As
any maintenance engineer will attest to, scale and corrosion
are the two biggest culprits when it comes to keeping their HVAC equipment
running smoothly and efficiently. If water was able to maintain a perfect
pH of 7.0 water treatment would not be necessary. Since that is not
the case, some kind of treatment is necessary to avoid scale and corrosion.
Chemical water treatment is based on maintaining both a non-corrosive
and non-scale forming environment at the same time. That inability to
maintain a balanced chemical environment in the water system is where
all water treatment problems stem from.
When
a scale-forming environment is present, meaning too many
dissolved minerals are in solution, deposits form on the waterside
of pipes called scale. Scale results in reduced
heat transfer, reduced equipment life, increased
energy costs, and possibly lost production due to downtime to
perform maintenance and repairs.
When a corrosive environment is present, meaning excess oxygen,
or low pH, the water attacks the pipe. Two different corrosive environments
can be destructive enough to cause re-tubing: general corrosion--from
water that is too acidic can occur along the length of the pipe;
and oxygen pitting--which occurs from excess oxygen present in the
water, causing pin holes in the tubes. Corrosion results in reduced
equipment life, reduced heat transfer, lost
production, much higher energy costs,
and possible re-tubing. The corrosion part of the balancing act
can be the most expensive to repair.
Chemical
Solution: Test
water several times daily for proper chemical balances and add chemicals
or remove chemicals (blowdown) to maintain the balance. In other words,
chemicals react to the demands of the water.
Tests
such as alkalinity, pH, hardness, silica, sulfites, etc. must be conducted
to ensure a "neutral" environment. It is not hard to understand
how difficult the task must be to continually balance the water chemistry
to prevent equipment damage and plant downtime.
Boilers
are routinely opened for inspection revealing scale and/or corrosion
products that must be removed to ensure proper heat transfer. Similarly,
cooling water condensers are routinely opened for inspection revealing
similar scale and/or corrosion products. In many cases, hours of manual
labor are required to remove the deposits on the heat transfer surfaces
of boilers and cooling water condensers. If the conditions are severe,
re-tubing of the boiler or condenser may be required.
Unfortunately
for the client, the above scenarios occur in much the greater percentage
of equipment openings. Although the intent of the chemical treatment
is beneficial, the results usually are not.
The
chemical treatment of water is based on complicated measurements and
formulations; expensive machinery with bells and whistles to keep track
of the condition inside of the equipment; warehousing and disposal of
the product; safety measures to protect employees; and environmental
standards, laws and penalties.
BON
AQUA™
Solution
Bon
Aqua™ treatment is based on Physics. Nothing has to be balanced
with Bon Aqua™ treatment. The focused magnetic field induced
into the pipe cathodically protects the interior of the pipe's surface
by creating a Faraday's generator, creating an environment where
it is physically impossible for corrosion, pitting, and scaling
to occur. In other words, the water reacts
to the Bon Aquas.
Each
Bon Aqua™ unit is a nonadjustable, mechanical device that performs
precisely the same way on all equipment, under all circumstances,
unlike chemical treatment which is subject to human error.
The
simplest explanation to compare the chemical treatment of water
to the physical treatment of water is this:
The rules of chemistry are subject to change with every drop of
water; whereas the laws of Physics never change.
Chemical
Treatment
Bon
Aqua™Treatment
Continuing
monthly expense
One
time cost
Equipment
to track chemical mix
None
needed
Danger
to personnel
None
Warehouse
& disposal of product
None
Environmental
penalties
None
The success or failure
of any treatment program is determined by the diligence of the equipment
operator. Regular maintenance and monitoring of the equipment is key
to the performance of all water treatment programs. On Bon Aqua™
treated equipment, only failure of diligent maintenance can cause difficulties.
Many clients have
documented their experience using Bon Aqua™ water treatment, some
have included their detailed records, as well as their testing procedures
and results. Further information can be obtained by contacting our office.
