Green means money!

Sustainability doesn’t always have to be expensive. Sometimes the opportunities are right under your nose, and both the ecological and economic impacts can be enormous. Focusing on water consumption, for example, offers tremendous possibilities!

Many everyday consumer goods and services involve the use of cooling water during manufacture, transport and storage. After all, cooling using an evaporative condenser or cooling tower is an unavoidable part of many industrial processes. Generally, chemicals are added to the cooling water in order to prevent calcium deposits, corrosion and microbiological growth. The cooling water that remains after evaporation contains chemicals, which of course leads to environmental pollution and increases the risks in the workplace. The water is not suitable for recycling and must be purified before it can be discharged which leaves the end user facing high recurring costs.

‘The ability to produce water for cooling with a short ROI and without chemicals is truly something new’

Green innovation

Pathema BV’s IVG-C (Industrial Vortex Generator-Circulation) CoolWater technology is a total solution for managing and recycling 100% chemical-free process and cooling water. “Our innovation combines all the techniques that are necessary to operate a cooling tower or evaporative condenser sustainably in terms of water use: a ‘plug & play’ system which sets the new sustainable standard for chemical-free treatment of cooling water using less water and less energy,” says Mark Boeren from Pathema BV. “The ecological impact of eliminating chemicals and saving water is enormous.”

Savings
The use of the IVG-C CoolWater technology delivers significant savings which can be attributed to several factors:

• Eliminating all chemicals results in a concrete saving of chemical costs.
• Reduced water consumption, since thickening of the cooling water can often be optimised responsibly. The discharge water from the cooling tower enables the non-evaporated cooling water to be recycled. After all, the water that previously had to be discharged is now free of chemicals thanks to the IVG-C CoolWater treatment.
• The degassing of the cooling water improves the heat capacity and viscosity.
• The option to treat groundwater in order to use it as cooling water as a sustainable measure. Expertise and experience are essential to achieve this saving.
• Extra legally mandated safety provisions, restrictions to working conditions and exploitation risks associated with a chemical installation no longer apply.

Experience on various projects has shown that the ROI varies from 1.5 to 3 years.

PIP-2014 winner

Last year, Pathema BV won the Proces Innovatie Prijs (PIP-2014) with the IVG-C CoolWater. The PIP-2014 is an industry award for process innovation which recognises innovative products and solutions within the process industry which demonstrably add value for end users. Other aspects considered in the evaluation process for the award include business potential and benefits for the environment, health and safety. Pathema BV secured both the jury prize and the public prize. Head judge Henk Klein Gunnewiek, who in his day job is chief editor of Solids Processing Benelux magazine, commented on the innovation: ”The ability to produce water for cooling with a short ROI and without chemicals is truly something new offering better characteristics, lower energy consumption and lower water usage – and with practical applications: a plug & play system makes it easy to use in cooling towers.”

Artificial vortex

A video on the Pathema BV website outlines the fundamental principles of the technology. Creating an artificial vortex in the vortex generator produces a vacuum which removes microbubbles and nanoscale gas bubbles from the water through cavitation. This results in the formation of crystallising calcium ions which are completely dissolved in the water. The crystals produced in this process will no longer attach themselves to surfaces and will prevent further calcium deposits, even causing a reduction in existing deposits. Furthermore, the degassing alters the water viscosity which enables it to be fed onto the cooling surface more efficiently and significantly improves the heat conduction. The result is a better cooling performance.

Controlling microbiology

“Within the IVG-C technology, hydrocavitation and UV-C (ultraviolet) keep microbiological growth under control,” adds Mark. “In combination with a process filter, UV-C is an effective solution. Disinfecting water using UV-C is an excellent way to combat Legionella and other types of microbiological impurities. The water is passed through the UV-C unit where it is exposed to UV-C radiation. This recirculating process kills off 99.8% of all bacteria and other microorganisms and drastically reduces the risk of infection 24/7. Moreover, all the water stored in the cooling tower is subjected to a hydrocavitation treatment every hour in the vortex in order to damage the cell walls of biological material and hence prevent further cell division. UV-C and hydrocavitation are a complete, effective and accredited technology in accordance with the latest rules and legislation relating to Legionella prevention, ISSO 55.3.”

Extensive practical trials

In the Benelux region, Pathema BV supplies, hires out and maintains chemical-free water treatment systems which have been developed and manufactured in-house. For various applications, the company can provide references of installations that have been in operation for some time. A number of extensive practical trials have been conducted in collaboration with the Institute for Sustainable Process Technology (ISPT), Bodec, Huntsman, FrieslandCampina and Heineken, with notably positive results. Mark: “It was demonstrated that the treatment of the cooling water in one of the six evaporative condensers performed the same or even better, in terms of the three most important aspects (calcium deposits, corrosion and microbiological growth), than the five other condensers which were treated in the conventional, chemical-based manner. During maintenance to the condenser, it was also found to be cleaner than its traditionally treated counterparts. Furthermore, the trial revealed an interesting energy saving. By making a small alteration to the process, it became possible to fully reuse the discharged chemical-free cooling water in a greywater system.”

New standard

It is Pathema BV’s ambition to provide sustainable water technology to manufacturers and society as a whole: a water treatment process that will become tomorrow’s standard, without the use of chemicals and/or additives, and which is also water-saving, energy-saving and low-maintenance. “We are driven by the desire to reduce water scarcity in harmony with the environment while making it financially attractive for end users,” concludes Mark Boeren.

www.pathema.nl