Treatment Optimization Through Effectiveness Monitoring

Abstract

Essentially all industries include treatments with corrosion inhibitors, deposit control agents, and biocides as a part of their control of general corrosion, localized corrosion, fouling, and microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) in cooling waters and process waters. Most such treatments rely exclusively on monitoring the concentrations of the control chemicals rather than monitoring the effectiveness of those treatments. Inhibitors and biocides are expensive, can produce undesirable side effects as they interact with other chemicals, and will always be subject to effluent controls. Over-dosing of treatment chemicals, especially oxidizing biocides, will have undesirable side effects, including increased corrosion of piping, heat exchangers, and process equipment. This presentation provides results of biofilm monitoring and biocide optimization in a variety of industries, cooling waters, and plant types, including several U.S. nuclear stations.