Cooling water monitoring and control system
US-2019084841-A1 · Mar 21, 2019 · US
Cooling water monitoring and control system
US11668535B2 · US · B2
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Publication number | US-11668535-B2 |
| Application number | US-201816185817-A |
| Country | US |
| Kind code | B2 |
| Filing date | Nov 9, 2018 |
| Priority date | Nov 10, 2017 |
| Publication date | Jun 6, 2023 |
| Grant date | Jun 6, 2023 |
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Abstract
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A method of controlling cooling water treatment may involve measuring operating data of one or more downstream heat exchangers that receive cooling water from the cooling tower. For example, the inlet and outlet temperatures of both the hot and cold streams of a downstream heat exchanger may be measured. Data from the streams passing through the heat exchanger may be used to determine a heat transfer efficiency for the heat exchanger. The heat transfer efficiency can be trended over a period of time and changes in the trend detected to identify cooling waterfouling issues. Multiple potential causes of the perceived fouling issues can be evaluated to determine a predicted cause. A chemical additive selected to reduce, eliminate, or otherwise control the cooling water fouling can be controlled based on the predicted cause of the fouling.
First claim
Opening claim text (preview).
The invention claimed is: 1. A method comprising: monitoring, by one or more processors, a heat transfer efficiency of at least one heat exchanger and establishing a heat transfer efficiency trend for the heat exchanger, the heat exchanger having a process stream-side and a cooling water stream-side; detecting, by the one or more processors, a change in the heat transfer efficiency trend; receiving, by the one or more processors, data indicative of scale fouling on the cooling water stream-side; receiving, by the one or more processors, data indicative of corrosion fouling on the cooling water stream-side; receiving, by the one or more processors, data indicative of biofouling on the cooling water stream-side; determining, by the one or more processors, a predicted cause of the detected change in the heat transfer efficiency trend based at least on the received data indicative of scale fouling, corrosion fouling, and biofouling by at least determining an aggregate scale fouling score based on the received data indicative of scale fouling, an aggregate corrosion fouling score based on the received data indicative of corrosion fouling, and an aggregate biofouling score based on the received data indicative of biofouling; and controlling addition of a chemical additive into a cooling water that is in fluid communication with the cooling water stream-side of the at least one heat exchanger based on the predicted cause. 2. The method of claim 1 , wherein monitoring the heat transfer efficiency comprises receiving data from a plurality of sensors indicative of at least a temperature of the cooling water stream entering the heat exchanger, a temperature of the cooling water stream exiting the heat exchanger, a temperature of a process stream entering the heat exchanger, a temperature of the process stream exiting the heat exchanger, and a flow rate of the cooling water. 3. The method of claim 2 , wherein monitoring the heat transfer efficiency for the heat exchanger comprises determining the heat transfer efficiency according to an equation: U - Value : m . C p Δ T water Δ T LMTD × Heat Tr . Area × F t wherein U-Value is the heat transfer efficiency, m is the mass flow rate of the cooling water stream, C p is the specific heat of the cooling water stream, ΔT water is a difference between the temperature of the cooling water stream exiting the heat exchanger and the temperature of the cooling water stream entering a heat exchanger, Heat Tr. Area is an amount of surface area of the heat exchanger over which thermal energy is transferred between the process stream and the cooling water stream, F t is a correction factor corresponding to a geometry of the heat exchanger and ΔT LMTD is a log-mean temperature difference calculated using a following equation if the cooling water stream and the process stream flow in a counter-current direction: Δ T LMTD = ( T process , i n - t water , out ) - ( T process , out - t water , i n ) log e T process , i n - t water , out T process , out - t water , i
Assignees
Inventors
Classifications
Prevention of biofouling · CPC title
Monitoring fouling · CPC title
Prediction; Simulation; Testing · CPC title
Control arrangements or safety devices specially adapted for heat-exchange or heat-transfer apparatus (control arrangements in general G05) · CPC title
Processes using a programmable logic controller [PLC] · CPC title
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Frequently asked questions
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- What does patent US11668535B2 cover?
- A method of controlling cooling water treatment may involve measuring operating data of one or more downstream heat exchangers that receive cooling water from the cooling tower. For example, the inlet and outlet temperatures of both the hot and cold streams of a downstream heat exchanger may be measured. Data from the streams passing through the heat exchanger may be used to determine a heat tr…
- Who is the assignee on this patent?
- Ecolab Usa Inc
- What technology area does this patent fall under?
- Primary CPC classification F28G9/00. Mapped technology areas include Mechanical Engineering.
- When was this patent published?
- Publication date Tue Jun 06 2023 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) (B2). Legal status and post-grant events are not shown on this page.
- What related patents are in patentsdb?
- We list 5 related publications on this page (citations in our corpus or others sharing the same primary CPC).