Maintenance Guide for Cooling Tower Filler

The filler is the heart of the cooling tower and the "main battlefield" where the water film exchanges heat with the air. Scaling, aging or damage once occurs, the cooling efficiency will drop sharply, and electricity and water bills will soar simultaneously. Change "Post-event replacement" to "preventive maintenance", and simply follow the five words "look, test, wash, repair, and record". The following are the key points for quarterly and annual practical operation.

I. Cooling Tower Filler:Quarterly Maintenance (Every three months)

Look at the appearance

After the machine stops, enter the tower and check the filler sheets against the light. If the light transmittance is less than 70% or black or green biofilms appear, cleaning is required. If more than two pieces of continuous collapse are found, patches should be replenished immediately to prevent short circuits in the airflow.

Measurement of pressure difference

Install one digital differential pressure gauge at the top and one at the bottom of the filler, and record ΔP. Under the same air volume, ΔP is 30% higher than the initial acceptance, indicating that the clogging between the plates has reached a 1mm scale layer. High-pressure water flushing should be prioritized.

Rinse with clean water

Use a fan-shaped nozzle with a pressure of less than 0.3 MPa to sweep layer by layer from top to bottom. Excessive water pressure may knock over the filler sheet. After flushing, visually inspect the drainage. The process can be completed only when the turbidity is less than 30 NTU.

Kill bacteria and algae

Add non-oxidizing biocides (isothiazolinone type) to the water distribution pipe and keep it circulating for 6 hours to remove the biofilm. Drain the water 24 hours later to prevent dead algae from remaining and forming new mud cores.

II. Cooling Tower Filler:Annual Depth (Every 12 months)

Remove and soak

Lift out the upper layer of filler in blocks and immerse them in a 50 ℃ solution of 5% weak acid descaling agent and 0.2% surfactant for 2 hours. The stubborn scale will soften and fall off. The temperature limit for PVC cooling tower filler sheets is 60 ℃. Direct steam injection is strictly prohibited.

Patch replacement

Aging determination: If the sheet body turns white and brittle, cracks easily when pinched by a fingernail, or the thickness is reduced from the original 0.35mm to less than 0.25mm, it must be replaced with a new one. The new film must be in the same direction as the original corrugations. The film spacing should be 19mm or 12mm. Do not mix them to avoid water drift caused by excessively high local wind speed.

Correct water distribution

After reassembly, conduct a "water distribution test" : Start the water pump and observe that the water film on the surface of the filler should be uniform and mirror-like, without dry spots with a diameter of ≥20 cm. If there is a trend-like water shortage, check whether the corresponding nozzle is clogged or fallen off, and adjust the nozzle Angle to be parallel to the filler corrugation.

III. Cooling Tower Filler:Frequency Increase under Special Working Conditions

High-dust environments (cement, steel) : High-pressure flushing should be carried out once every two months, and dust-proof nets should be installed at the top of the tower.

The data center is under high load throughout the year: the water temperature is always above 32 ℃, and microorganisms multiply rapidly. It is recommended that the interval for adding fungicides be shortened from months to two weeks.

If groundwater with a hardness greater than 300 mg/L is used and a scale inhibitor is added every six months to control the conductivity of the circulating water below 2000 μS/cm, the growth rate of scale thickness can be halved.

IV. Cooling Tower Filler:Safety and Records

Before entering the tower, "double power-off" - the switches of the water pump and the fan are hung. Chemical cleaning requires wearing goggles and acid-resistant clothing. The waste liquid is collected in the neutralization tank and discharged up to standard. After each maintenance is completed, cooling tower fillerin the "Filler Health Card" : record the pressure difference, turbidity, number of replaced pieces, and photo number. The aging speed can be quantified by comparison next time, and spare parts can be applied for in advance.

By adhering to the principle of "quarterly cleaning and annual plate replacement", the service life of the filler can be extended from 3 years to 6 years. The cooling capacity is always ≥ 95% of the design value, and the electricity cost can be saved by about 5% throughout the year - small maintenance brings big benefits.