Environmental Controls & Compliance Monitoring Division

• Oil in Water Detection (0-100%)
• Oil Slick Detection
• Dissolved Oil in Water Measurement (ppb/ppm)
• Air & Water Quality Monitoring
• Flue/Stack Gas Emission Monitoring
• Perimeter Gas Detection
• Tunnel Monitoring
• Emissions O2, NOx, CO, CO2, SO2, NH3
• Dissolved Oxygen
  

Process Cooling Article October 2007 Cooling Towers & Cooling systems require protection for oil leaks Oil can also cause higher chemical usage to prevent bio fouling, etc. and thereby more cost.  There is an environmental issue in that most cooling towers have a blowdown leg to prevent high concentration of salts and silica that can really mess up the cooling towers. If there is oil in the blowdown loop, it can pollute the environment.  Remember that the cooling water, once it is cool, must then pass through the oil / water heat exchangers to cool the oil. If the is oil or other contamination in the cooling water, it can reduce the efficiency of the heat exchanger.  Cooling water is usually expensive to create with treatment and chemical addition. Often the treatment processed such as reverse osmosis plants are susceptible to damage from oil leaks. Oil can also provide food for bacteria (Legionella etc.).