For one chemical manufacturer in North Carolina, after decades of replacing their metal towers with the same material, corrosion-resistant engineered-plastic cooling towers provided an alternative.

While many facilities are focusing on precautions for preventing the spread of COVID-19, they also need to be proactive when it comes to reducing the risk of Legionella. 

Cleaning equipment and solutions play a key role in optimizing the operation of equipment used in industrial environments. A heavily fouled cooling tower or chiller, for instance, has poorer heat transfer.

It is not up for debate: You should follow a cooling tower maintenance program to thwart the development of Legionella. And to prevent the outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease within cooling towers, you should follow a few tips for cooling tower maintenance.

Facility managers are responsible for keeping their plants and buildings as safe as possible. This includes mitigating and preventing the contamination of cooling towers from dirt, bacteria and other dangers. COVID-19’s impact on sources such as cooling towers and HVAC systems is still being researched. However, cooling towers are a common source for the growth of infectious bacteria such as Legionella.

In industrial facilities such as manufacturing and processing plants as well as mills, forges and refineries, cooling towers often are used to remove heat from machinery, heated process material and fluids, buildings and other sources by exchanging the heat using water or chemical solutions as a coolant.

Currently, it is thought that the novel coronavirus causing outbreaks of COVID-19 worldwide is not a significant risk of contaminating industrial cooling towers. Little research has been completed to date, however. 

During winter operation, a cooling tower brings as much low temperature air into contact with the flowing water as the tower fan(s) will permit. The greater the flow of cold air, the colder the water temperature will become. Fortunately, when under design process heat loads, the temperature gradients that naturally occur in counterflow cooling towers prevent the mass flow of water from reaching 32°F. 

For decades, cooling towers have provided an efficient means of cooling industrial process loops by providing the lowest operating temperatures available. At the same time, through the years, water-based cooling systems have evolved.