
system is very valuable in planning a cleanup program. The
foulants may include corrosion products, microbiological
matter, inorganic deposits, contaminants from the process or
treatment chemicals.
Fouling from iron and microbial growth are the most
frequently encountered sources of deposition in a closed
cooling water system. Iron fouling can originate from
soluble iron which is present in the makeup water or more
often, from corrosion products. Although extensive
microbiological growth is not usually encountered in closed
systems, the use of nitrite-based inhibitors creates a nutrient
rich environment for bacteria which can cause deposits and
adversely affect corrosion control programs.
consideration in closed cooling systems since makeup water
requirements are generally low and no evaporation or
concentration of recirculating water occurs. However,
scaling can be a problem when a hot closed system
continually suffers excessive water losses and a water
supply containing high hardness levels is used as a makeup
source.
Deposit Removal
There are two approaches to performing cleanups on closed
systems. They are fill and dump or filtration. The fill and
dump method generally involves solubilizing deposits
which then require removal. In the filtration method,
deposits are dislodged, dispersed and then removed by
filtering the system water. In this method, the system water
and treatment are retained while only the deposit is
removed.
Dump and Flush
Reducing the system water pH will dissolve metal oxides
and scale deposits. Adding a powerful non-oxidizing
microbiocide such as BIOSPERSE 254 microbiocide will aid
in deposit removal by killing and removing biofilm deposits.
Another approach to iron deposit removal is to add an iron
dispersing agent to the system such as DREWSPERSE 794
antiscalant. DREWSPERSE 794 antiscalant is well suited for
use in closed systems since it functions well at a high pH and
its activity does not rely on phosphorous compounds whose
breakdown products could be a potential source of deposits.
DREWSPERSE 794 antiscalant is a blend of sequestering and
dispersing agents which work together to solubilize iron
and manganese oxides and is ideal for on-stream cleaning.
Once the iron has been solubilized, the water must be
removed from the system through blowdown or by draining
the system.
Monitor iron levels throughout the cleaning procedure.
Add slug of biocide and of surfactants, circulate
between 1-2 hours.
Bleed 5% of system volume.

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1992, 1995 Ashland Inc. All Rights Reserved. Created in U.S.A. CWT-AB-27

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implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, or representation, express or implied, for which seller assumes legal responsibility, and
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DREW INDUSTRIAL DIVISION One Drew Plaza, Boonton, New Jersey 07005 Tel: (973) 263-7600 Fax: (973) 263-4483
 Maintain a normal level of corrosion inhibitor to prevent
further corrosion during cleaning.

Add second half of surfactant and iron dispersant.

Circulate 24-72 hours.

Bleed off heavily to deconcentrate system until all or

most of volume has turned over.

Add pretreatment levels of corrosion inhibitor to

passivate metal surfaces.

Filtration
The second approach to closed system cleaning is filtration.
In this method, foulants are dispersed into the system water
and filtered using sidestream filtration. A surfactant such as
DREWSPERSE 739 antifoulant can be used to dislodge
deposits. Depending on the size of the filter and extent of
contamination, this method can take up to several months to
achieve acceptable cleanup. Care must be taken when using
this product since overfeeding may cause foaming or too
rapid removal of deposits which could plug the filter media.
(While performing this cleanup, it is important to regularly
check the filter media to ensure adequate flow.)

Water velocity is also a major factor affecting the rate of

cleaning. High velocity water is more effective at dispersing
foulants than low velocity water; therefore, increasing
system water velocity will assist in the cleaning process.
However, systems containing significant amounts of copper
should keep flow rates below 10 fps since erosion-corrosion
can be a potential problem.

Summary
A properly administered cleaning will improve heat transfer
efficiency and reduce the potential for corrosion, allowing
corrosion inhibitors to perform better and reducing the risk
of unscheduled down-time.

CWT-AB-27