Industrial Water Treatment Question Summary

Print Date 1/2/2015

Topic #
1

Date
11/1/2011

Title
Challenges

11/2/2011

Boiler Cycles

3
4

11/5/2011
11/6/2011

Alternative Cooling Tower Makeup Sources

Neutralizing Amine Feed Points

11/7/2011

Automatic Blowdown Controller

11/8/2011

Condensate Value

7
8

11/9/2011
11/10/2011

Dechlorination
Cooling Tower Water Minimization

11/11/2011

Water Analysis

10

11/14/2011

RO Reject Uses

11

11/15/2011

Deaerator Venting Requirements

12

11/16/2011

Boiler Inspections

13

11/17/2011

Dealkalizers

14

11/18/2011

Deaerator Oxygen Testing

15

11/21/2011

Water Softener Reduced Capacity

16

11/22/2011

Water/Energy Nexus

17

11/25/2011

Chlorine vs. Bromine Chemistry

18

11/28/2011

Industrial Water Organizations

19
20

11/29/2011
11/30/2011

Chelant Boiler Treatment

Acid Pump

21

12/1/2011

Chemical Feed Pumps

22

12/2/2011

Cooling Tower Cycles of Concentration

23

12/5/2011

Langelier Saturation Index

24

12/6/2011

Galvanic Corrosion

25

12/7/2011

Skin Temperatures

26

12/8/2011

Chlorine Pump Settings

27

12/10/2011

Books and Other Resources

28

12/12/2011

Deposit Analysis

29
30
31

12/13/2011
12/14/2011
12/15/2011

Coagulants and Flocculants

Freezing Cooling Towers
Determining Cooling Tower Recirculation Rate

32

12/16/2011

Deaerator Vent Piping

33

12/19/2011

Cooling Tower Percent Evaporation

34

12/20/2011

Anodic Corrosion Inhibitors

35

12/21/2011

Retrograde Solubility

36

12/22/2011

Reverse Osmosis Salt Passage

37

12/23/2011

Bisulfite Dechlorination

38

1/3/2012

Theme Song

39

1/4/2012

Condensate Contamination

40

1/5/2012

Filming Amine Feed Point

41

1/6/2012

Sidestream Filtration

42

1/9/2012

Cooling Tower Chlorine Dosage Estimation

43
44
45

1/10/2012
1/11/2012
1/12/2012

Attemperation
Acid Feed to Cooling Tower
Certification

Question
What are the top challenges for industrial water treatment today?
Boiler cycles, how high do we go? Some recommend 50. The ASME recommends 100 maximum. At the recent convention, one
chemical provider was claiming 200 cycles. Who's correct?
What alternative water sources could one consider for cooling tower makeup to reduce water bills?
Where is the best location to feed neutralizing amines to a boiler system?
An automatic boiler blowdown controller can greatly enhance the control of "cycles of concentration" or typically
"conductivity" for a boiler. What are some tips for success?
Boiler condensate is a valuable water source that should be returned to the boiler when possible. What assets make up the
true value of condensate?
What methods are there to dechlorinate water, and what are some advantages/disadvantages of each?
How can cooling towers be managed to use less water?
Control of water treatment requires accurate water analysis. What water analysis advice do you have? Sampling tips? Analysis
tips?
Reverse Omosis units make high quality water for process applications & boiler makeup, but typically 25% of the water is
rejected. What are possible uses for this "wastewater?"
Deaerators must be vented to remove dissolved gases such as oxygen from boiler feedwater, but how much should they be
vented? What are the rules of thumb and methods for determining deaerator venting requirements?
Boiler inspections can be the ultimate report card for a water treatment program. When you inspect a boiler, what are some
things you inspect? What tips do you have?
With more advanced systems such as Reverse Osmosis, are dealkalizers yesterday's technology or are they still relevant for
boiler makeup?
A properly operating deaerator will help protect boilers from oxygen pitting and reduce the consumption of oxygen
scavengers (e.g., bisulfite). How can one test the oxygen removal efficiency of a deaerator?
What factors could lead to a water softener producing fewer gallons of softwater (less capacity) than before?
Reverse Omosis units make high quality water for process applications & boiler makeup, but typically 25% of the water is
rejected. What are possible uses for this "wastewater?"
The dissociation curves for chlorine and bromine show that bromine chemistry should theoretically be the more effective
biocide at the more basic pH's seen in cooling towers. Does this agree with reality though?
There are several trade organizations that deal with industrial water. Which ones have you joined, and how have you found
them beneficial?
What are the benefits and disadvantages of using chelant chemistry in internal boiler treatment (e.g., EDTA)?
An acid pump gets stuck on and the cooling tower pH drops to 2.5. What corrective actions do you recommend?
Maintaining consistent chemical feed is vital to many water management programs. What methods or tips are there for
keeping chemical feed pumps primed and ready?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using conductivity to calculate the cycles of concentration in a cooling tower?
What are the uses and limitations of the Langelier Saturation Index (LSI)? What factors determine and affect it?
Dissimilar metals in contact in an aqueous environment can lead to galvanic corrosion (e.g., a chiller with copper tubes and
carbon steel tubesheet will see corrosion on the carbon steel tubesheet). How can one minimize galvanic corrosion?
What are rules of thumb for estimating skin temperatures for use in scaling indices?
Your free chlorine levels are half what they should be in your cooling tower? Should you double the setting on the bleach feed
pump? Why or why not?
What books and other resources do you use to learn about Industrial Water Treatment?
What types of analysis can be conducted in the field on boiler/cooling deposits before considering sending the sample off to a
lab?
What are typical dosage ranges for coagulants and flocculants?
With freezing weather conditions on the way, what can cooling tower owners do to keep them from freezing?
When the cooling tower recirculation rate is unknown, what are some ways it can be determined or estimated?
In some installations, deaerator vent piping can take more convoluted routes to exit the building. Are there issues with
running deaerator vent piping horizontally?
Within a cooling tower, cooling takes place due to both sensible heat transfer and evaporation. How does the percent cooling
due to evaporation change throughout the year? What is the average percent evaporation for different areas throughout the
year?
How does an anodic corrosion inhibitor work?
What is "retrograde solubility" in relation to temperature and what are some examples of salts with retrograde solubility?
For some salts such as calcium bicarbonate, the amount that passes through an RO membrane can be 0.6%. For other salts
such as sodium nitrate, the passage can be 5%. What are some reasons behind different salts and organic molecules have
different passage rates by RO membranes?
When using bisulfite to dechlorinate feedwater going to a Reverse Osmosis unit, what is the best setting for a solenoid
chemical feed pump's speed and stroke? (e.g., high speed/low stroke, low speed/high stroke, medium speed/medium stroke,
etc.)
Today's question is a little off the wall, but if Industrial Water Treatment had a theme song, what would it be? (All genres are
open.)
What are some tips for identifying and tracking down condensate contamination? (Examples are welcome too.)
What is the proper feedpoint for filming amines? Deaerator storage section, feedwater tank, feedwater piping, boiler, steam
header, or someplace else?
What are the benefits of sidestream filtration on a cooling tower?
How does one estimate the chlorine dosage required for a cooling tower? (This question assumes this is a new cooling tower
or new account for the water treatment company. Remember, chlorine dosage must meet both demand and residual needs.)
What water related issues must one consider with attemperation?
What is the proper way to feed acid to a cooling tower?
What certifications are available for water professionals to instill end-user confidence in their abilities?

