Water Reuse While

Maintaining System
Efficiency
 Motivations For Water Reuse

• M
Mandatory
d t water
t curtailments
t il t d
due tto d
drought
ht or
water shortages
• Environmental
E i t l regulations
l ti
• Conservation of resources
• Economics
E i
• Public image
Developing A Comprehensive
Water Reuse Plan
Identify Existing Supply Water Streams
• Supply water is typically raw or treated water
• Cooling tower makeup
• Boiler system makeup
• Once through cooling water
• Process water
• Potable water
Identify Existing Waste Water Streams
• Cooling tower blowdown
• Regeneration wastes from pretreatment equipment
(backwash water; rinse water; neut. pit)
• Boiler blowdown; contaminated condensate
• Process wash water
• Process condensate
• General site wash water (hose stations)
• Once through cooling water
• Pump seal water
• Sample streams (often run continuously to sewer)
 Define Current Plant Water Balance

• May require installation of additional flow

indicators
• External flow measuring devices may also be
used
• Doppler
pp shift
• Time of travel
• Water balance should agree
g to within 10%
 Define Quality Of Various Supply and
W
Waste Water
W S
Streams
• Compute average and maximum impurity levels
in supply and waste water streams
• Use worst case conditions for design purposes
• Use average or normal conditions for economic
evaluations
 General Characteristics Of
W
Waste S
Streams
• Potentially high TSS, TDS , BOD, TOC, SiO2, H2S and NH3
• Types of impurities and impurity levels are unit specific
• With proper treatment,
treatment many streams could be
reclaimed and reused with significant reductions in raw
water demand
• Often waste streams are of sufficient quality for direct
reuse
 Identify Potential Consumers Of
R l i d Waste
Reclaimed W Water
W
• Open recirculating cooling system(s)
• Once through cooling system(s)
• B il system
Boiler t (s)
( )
• Process water system(scrubbers, wash water, pump seal
water, pump cooling water, sample coolers etc.)
• Water quality requirements for each potential consumer
should be carefully defined
 Considerations
Considerations For Using
Reclaimed Waste Water As
Cooling Tower Makeup
Cooling System Design Considerations
• Define susceptibility
p y of heat exchangers
g in system
y
to fouling
• Low water velocities (shellside cooling)
• High skin temperatures
• High bulk water temperatures
• Define susceptibility
p y of cooling
g tower to fouling
g
• Uncovered distribution decks
• Film fill
• Define system metallurgy
 Evaluate Impact Of Reclaimed Water Use
On Deposit Control
• High TSS levels will increase potential for deposition throughout
cooling system
• Elevated Ca, Mg, Al, SiO2, SO4, PO4, Fe and Cu levels will also increase
potential for deposition throughout cooling system
• Construct
C t t computer t model d l off cooling
li system
t tto evaluate
l t iimpactt off
reclaimed water usage on cooling water stability (worst case
conditions)
• Define
D fi quality
lit off bl
blended
d d makeup
k water
t
• Establish pH Vs alkalinity relationship for tower(s)
• Define maximum skin temperature in system
• Use this temperature as basis for computer model
• Construct cooling water constraint chart for worst case
exchanger
g
 Deposit Control (continued)

• Determine if existing deposit control program is adequate for

altered makeup water chemistry

• Determine possible program modifications that would permit use

of reclaimed water

• Evaluate existing or proposed treatments using test cooling tower

(simulate most severe operating conditions)
 Evaluate Impact Of Reclaimed Water Use
On Corrosion Control
• High TDS levels could increase corrosion rates for all metallurgies
• High
g levels of chloride can cause stress corrosion cracking
g of stainless
steel
• Ammonia at very low levels will cause elevated general corrosion rates
for copper bearing alloys
• Low levels of ammonia can cause stress corrosion cracking of copper
bearing alloys
• Chloramines are also corrosive to copper bearing alloys
• H2S is very aggressive towards mild steel and copper bearing alloys
• Halogenation of cooling water containing H2S can cause severe pitting
type
yp corrosion
• Blended makeup waters should be piloted using test cooling tower to
evaluate impact of blended water on various system corrosion rates
• All metallurgies in system should be evaluated
 Evaluate Impact Of Reclaimed Water Use On
System Microbiological Control
• High levels of BOD and TOC in the blended makeup water could cause
fouling and severe localized corrosion in cooling system
- Oils and fats could directly foul cooling system surfaces
- Oils, fats and other organic contaminants could stimulate
microbiological growth and cause the formation of biofilms on
system surfaces; MIC
• Oil and fats present in the blended makeup water could require the
application of surfactants to the circulating cooling water
• Microbiological control program may have to be modified to handle
increased BOD, TOC, NH3 and H2S loading
- Halogenation
l program may require modification
df ( CLO2, Br2 )
- Non-oxidizing microbiocides may be required
- Surfactants may be required to provide penetration of biofilms
 Pretreatment Requirements
• Excessive impurity levels in the reclaimed water may require
p et eatment
pretreatment

