Cooling Tower Blowdown
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Power plants and refineries often recirculate water through evaporation towers to provide cooling for the plant. As water evaporates, dissolved solids (e.g., calcium, silica) remain, gradually increasing in concentration.
This leads to a complex mix of organics and abrasive particles that pose a threat to plant equipment, including reverse osmosis (RO) systems when implemented in a reuse scheme. Cooling tower blowdown (CTBD) projects are often driven by zero-liquid discharge (ZLD) mandates, requiring robust and efficient treatment processes.
Nanostone’s Unique Approach & Benefits
Our Ceramic Ultrafiltration Membranes offer an innovative solution to the challenges of treating CTBD, providing several key benefits:
- Simplified Treatment Scheme: Our solution is coupled with a softening clarifier, which reduces complexity compared to alternative approaches that typically use multimedia filtration and polymeric UF. This integration enhances efficiency, simplifies the process and reduces the footprint of the treatment system.
- Long-Lifetime Physical Barrier: The softening clarifier combined with the ceramic UF solution eliminates abrasive particles that would otherwise disrupt downstream processes such as RO.
- Robust Operation: Our ceramic membrane technology effectively handles the variability of cooling tower blowdown waste water, ensuring consistent performance and protecting reverse osmosis (RO) systems by reducing fouling and extending membrane lifespan.
- Increased Recovery: Our system achieves a higher recovery rate than competing schemes, leading to increased uptime and lower overall operational expenses (OPEX).
Case Studies/Testimonials
For more details, visit Xiaojihan Coal Mine project page
Xiaojihan Coal Mine Case Study
- Challenge Overview:
Xiaojihan Coal Mine faced difficulties managing cooling tower blowdown water due to high levels of dissolved and suspended solids, leading to frequent fouling and maintenance issues. - Nanostone Solution:
The CM-151 ceramic ultrafiltration membrane system was implemented to handle the challenging water conditions, ensuring stable and efficient operation. - Benefits Achieved:
- Improved system reliability and reduced maintenance frequency.
- Increased water recovery rates, supporting ZLD initiatives.
- Lowered operational costs through reduced chemical and energy usage.