46

1/13/2012

RO Projection Software

47
48
49
50
51

1/17/2012
1/18/2012
1/19/2012
1/20/2012
1/23/2012

Carbon Footprints
Breakpoint Chlorination
Nanofiltration
Motivation
Steam Purity vs. Steam Quality

52

1/24/2012

Cooling Tower Bleed & Feed vs. Makeup

53

1/25/2012

Evaporative Cooling

54
55
56
57
58
59
60

1/26/2012
1/27/2012
1/30/2012
1/31/2012
2/1/2012
2/2/2012
2/3/2012

Boiler Storage
Boiler Carryover
Common Ion Effect
Best Web Resources
Dechlorination before RO Membranes
MIC
Chlorine Dioxide

61

2/6/2012

Remote Monitoring

62
63
64
65

2/9/2012
2/10/2012
2/11/2012
2/13/2012

Waste Heat Boilers

Closed Loop Disinfection
Passing It On?
Mistakes

66

2/14/2012

Once-Through vs. Open Recirculation Cooling

67
68
69
70
71

2/15/2012
2/16/2012
2/17/2012
2/21/2012
2/22/2012

Closed Loop Sidestream Filtration

Water vs. Air
RO Microbiological Fouling
RO Data Normalization
Water Treatment Professionals

72

2/23/2012

Product Mixing

73
74

2/24/2012
2/27/2012

Retrograde Solubility
Troubleshooting

75

2/28/2012

RO Cleaning Trigger Points

76
77
78
79

2/29/2012
3/1/2012
3/2/2012
3/12/2012

Hydrogen Bonding
Low Boiler pH
Cooling Tower Foaming
DPD Free Chlorine Test

80

3/13/2012

Nitrite Levels

81
82
83
84

3/14/2012
3/15/2012
3/19/2012
3/20/2012

Tolyltriazole vs. Benzotriazole

Unknown Phosphate Source
NPDES
Boiler pH

85

3/21/2012

Water Treatment Super Hero

86

3/22/2012

Tannins

87

3/23/2012

Iron & Softeners

88

3/26/2012

Sulfites

89
90
91

3/27/2012
3/28/2012
3/29/2012

Heat Exchanger Fouling

Corrosion Coupons
Corrosion Coupon Order

92

3/30/2012

Flocculant Makedown

93

4/2/2012

Cooling Tower Blowdown Location

94

4/3/2012

Selecting a Water Treatment Provider

95

4/4/2012

Sample Cooling

Are companies interested in the Carbon Footprints of their water treatment systems? Why or why not?
Why might breakpoint chlorination be important in Reverse Osmosis (RO) pretreatment?
What are the pros and cons of nanofiltration?
What motivates you to wake up and tackle the issues of industrial water treatment each day?
What is the difference between steam purity and steam quality, and how does one test for each?
What are the advantages/disadvantages of basing chemical feed on cooling tower blowdown (aka, bleed) versus a makeup
meter?
Cooling towers reject heat through both evaporative and sensible cooling. What factors affect the amount of evaporative
cooling achieved, and what is the annual average percentage in your area?
When would one choose wet boiler storage over dry boiler storage and vice versa?
What is boiler carryover and what are some possible causes?
What is the Common Ion effect, and why can it be important to scale formation?
What are the best web-based resources on water that you use on a regular basis?
What is the importance of dechlorination before an RO membrane and are there any tips we can share?
What is MIC?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using Chlorine Dioxide as a disinfectant?
What is your experience with remote monitoring of water systems? Were they easy to setup? Were they worth the effort?
Did they improve performance?
How are Waste Heat Boilers different from regular boilers? What extra concerns do they have?
Which biocides are recommended for closed loop disinfection and which are not?
Would you encourage your kid(s) to pursue a career in water? Why or why not?
What are some examples of your worst mistakes in water treatment that you learned the most from?
What are the advantages of open recirculating cooling (e.g., cooling towers) vs. once-through cooling? Are there any
disadvantages?
Is sidestream filtration recommended on closed loops, and what are the advantages?
Why would a plant chose a water-based cooling system over an air-based cooling system?
How does microbiological fouling impact a Reverse Osmosis (RO) system, and how is it remediated?
What is the purpose of Reverse Osmosis (RO) data normalization, such as Normalized Permeate Flow (NPF)?
In one sentence, how would you summarize what a Water Treatment Professional does?
When mixing two different chemical products, what advice and warnings do you have? (For example, you are changing from
Inhibitor Product A to Inhibitor Product B and have a single bulk container used to feed the system.)
