Overland Park, Kansas. – SPX Cooling Tech, LLC, a full-line, full-service industry leader in the design and manufacture of evaporative cooling towers and air-cooled heat exchangers, has introduced the Marley® WaterGard™, a water usage optimizer and filtration system that helps reduce wastewater and overall water usage on packaged evaporative cooling products. WaterGard uses membrane technology to pre-condition cooling tower water and limits salt (i.e. chlorides, calcium carbonate) introduction into the tower, therefore reducing necessary blowdown (outgoing) water.
“Based on our models, WaterGard could help reduce water usage up to 59 percent for some locations, and reduce wastewater discharge up to 88 percent,” explained SPX Cooling‘s Senior Global Product Manager, Marshal Zabel. “Some areas could see payback with this product in as little as three years, or even faster in locations with high-hardness source water.”
The salt concentration of makeup (supply) water typically controls how much water needs to be blown down, or drained from the system, to limit corrosion and scale tendencies of the cooling water. Reducing this concentration with WaterGard allows safe cooling tower system operation at higher cycles of concentration (less blowdown).
WaterGard is available in North American markets and offered in a variety of sizes based on the capacity of the cooling towers. Features include an integral pump, bypass function and an optional carbon system for chlorine filtration. Plus, WaterGard is designed for easy maintenance and filter replacement at regular service intervals.
“WaterGard will help many operators use less water without sacrificing cooling equipment longevity, especially for those with a safe operating cycle of concentration around 3.5 or lower before WaterGard,” added Zabel. “This product will offer the best results in areas with especially hard water, like the Southwest and in many Midwestern states.”
Customers who utilize WaterGard for water savings should still employ the appropriate water treatment, and implement chlorine removal pre-treatment to protect the membrane filters. WaterGard also must be used in conjunction with an electronic liquid level control and conductivity-controlled blowdown system to achieve the expected benefits. For questions about these requirements, or to learn more about WaterGard, contact your nearby SPX Cooling product representative.