• Selection of pretreatment equipment would depend upon the types

andd levels
l l off impurities
i iti presentt in
i the
th candidate
did t stream(s)
t ( )
- Clarification or cold lime softening/ filtration
- Tepid or hot process softening/ filtration
- API separator and or DAF unit
- Ion exchange system
- Ultra-filtration, nano-filtration or reverse osmosis unit;
combination
bi ti off units it
- Ion adsorbing clays
 Once-Through Cooling Systems

• Considerations for using reclaimed water in

once-through cooling systems are identical to
those for open recirculating cooling systems

• No cooling tower
 C
Case History
Hi 11.0
0
Use Of Waste Treatment Plant Effluent As
Cooling Tower Makeup
Southwestern Refinery
 Motivations For Water Reuse

• Economic
• Reduce
Red ce Cit
City Wate
Water usage
sage costs ( $1
$1.29
29 / MGal)

• Environmental concerns
• Public Image
 Purpose Of Study
• Determine maximum amount of waste plant effluent that
could be blended with city water and safely used as
cooling tower makeup using existing stabilized
phosphate treatment
• Evaluate alternative cooling water treatments that would
enable plant to increase the percentage of waste plant
effluent in the blended makeup water
• Quantify impact of waste water reuse on plant operating
economy
 Impact Of Waste Treatment Plant Effluent
On Deposition
• Defined the average quality of the city water and waste
treatment plant effluent
• Calculated the quality of various blends of city water and
waste plant effluent
• Empirically defined the pH / Alkalinity relationship for the
various refinery cooling systems
• Used a computer model to evaluate the stability of the
various cooling waters at 170oF
• From a deposit standpoint, CaSO4 saturation was the
factor limiting the permissible cycles of concentration for
the various makeup p water blends
 Impact Of Waste Treatment Plant Effluent
On Cooling System Corrosion
• A pilot cooling tower was used to evaluate the impact of
the various makeup water blends on cooling system
corrosion
• The existing stabilized phosphate program provided
acceptable mild steel corrosion rates up to a cooling
water conductivity of 3,000 umhos
• Zinc / orthophosphate treatment provided acceptable
mild steel corrosion rates up to a cooling water
conductivity of 8
8,600
600 umhos
• Yellow metal corrosion rates were consistently <0.2 mpy
 Summary
• Using stabilized phosphate treatment, mild steel
corrosion rates limited the maximum permissible cycles
and the amount of waste treatment plant effluent that
could safely be used as cooling tower makeup
• Using zinc/ orthophosphate treatment, CaSO4 saturation
limited the maximum permissible cycles of concentration
upp to a makeupp water blend containing
g 65% waste plant
p
effluent
• With makeup water blends containing >65% waste plant
effluent
ffl t mild
ild steel
t l corrosion
i rates
t lilimited
it d th
the maximum
i
permissible cycles
 Summary (continued)

• Using zinc /orthophosphate treatment, the refinery

cooling systems could safely be operated using 100%
waste plant effluent at a maximum of 2.6
2 6 cycles of
concentration
• Eliminating City Water as the makeup water source for
the cooling systems at this refinery would reduce water
costs by $1,287,045 annually
• Due to higher blowdown rates, cooling system treatment
costs would increase by $249,123 annually
• The use of waste treatment plant effluent as the sole
source of cooling tower makeup would reduce the total
water and treatment costs by $1,037,922 annually
 Considerations
Considerations For Using
Reclaimed Waste Water As
Boiler System Makeup Water
 Impact Of Makeup Water
Contaminants On Steam Purity
• When consideringg the use of reclaimed water as a potential
p makeup
p
water source for a boiler system, the impact of this stream on
finished makeup water quality must be evaluated
• Elevated levels of Na & SiO2 in the boiler feedwater would require
reducing the cycles of concentration in the operating boilers to
maintain acceptable steam quality
• E
Excessive
i TDS levels
l l could
ld cause foaming
f i (increased
(i d mechanical
h i l
carryover) if the cycles of concentration were not properly adjusted
• Oil p
present in the makeup
p water could cause foamingg (increased
(
mechanical carryover) in operating boilers and unacceptable steam
quality
Impact Of Makeup Water Contaminants On
Waterside Deposition In Boilers