Which salts exhibit retrograde solubility in water treatment?
What are some general troubleshooting tips when tracing down water treatment problems?
What trigger points do you use when determining when to clean a Reverse Osmosis unit (e.g., Normalized Permeate Flow
changes by x%)?
What unique properties of water are due to hydrogen bonding?
Your boiler water pH has dropped to less than 4. What do you do?
What can cause a cooling tower to foam?
What is the optimal pH for the DPD Free Chlorine test?
Nitrite can be a great anodic corrosion inhibitor; however, can low levels of nitrite (e.g.,<100 ppm) cause more corrosion
problems than it prevents?
What are the advantages/disadvantages of Tolyltriazole versus Benzotriazole for yellow-metal corrosion inhibition?
How might "unnoticed" phosphate in city water makeup affect a boiler or cooling tower treatment program?
Why are NPDES permits important to industrial water treatment professionals?
Why is boiler pH important?
Give an example of a water treatment challenge you solved that made you the "Super Hero of the Day" for the end user?
(Brag all you want.)
What are tannins used for and are they still relevant?
Water softeners can remove some dissolved iron from the water, but what is the practical upper limit where one would want
to consider an additional iron removal step?
Why would one use sodium sulfite vs. sodium bisulfite vs. sodium metabisulfite for oxygen control? What are the
advantages/disadvantages of using one sulfite over the other?
How can one track the fouling of an online heat exchanger?
Can corrosion coupons accurately predict how long system piping will last?
What order should copper and mild steel coupons be arranged and why?
When making down a dry flocculant, what percent solution should one target? What happens if the percent polymer is too
high?
Where is the optimal location for a cooling tower blowdown takeoff within a water system?
What qualities and qualifications should a company look for when selecting a water treatment provider? (Note: We have
both end users and water services providers in this Group, so it should be interesting to hear this from both ends of the
equation.)
Why is it recommended to use sample coolers to cool boiler and condensate samples before analysis?

96

4/6/2012

Service Reports

What do water treatment professionals use to prepare their Service Reports (e.g., software programs, carbon copies, etc.)?

97
98
99

4/9/2012
4/10/2012
4/11/2012

Training
Mass Balances
VpCI's

What good training programs are out there on industrial water treatment (both online and classroom)?
How does one do a mass balance of "water in" to "water out" for a company? What are the benefits?
What are Volatile Phase Corrosion Inhibitors (VpCI), and how are they used to protect offline boilers?

100

4/12/2012

100th Question of the Day (4/12/12): Does this Group have Value?

What Reverse Osmosis (RO) projection software is available to help one design and/or predict the performance of an RO?

Can you believe that 100 Daily Questions have now been posted for this Industrial Water Treatment Group? We've gotten
some good, informative discussions started with experts in the industry sharing their experiences. Some have asked why I do
this? My honest answer is to learn and hopefully help others learn too. One day back in October, I asked myself, "LinkedIn is
very popular, but what can it really do?" I started making new connections and met a lot of very interesting professionals. I
filled out my personal profile as completely as I could to get that desired "100% Complete" rating. Then I asked myself if there
was anything different that I could do that is not already out there. The groups I had joined allowed the members to ask all
kinds of questions about water, but none of the groups tried to lead the discussion. That's when I wondered what would
happen if the equation was reversed...the moderator asked all the questions to see what conversation it could spark. Voila!
Industrial Water Treatment was born! It continues to be a personal hobby. My company did not task me with doing this. I
spend part of my drive time into work thinking up the next question each day. It's been fun, and I might just have another 100
questions in me, which brings me to today's real question. Does this group have value?

