Cooling towers, the tall, cylindrical concrete structures located at are an essential component of many industrial processes, working to cool the hot water and steam that these processes generate.
However, the energy required to power several cooling towers at once can add up to some pretty high bills each month — and you’re probably looking for ways to save some money and make your cooling tower systems do more work with less energy.
Luckily, making your cooling tower systems energy-efficient and cost-effective is actually much simpler than you may think. To show just how easy it can be, here are just three of the many things you can do to boost your cooling towers’ efficiency:
Regularly clean your cooling towers
Over time, dirt and debris can build up within a cooling tower, making the tower exert more energy to filter, cool and evaporate water. Keep this from happening by regularly flushing out dirt and debris from your cooling tower systems’ cold water basin and strainers. In many cases, you can invest in basin sweeper piping that can do the cleaning for you.
Check up on the towers’ oil supply
Oil is a necessary component of any cooling tower, responsible for keeping the gears and devices within the tower running smoothly and free from generating too much friction. To keep your cooling towers performing at their most efficient and reliable level, make a routine out of checking oil quality and levels, as well as shaft alignment.
Lubricate fan shaft bearings
When fan shaft bearings, the devices that keep air circulating throughout the cooling tower, aren’t properly lubricated, the cooling tower will use up more energy to power its fans. Fan shaft bearings should be lubricated at least every three months to ensure optimal performance and energy-efficiency — there are even automatic bearing greasers you can purchase that will do it for you.
Know of any other tips and tricks on improving cooling tower performance? Feel free to share your knowledge with us and your fellow readers by leaving a comment below!