• Oil leakage through pretreatment equipment could cause

waterside deposition in operating boilers
• TSS leakage through pretreatment equipment could also
cause waterside deposition
• Elevated levels of hardness
hardness, iron
iron, copper and silica in the
makeup water could lead to the formation of waterside
deposits in the operating boilers
Impact Of Makeup Water Contaminants On
Boiler System Corrosion
• Increased levels of bicarbonate alkalinity in the makeup
water would increase CO2 levels in the
steam/condensate system
- Increased neutralizing amine demand
- Increased corrosion rates in the steam / condensate system
- Elevated levels of iron and copper in boiler feedwater

• Ammonia leakage through pretreatment equipment

could cause severe corrosion of copper bearing alloys in
steam/condensate
/ d system
- Would require presence of dissolved oxygen
 Evaluate Impact Of Reclaimed Water On
Pretreatment Equipment Performance
• Oil present in the reclaimed water could cause carryover
out of cold process or hot process softeners and
downstream fouling of RO membranes and ion exchange
resins
• Organics present in reclaimed water could foul RO
membranes and anion resin in demineralizers
• High
Hi h TSS iin reclaimed
l i d water
t couldld foul
f l RO membranes,
b
cation resin and anion resin
• High levels of iron and copper in reclaimed water could
cause fouling of RO membranes, cation resin and
possibly anion resin
 Impact On Pretreatment (Continued)
• Fouling of ion exchange resins will adversely effect resin
performance and service life
- Deterioration in finished water quality
- Increased regeneration costs
- Increased water usage
- Increased resin cleaning and replacement costs

• High TDS and SiO2 in reclaimed water could significantly

shorten demineralizer runs, increasing regeneration
q
frequencyy and water usage
g
• Existing pretreatment equipment may not be capable of
removing NaHCO3, NaCl, Na2SO4, SiO2, NH3 and H2S
• The presence of these contaminants in the reclaimed
water could cause problems with boiler system corrosion,
p
deposition and steam purity
p y
Define Limits For Makeup Water Quality
• Steam quality limits for Na & SiO2 are normally defined
by turbine manufacturer or established by specific
process requirements
• Quality and flow of spray attemperation water would
d t
determine
i maximum
i permissible
i ibl Na
N andd SiO2 levels
l l in
i
saturated steam leaving separation drums
• Total carryover (TC) out of separation drums would
determine maximum permissible Na and SiO2 levels in
circulating boiler water
• C
Corresponding
di boiler
b il water TDS level
l l would
ld be
b used
d for
f
control purposes to regulate blowdown
 Defining Limits (continued)
• Total carryover (TC) out of operating boilers should be determined
empirically for each boiler over full range of loads that boiler
experiences
• TC=M + V
(M= mechanical carryover; V=volatile carryover)
• Boiler water limits for Na and SiO2 as well as cycles of concentration
would determine maximum permissible Na and SiO2 limits in boiler
feedwater
• ASME guidelines could be used to define maximum permissible
concentrations of total hardness
hardness, iron
iron, copper
copper, TOC and oil in the
boiler feedwater
• Given the feedwater purity limits, flow of return condensate and
condensate quality
quality, the makeup water quality limits could be defined
• Achieving these limits using reuse water, may require the installation
of additional pretreatment equipment
 Considerations
Considerations For Using
Reclaimed Waste Water As
Process Water
Water Quality Requirements Depend On
Process Water Use
• Where process water is being used as cooling water, the
impact of reclaimed water use on deposition, corrosion
and microbiological fouling would have to be evaluated
• Process use may dictate specific quality requirements
• U
Use off process water
t as potable
t bl water
t would
ld likely
lik l
prohibit the use of reclaimed water
 C
Case History
Hi 2
2.0
0
Reuse Of Cooling Tower Blowdown As
Process Water And Boiler System Makeup
Gulf Coast Chemical Plant
 Motivations For Considering
Water Reuse
• Possible water curtailments due to drought
conditions
• Environmental concerns
• Public image
 Phase I
• Use well water for potable water system (14 gpm)
• Divert 110 gpm of cooling tower blowdown to process
water system
- Save 110 gpm of treated water
- As cooling water would already be chemically treated,
once-through corrosion and deposit inhibitor for process water
system would
syste ou d not
ot be needed
eeded
- Reduce flow to 001-Outfall by 110 gpm