101

4/16/2012

Ryznar Saturation Index (RSI)

102

4/17/2012

Reverse Osmosis Reject

103

4/18/2012

Cooling Tower pH

104
105
106
107
108

4/19/2012
4/20/2012
4/23/2012
4/24/2012
4/26/2012

Softener Resin Inspection

Anthracite Filtration Media
Neutralized Conductivity
Distribution Ratio
Economizers

109

4/27/2012

Closed Loop Troubleshooting

110

4/30/2012

Cooling Tower Cycles Troubleshooting

111

5/1/2012

Cooling Tower Phosphate

112

5/2/2012

High Conductivity Condensate

113

5/3/2012

Reverse Osmosis Monitoring

114

5/4/2012

Boiler Sulfite

115

5/7/2012

Cooling Tower Low pH

116

5/8/2012

Corrosion Coupon Flow

117

5/9/2012

Reverse Osmosis Cleaning

118
119
120

5/11/2012
5/14/2012
5/15/2012

Sand Filtration
Sidestream Filtration Sizing
Cooling Tower Volume Estimation

121

5/16/2012

Cooling Tower Leak

122

5/17/2012

Closed Loops & Oxidizers

123

5/18/2012

Aluminum Corrosion

124
125
126
127
128
129

5/21/2012
5/24/2012
5/29/2012
5/30/2012
5/31/2012
6/1/2012

HRSG
Softener Backwash vs. Temperature
Blowdown Flash Tank
Condensate Polishing
Carbon Dioxide for pH Control
Blowdown Valve

130

6/4/2012

Plant Arrival

131

6/5/2012

Microbiological Activity

132

6/6/2012

Steam Density

133

6/7/2012

Softener Regeneration

134

6/8/2012

Local Water Initiatives

135

6/11/2012

Troubleshooting pH Readings

136

6/12/2012

Extra Tools

137
138

6/13/2012
6/15/2012

RO Cleaning pH Approach
Humidification

139

6/18/2012

Microbiological Monitoring

140
141
142
143

6/19/2012
6/20/2012
6/21/2012
6/22/2012

Alum
Suspended Solids
Catalyzed or Uncatalyzed Dechlorination
Calcium Carbonate Scale Potential

144

6/25/2012

Solid Chemical Blends

145
146
147

6/26/2012
6/27/2012
6/28/2012

Spectrophotometer/Colorimeter Glassware
Smell
Dealkalizer Caustic Regeneration

148

6/29/2012

Boiler Efficiency

149

7/9/2012

Ferric Chloride vs. Ferric Sulfate

What does RSI reveal and what range of numbers apply?

What are some creative uses for the reject water coming from a Reverse Osmosis system, instead of sending it down the
drain?
By just knowing makeup water characteristics and the desired number of cycles, how does one accurately predict what the
cooling tower pH will be?
What can one tell by visually inspecting softener resin?
What is the typical lifespan of anthracite filtration media, and how does one determine when it needs to be replaced?
Why are "neutralized" conductivities run on boiler waters vs. unneutralized?
Why is Distribution Ratio important when considering neutralizing amines?
How can an economizer save boiler fuel and money?
You have a closed loop using a nitrite/azole/borate treatment. The nitrite levels keep dropping but the conductivity remains
the same and the makeup meter records zero makeup. What could be the problem? What troubleshooting steps would you
recommend?
You cannot maintain the conductivity setpoint (or cycles of concentration) in your cooling tower system. The system is always
running too low. What could be the cause of this? What troubleshooting steps would you recommend?
The phosphate levels and conductivity in the cooling tower have been maintained perfectly within range, but you notice the
inhibitor chemical product inventory has been going down MUCH slower than you expect. The chemical dosage pump
settings have been turned down to a minimum too. The inhibitor chemical product is phosphate based and dosage is
controlled by measuring phosphate in the cooling tower. What's happening? How would you troubleshoot this?
When reviewing boiler test logs, you notice the condensate conductivity has been 100+ microsiemens/cm during the past
week. You grab a cooled condensate sample and notice the same thing. Condensate conductivity is typically 10
microsiemens/cm. What is going one? How would you troubleshoot this?
You start your RO up in February with 100 gpm permeate flow. In July you look at your RO and are still getting 100 gpm
permeate flow. Does this mean your RO is running well? Does this mean you do not need to clean your RO? What might you
be missing and why?
An industrial powerhouse operator asks why the boiler sulfite levels are high every Monday morning . You look at the boiler
test logs, and sure enough, the sulfite levels are usually high each Monday morning. No boiler tests are done over the
weekend. What could be causing this phenomenon?
You get a frantic call from the cooling tower operator that the pH has suddenly dropped to a 2.3! Sulfuric acid is used for pH
control. What corrective course of action do you recommend?
The cooling tower system has a 3/4" corrosion coupon rack installed with a rotometer. The isolation valve is often found
closed and the maximum flowrate achieved is 3 gpm. Will these coupons give a representative corrosion rate of the system?
Why or why not?
When the normalized data indicates it is time to clean an RO, how does one determine the cleaning strategy and chemicals to
use?
Why size particles will a sand filter remove?
What rules of thumb should one use for sizing sidestream filtration on a cooling tower system?
How does one estimate the volume of a cooling tower system?
You cannot maintain cycles in your cooling tower, even though the blowdown valve is completely closed. You believe you
have a leak or unauthorized water withdrawal somewhere. How can you estimate the size of and find the leak?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using oxidizers as biocides in closed loops?
Both high and low pH's can corrode aluminum in a water system. What is typically considered the least corrosive pH range for
aluminum?
How do Heat Recovery Steam Generators (HRSG) differ from the typical boiler?
How does temperature affect softener backwash? Why is this important?
What is the benefit(s) of having a blowdown flash tank on a boiler?
In what ways could condensate be "polished" for reuse in the boiler system?
What are the advantages, disadvantages, and tips for using CO2 to pH control in cooling towers?
What is the rule of thumb for sizing cooling tower blowdown valves?
As you are driving up to an industrial plant, what are some possible things you can determine about the water systems from
this distant observation?
What problems can microbiological activity cause in a cooling tower system?
At atmospheric pressure, one pound (or kilogram) of liquid water will expand by how approximately how many times when
converted to steam?
Why does a typical, cocurrent water softener use a diluted brine solution during regeneration (e.g., 30 salometer degrees)
instead of a 100% saturated brine solution?
What local water initiatives are in your area? Are you involved with them? Feel free to provide websites if you have them.
Your pH meter gives you an unexpectedly high or low pH reading. What chemical reagents might the typical Water Treatment
Professional or industrial water lab have on hand to confirm whether these pH readings are in the "ballpark" of being correct?
Aside from the standard pinks & blues field equipment, what "extra" equipment have you found handy to have in the field
(e.g., magnet, magnifying glass, etc.)?
When the foulant to an RO is unknown, is it better to clean fist with at low pH or high pH cleaning solution?
What are neutralizing amine guidelines when steam is used for humidification?
What methods are available to monitor microbiological activity in cooling towers? What are their advantages and
disadvantages?
What is the optimal pH range for applying alum in clarification?
What methods are available for removing suspended solids from water?
Should catalyzed or uncatalyzed sulfite products be used for Reverse Osmosis dechlorination?
What are ways to decrease the likelihood of calcium carbonate scale in a cooling tower system?
What are the advantages/disadvantages of solid chemical blended products for cooling towers (e.g., corrosion and scale
inhibition) and boilers (e.g., scale inhibition and oxygen scavenging)?
Why is it important to keep spectrophotometer and colorimeter glassware clean and scratch free?
How can you use your sense of smell in water treatment?
What is the benefit to adding caustic to a dealkalizer regeneration sequence in addition to the brine?
In respect to the water side of the equation, how can boiler efficiency be improved? Think chemistry, equipment, operation,
etc.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using ferric chloride vs. ferric sulfate?

