Case Study Barranquilla Airport
At Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport in Barranquilla, Colombia, an Elgressy chemical-free water treatment system was installed on the chilled-water plant’s cooling towers. An independent sustainability consultant, SETRI Sustentabilidad S.A.S. (Bogotá), measured the results against a baseline taken before installation.
The result in short
Chiller power dropped by 6.75%, saving at least 93 MWh of electricity and 11.75 tonnes of CO2e a year, and two treatment chemicals were no longer needed.
The cooling system
- 2 cooling towers of 500 TR each, serving Daikin chillers
- Make-up water: potable water, alkalinity 200 ppm, hardness 240 ppm, total solids 800 ppm
- Operation at pH 8.6 and close to 6 cycles of concentration
Before: chemicals and algae
The airport used a conventional chemical program: a glutaraldehyde biocide, a sodium hypochlorite oxidant and a corrosion inhibitor. Even so, the towers had recurring algae problems and were very dirty at the first visit. SETRI explains why: at pH 8.6, hypochlorite is largely ineffective, so the dosing (about 300 litres a month for two towers) did little.
Measured results
SETRI measured the Daikin chiller load from 16 to 19 September 2022 and compared it with the baseline from its first report.
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Chiller load, baseline | 119.3 kW |
| Chiller load, after (average) | 111.3 kW (range 105.7 to 116.5 kW) |
| Reduction | 6.75% |
| Chiller energy saved | 193.25 kWh per day |
| Estimated cooling tower energy saved | 62.28 kWh per day |
| Total energy saved (minimum) | 255.53 kWh per day, 93.27 MWh per year |
| CO2 reduction | 11.75 tonnes CO2e per year (at 0.126 t/MWh, Colombia grid) |
Even the highest load measured after installation was below the old baseline. The savings were measured with only one chiller and one cooling tower running; the loop can run two of each, so the yearly saving across the plant is likely higher. Pump energy and the CO2 embodied in the chemicals no longer used are not included.
Chemicals no longer needed
- Sodium hypochlorite oxidant: about 300 litres a month for the two towers
- Glutaraldehyde biocide: about 24 kg a month per tower
With the cooling tower able to run at higher cycles of concentration, the corrosion inhibitor dose can also be reduced.
Source: SETRI Sustentabilidad S.A.S., Barranquilla Airport, Report 2, measurements executed 26 September 2022 by Eng. Camilo Sarmiento and Cesar Ruiz.
Download the full SETRI report (PDF) →
How EST works: Elgressy EST treats a side stream of the cooling water by controlled electrolysis. Calcium hardness precipitates as solid scale inside the EST reactors and is removed, instead of depositing on chiller condensers, heat exchangers and pipes. Oxidizing species formed at the anode help control algae and biofilm, so no anti-scalants or corrosion inhibitors are needed. Read more about Elgressy EST.
Related
- How to prevent rising chiller approach temperature
- Legionella and algae in cooling towers
- LEED and cooling-water treatment
- All our installations in Southeast Asia
Want these savings at your site?
Water Treatment Asia (Aerial Lift Asia Co., Ltd.) has been the exclusive Elgressy distributor in Southeast Asia since 2010. Contact us for a free water analysis, a savings estimate and a visit to one of our reference sites.
Leave A Comment