• Divert 265 gp
gpm of coolingg tower blowdown to
2-stage RO unit yielding product water flow of
212 gpm and reject water flow of 53 gpm
 Phase I
(continued)
• RO product water (130 gpm) used as demineralizer feed
- TEC and TEA loading on demineralizer reduced by 89%
- Reduce regeneration costs by 89%
- Using RO softened cooling tower blowdown as makeup to
demineralizer saves 130 gpm of treated water & reduces flow to
001-Outfall by 130 gpm
- Reduce flow of demineralizer waste to neutralization pit and
001-Outfall by 12 gpm

• Remaining RO product water (82 gpm) recycled to

clear
l wellll for
f use as cooling
li tower
t makeup
k
- Reduce treated water demand by 82 gpm
- Reduce flow to 001-Outfall by 82 gpm

• RO reject water (53 gpm) diverted to deep well

• Flow to 001-Outfall reduced to 4.2 gpm plus storm water
 Phase II

• Storm water diverted to clarifier

• 001
001-Outfall
Outfall (domestic waste and flow from
neutralization pit) blended with RO reject water
and sent to deep well
 Summary Of Benefits

• Total
T t l raw water
t consumption
ti reduced
d dbby 17.3%
17 3%
• Flow to 001-Outfall eliminated
• Plant operating costs would be reduced by
$107,385 annually
 C
Case History
Hi 3
3.0
0
Engergy Kaizen Approach to Water and
Wastewater and Energy Conservation
Large Tool Manufacturing Plant-TX
 Motivations For Water and Energy
C
Conservation
ti & R
Reuse
• Economic
• Reduce City Water usage costs ($2.75 / MGal)
• Reduce Wastewater discharge costs ($6.75 / MGal)
• Reduce electrical consumption
p
• Reduce natural gas usage in boilers and fired annealing furnaces
• Environmental concerns
• Improve effluent water quality
• Eliminate all tie-ins to storm water system
3 to 4 months prior Event 0 to 60 Days+
to Kaizen event 3 to 5 Days after Kaizen event

Pre-Work
P W k Post Kaizen
Assessment Kaizen Activity
Actions

Energy
gy Determine
E
Execute
t
Checklist Spend Focus
and Manage
Areas

Team
Complete
Identification Go to GEMBA
Action / Newspaper
On-site
On site analysis
It
Items

Data
collection Identify
ST & LT 30 Day Follow-up
Project
Opportunity
Secure
Equipment
& Resources 60 Day Follow-up
Project Action
Plan
Development

Establish
Workshop Sustain Action LT
Resource
Objectives
Review &
Prioritization

Schedule
Record Project
Workshop
In ARIBA project
report out
management
 Water Conservation Recommendations
• Eliminate once-through cooling water and tie in oil
coolers on city water to nearest cooling tower
• Optimize RO systems; reduce reject waste stream from
50% of inlet flow to 25% by improved monitoring
• Recover condensate streams lost from plating baths, set
in place simple monitoring program to identify coil leaks
• If practical, inter-connect two boiler systems to reduce
gas usage due to cycling of boilers off & on at low
demand
• Net savings potential; $120,000/yr
Water Conservation
 Minimizing Water Loss
Reduces Plant Water Consumption
• Eliminating excessive drift loss from cooling tower(s) and other
uncontrolled water losses from cooling system reduces system makeup
water demand
• Identifying and eliminating leaks in process water distribution piping
reduces plant water consumption
• Improved control over boiler blowdown reduces makeup water
demand and plant water consumption
• Conducting plant energy balance to reduce/eliminate venting of low
pressure steam reduces system makeup water demand
• Implementing steam trap maintenance program decreases steam loss
f
from b
boiler
l system andd reduces
d makeup
k water demand
d d
• Identifying and eliminating condensate losses from the boiler system
reduces makeup water demand
 Minimizing Water Losses (continued)
• Contaminated condensate is often sewered to prevent contamination
of boiler feedwater
- Cooling water or raw water inleakage
- Process contamination
- Excessive levels of iron or copper (equipment startup)
• Treatment of condensate to remove impurities could permit safe
return of contaminated condensate
- Cation polisher (Na form); 250 to 280 oF Max condensate temperature
- Mixed bed polisher; 140 oF Max condensate temperature
- Magnetic condensate polisher
• UF, NF and RO units used to remove process contaminants allows
condensate to be cooled below 110oF
• Return of p
polished condensate reduces makeup
p water demand
• Reducing boiler blowdown, eliminating steam loss, & maximizing
return of quality condensate reduces plant water consumption,
lowers p
pretreatment costs & saves plant
p energy
gy costs
Water Reuse While
Maintaining System
Efficiency
 The Water Quality Group

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