This is the 150th question asked of this group. While I still have many more questions to ask, some group members do submit
questions that I sometimes turn into official "Questions of the Day." There are many other groups that allow you to submit
your own questions; however, if you have a question, go ahead and submit it. If it fits the format of the group, I may turn it
into a "Question of the Day." So today's question is, "What questions would you ask of the Group?" (Please don't be
offended if I don't use your question and feel free to take advantage of the other groups to ask your question too.)

150

7/10/2012

What are Yours?

151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162

7/11/2012
7/13/2012
7/16/2012
7/18/2012
7/19/2012
7/20/2012
7/23/2012
7/24/2012
7/26/2012
7/27/2012
7/30/2012
7/31/2012

White Rust
Cooling Towers Costs
Oxygen Pitting
Gaseous Chlorine
Industrial Wastewater Types
Oily Wastewater
Biocide Selection
Tolyltriazole Testing
Cooling Towers & Ammonia
Cooling Tower Conductivity
Boiler Cycles Determination
High Purity pH Measurement

What is white rust and how is it prevented?

What variables influence the cost of running an industrial cooling tower? How do these variables interrelate?
What is oxygen pitting and what does it look like?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using gaseous chlorine for microbiological control?
What are the types of industrial wastewater one might experience?
What are ways to treat oily wastewater?
Which parameters help determine which biocide to use in a cooling system?
What are some challenges and tips when testing for tolyltriazole (TT or TTA) in a cooling system?
What affect will ammonia contamination have on a cooling tower system?
What effect, if any, do cooling tower chemical products have on system conductivity?
How do you determine the true cycles of concentration for a boiler using high-purity makeup?
What are some tips for measuring the pH of high purity water?

163

8/1/2012

Alternative Oxidizing Biocides

Aside from well-known oxidizing biocides such as chlorine gas and bleach, what other "cutting edge" oxidizing biocides are out
there? (Exception Granted: Members are allowed to share information on their own products for this question.)

164
165

8/2/2012
8/3/2012

Reverse Osmosis Pretreatment

Dry Flocculants

166

8/6/2012

Corrosion Coupons - Copper Vs. Mild Steel

167
168
169
170
171
172

8/7/2012
8/8/2012
8/9/2012
8/16/2012
8/17/2012
8/20/2012

Tannins vs. Sulfites

Developing Water Skills
Hearing
Macrofouling
Silica Solubility
Controlling Cooling Tower pH

What are pretreatment options to consider before a reverse osmosis unit?

What is the proper makedown procedure for dry flocculant polymers?
What is the problem with placing a copper corrosion coupon upstream of a mild steel corrosion coupon in a cooling tower
system?
How do tannins compare to sulfites when used for oxygen corrosion control in boilers?
How do you enhance your industrial water treatment skills?
In what ways can the sense of hearing be used in industrial water treatment?
How is macrofouling controlled (e.g., zebra mussels, bryozoans, etc.)?
What factors influence the solubility of silica?
When controlling cooling tower pH, how do you chose how low to drop the pH setpoint?

173

8/21/2012

Activated Carbon vs. Sulfite Pretreatment

What are the advantages/disadvantages of using activated carbon vs. sulfite chemistry as Reverse Osmosis pretreatment?

174

8/22/2012

Boiler Oxygenated Treatment

175

8/23/2012

Softener & Dealkalizer

176

8/24/2012

Citric Acid Cleaning

177
178

8/27/2012
8/28/2012

Predicting pH
Cooling Tower Treatment Chemistry

179

8/29/2012

Holding Time Index

180

8/30/2012

Neutralizing Amine Selection

181

8/31/2012

Permit-Required Confined Spaces

182

9/6/2012

Sulfite-Based Dechlorination

183
184
185

9/7/2012
9/10/2012
9/11/2012

Cooling Tower Inspection

Reverse Osmosis Rejection
Closed Loop Makeup

186

9/12/2012

Heat Exchanger Performance Evaluation

187
188
189
190

9/14/2012
9/17/2012
9/18/2012
9/24/2012

Glutaraldehyde biocide
Phosphate for Corrosion Control
Hydrofracking
Calcium Carbonate Scale

191

9/24/2012

Association of Water Technologies

192

9/25/2012

One Book

193

9/26/2012

Intermittent Cooling Tower Operation

194
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196
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198
199
200
201
202
203

9/27/2012
9/28/2012
10/1/2012
10/2/2012
10/11/2012
10/12/2012
10/15/2012
10/19/2012
10/22/2012
10/23/2012

Morpholine
RO Permeate pH
Grades of Salt
RO Rate of Salt Passage
RO Data Tracking
Metal Plating Water Savings
Cascading Boiler Blowdown
Books to be Written
Boiler Treatment Chemistry (Low to Medium Pressure)
Low Pressure Boiler Amine Choice

204

10/24/2012

Percent Evaporative Cooling

205
206
207

10/25/2012
10/26/2012
10/29/2012

LSI & Temperature

Iron & Softener Resin
Magnetic Iron

208

10/30/2012

Boiler Control

209
210

10/31/2012
11/1/2012

Safety
Resin Life

What are the advantages/disadvantages of operating boilers in oxidizing environments? For example, All Volatile TreatmentOxidizing (AVT-O) and Oxygenated Treatment (OT).
Why should a Chloride Anion Dealkalizer be preceded by a water softener?
What are some tips for using citric acid for cleaning water-related equipment? (For example: Which foulants is it effective
against? How should pH be controlled? What concentrations?)
With only the makeup water quality known, how do you predict the pH of the cycled up cooling tower water?
What factors do you consider when picking the right chemical products for cooling tower systems?
Within a cooling tower system, how is water chemistry and product selection affected by the Holding Time Index (i.e., half life,
residence time)?
What factors affect the choice of neutralizing amine in a boiler system?
What types of permit-required confined spaces are there with water-related equipment? Why is it important to follow the
confined space entry guidelines?
When dechlorinating with a sulfite-based product, do you also have to take into account the oxygen demand when calculating
product dosage? Why or why not?
What are some items to observe while inspecting a cooling tower?
What types of contaminants do RO membranes reject better than others?
Which is a better water for closed loop makeup: hard water, soft water, or high purity water? Why or why not?
If you wanted to do a Performance Evaluation on several heat exchangers at an industrial plant to determine performance,
utilization, fouling, and proper sizing, etc., what would you do? Is there software available to help?
What are advantages and disadvantages of using glutaraldehyde?
Can phosphate be used for corrosion control in a cooling tower system with soft water makeup?
What technologies are available to deal with the wastewater from Hydrofracking?
What will increase the likelihood of forming calcium carbonate scale in a water system?
For those members who just attended the Association of Water Technologies 2012 Convention, what new did you learn?
If you could recommend one book for someone starting off in Industrial Water Treatment, what would that book be?
During the fall and spring when cooling towers may be running intermittently depending upon the temperature, how do you
control corrosion while the system has no flow?
What is the lowest recommended boiler pressure for using morpholine as a condensate neutralizing amine?
What would cause the pH in Reverse Osmosis permeate to be higher than the pH of the feedwater?
What grade of salt should be used in water softeners?
Does the "rate of salt passage" depend upon pressure in a Reverse Osmosis system?
What Reverse Osmosis (RO) data should one record and how often?
How can metal plating operations reduce water usage?
What is cascading boiler blowdown and how is it implemented?
What books still need to be written in Industrial Water Treatment?
What factors do you consider when picking the right chemical products for low to medium pressure boiler systems?
When dealing with a 15 psig (or lower) boiler pressure, does this affect the neutralizing amine choice?
On average in the midwestern United States, approximately 75% of the annual cooling that takes place in a cooling tower is
due to evaporative cooling. The rest is sensible cooling. What is the percentage used in other parts of the country and world?
Which temperature should be used when calculating the Langelier Saturation Index? (Bulk water, skin, or other?)
Why can iron be bad for softener resin?
Are all forms of iron magnetic?
On a 150 psig (10.3 bar) boiler, you find the conductivity, sulfite, and phosphate readings are all 50% higher than setpoint.
Knowing only this information, what should be the corrective action?
What industrial water safety tips do you have to share to help us all come home to our families at night?
What are some typical life spans of various ion exchange resins?

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212
213

11/2/2012
11/6/2012
11/7/2012

Sacrificial Anodes
Alkalinity
Deposit Monitoring

214

11/9/2012

Sulfate vs. LSR/RSI

215
216

11/12/2012
11/13/2012

Boiler Condensate Microbiological Activity?

DBNPA

What advice do you have about the placement of sacrificial anodes in chiller end caps?
What is alkalinity?
What online systems are available for deposit monitoring in cooling towers?
Does the presence of a high level of sulfate (e.g., >500 ppm) have any impact on the interpretation of the LSI or RSI calculated
value?
Is it possible to have microbiological activity in boiler condensate?
How does the biocide DBNPA control microbiological activity in a cooling tower system?

217

11/14/2012

Softener vs. RO - Before or After

What are the advantages or disadvantages of placing the water softener upstream or downstream of a Reverse Osmosis unit?

218
219
220

11/15/2012
11/16/2012
11/19/2012

Flocculant Molecular Weights

Hydrogen Peroxide
Breaking Emulsified Oil

221

11/20/2012

Cooling Tower Iron

222
223

11/26/2012
11/27/2012

Wood Rot
DAF vs. IAF

What is wood rot in cooling towers and how can it be controlled?

What is the difference between Dissolved Air Filtration (DAF) and Induced Air Filtration (IAF)?

224

11/28/2012

Air Bubbles

What causes the release of small air bubbles in secondary clarifiers after activated sludge systems? Can it be controlled?

225

11/29/2012

LSI after Chemical Addition

226
227

11/30/2012
12/3/2012

Flocculant Application
Expressed as CaCO3

228

12/4/2012

RO Bisulfite & Microbiological Fouling

229

12/6/2012

Chlorides & Stainless Steel

230

12/10/2012

Open Cooling vs. Evaporative Condenser

231
232
233

12/11/2012
12/12/2012
12/13/2012

Online Chlorine Analyzers

Activated Sludge
Antifoams

234

12/14/2012

Do Industrial Water Treaters Retire?

235
236
237

12/17/2012
12/18/2012
12/19/2012

Cleaning Biofouled Cooling Tower

Boiler Precleaning
Emulsion Polymer

12/19/2012

Happy Holidays

1/1/2013

Happy New Year

238

1/7/2013

Wastewater Polymer Selection

239
240
241

1/9/2013
1/10/2013
1/11/2013

RO Energy Recovery
Your Story
Phosphonate Testing

242

1/14/2013

Time Sensitive Tests

243
244
245
246
247
248

1/15/2013
1/16/2013
1/17/2013
1/18/2013
1/21/2013
1/22/2013

Touch
PVC
Ultrafiltration Cleaning
Overcycled Cooling Tower
Boiler Steam Separation Devices
Taste

249

1/23/2013

Reverse Osmosis Prefilter

250

1/24/2013

Measuring Dissolved Oxygen (ppb)

251

1/25/2013

Increasing Condensate Return

252
253
254

1/28/2013
1/29/2013
1/30/2013

Nominal vs. Absolute

Beneficial Microorganisms?
Big Picture Advice

255

1/31/2013

Recovery Technology (Peer Submitted)

256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266

2/1/2013
2/4/2013
2/5/2013
2/6/2013
2/15/2013
2/19/2013
2/20/2013
2/21/2013
2/22/2013
2/25/2013
2/26/2013

Cooling Tower Chemical Tracing

Glycol Feed Systems (Peer Submitted)
RO vs. Temperature
Stabilized Bromine
Water & Energy
Slime vs. Biofilm
Cooling Tower Lifespan
Dissolved Metals
Galvanized Metals
Demineralization Train Order
Activated Carbon

267

2/27/2013

RO Costs (Peer Submitted)

268
269
270

2/28/2013
3/1/2013
3/4/2013

ATP Testing
Wastewater Polymer Overfeed
Microbiological Immunity

What is a molecular weight range for typical flocculants?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using hydrogen peroxide in a cooling tower system?
How do you demulsify or break emulsified oil in wastewater?
How much iron (mg/L) can reasonably be maintained in a cooling tower system with current polymer dispersant technology?

Can you calculate the Langelier Saturation Index (LSI) of a water after chemical addition? (A group member suggested this
interesting question.)
What is the proper way to apply flocculant in a wastewater application?
What is the advantage of expressing analytical results as CaCO3 (e.g., hardness, alkalinity)?
Can sulfite-based products fed before a reverse osmosis system for dechlorination make microbiological fouling worse? Do
you have examples where you've seen this?
What is the recommended chloride limit for a cooling tower system that has stainless steel components?
How do water treatment considerations differ when dealing with an Open Cooling Tower vs. an Evaporative Condenser (or
closed circuit) tower?
What online chlorine analyzers are available, and what has been your experience with them?
How do you know when you have healthy activated sludge in your biological wastewater treatment system?
How do antifoams work, where are they used, and what types are available?
In a field that seems to appreciate experience and knowledge as much as industrial water treatment does, do water treatment
professionals ever really "retire" or do they just keep contributing until they slowly dissolve away?
What advice do you have about cleaning a biofouled cooling tower?
Why should a new boiler system be precleaned prior to putting it online?
What is an emulsion polymer (in relation to wastewater treatment)?
I will be on vacation starting December 20 and returning January 7. Depending upon what I find myself up to, you may or may
not find daily questions posted during this time period. Regardless, I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy New
Year, and Joyous whatever other holiday you may celebrate during this time of year.
Happy New Year to all our members! Here's to a profitable, prosperous new year for all! The daily questions will start back up
on Monday, January 7, 2013.
This is a big question, but what guidance do you have in regards to proper wastewater polymer selection? Cationic vs.
anionic? Low, medium, or high molecular weight or charge?
What type of energy recovery schemes are available for Reverse Osmosis?
How did you end up in industrial water treatment?
Phosphonate testing can be a challenge at times. What tips and cautions do you have?
Some analytical tests are very time sensitive due to changes in the sample as it sits and should be run almost immediately.
What are some examples of such time sensitive analytical tests?
In what ways can one use the sense of touch in industrial water treatment?
What are some concerns with using PVC piping in industrial water treatment?
How does one perform a Clean-in-Place of an ultrafiltration system?
What are the risks of cycling a cooling tower's water too high (i.e., allowing the water to become too concentrated)?
How do steam separation devices work in boilers?
In what ways can one use the sense of taste in industrial water treatment?
RO's typically have a train of pretreatment equipment upstream (e.g., multimedia filters, softeners). What is the purpose of
having an RO prefilter immediately upstream of the unit?
What methods are available for measuring dissolved oxygen in the parts-per-billion range for boiler applications?
What are the effects of increasing condensate return on a boiler system? (For example, going from 50% condensate return to
90%.)
What is the difference between nominal and absolute filter ratings?
Are there any beneficial microorganisms in a cooling system?
What big-picture advice do you have for people new to the field of industrial water treatment?
Is there a system to recover 0.6% Mono Ethylene Glycol from the cooling water in a PET/Polyester fiber manufacturing plant
which uses Terephthalic Acid and MEG in a polycondensation reaction? If so, who are the technology suppliers? Who
manufactures it, and how do I get in touch with them? (Question submitted by Ahmed Soorma)
What options are available for the tracing of chemical products in cooling tower systems (e.g., 3D TRASAR, BlueTrak)?
What is the importance of glycol feed systems, and what issues have you seen?
What effect will temperature have on Reverse Osmosis membrane performance?
What is "stabilized bromine," and what are advantages/disadvantages of using it?
When calculating the "true value" of water, what energy costs should be considered?
Is there a difference between "slime" and "biofilm?" (Question submitted by Scott Lamb)
What are typical lifespans of cooling towers?
What methods are available to remove dissolved heavy metals from a wastewater?
What special considerations does using galvanized metals pose in water treatment?
Why do cation resin units come before anion resin units in demineralizer trains?
Aside from free chlorine removal, what other benefits can activated carbon provide in industrial water treatment?
What are the average additional costs to produce RO water from municipal water with a low SDI (including equipment cost
and operational cost)? (The member who submitted this question has estimated the additional costs to be $2.50-$3.75/1,000
US gallons and wants to see if others agree.)
What are the pros and cons of using ATP testing to monitor microbiological activity in a water system?
What can happen if you overfeed polymer in a wastewater application?
Can microbes become immune to certain biocides?

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3/5/2013
3/6/2013
3/7/2013
3/8/2013
3/11/2013
3/13/2013

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3/14/2013

278
279

3/15/2013
3/18/2013

280

3/19/2013

Stabilized vs. Unstabilized Bromine

Fire Suppression Systems
Phosphonate Chlorine Tolerance
Ion Exchange and Pressure
Jar Testing
Aging

What are the differences between stabilized and unstabilized bromine-based biocides?
What water treatment challenges do fire suppression systems pose?
Which phosphonates are more chlorine tolerant than others?
Is there any relationship between ion exchange performance and vessel pressure? (Peer submitted)
What is "jar testing?"
What is "aging" in regards to the preparation of wastewater polymers?
Calculating the remaining chemical volume in a vertical cylinder tank is easy, but what if the cylinder tank is laying
Chemical Volume in Horizontal Cylinder Tank (in honor of Pi Day 3/14)
horizontally? Knowing the depth of liquid in the horizontal tank, how does one calculate chemical volume?
Reducing Calcium Carbonate Scale
What methods are available to reduce calcium carbonate scale in industrial water applications?
Detackification
How does wastewater detackification work?
What are "nonchemical devices" (NCD) in water treatment, and how do they work? (Please read the introductory statements
Nonchemical Alternatives
by the moderator for ground rules on this topic.)
Nonchemical devices is a topic ripe with emotion on both sides of the issue, and a topic I have not approached before now. As
the moderator, I am asking and will be vigilant about each side sticking to the facts, avoiding emotional attacks, and no
advertising. This can be a very good discussion if we all play fair and professionally. I will do my best to be fair to both sides,
but I will delete comments without further discussion as I see fit to maintain the decorum of this venue. You are allowed to
include hyperlinks to your website for case studies and pertinent facts, but please avoid brand names.

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3/20/2013
3/21/2013

Monovalent vs. Divalent Membrane Selectivity?

Water Treatment Degrees

283

3/21/2013

Industrial Water Treatment Magazine

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285
286

3/22/2013
4/1/2013
4/2/2013

Reverse Osmosis and Iron

Ammonia Removal
Sludge Thickeners

If you do not agree with what someone has said, please state it matter of factly and why, without insulting the individual or
company. I am personally convinced that, almost universally, we all want what's best for our customers. Some of us have
taken alternative routes in hope they pay off.
Personally, there are many nonchemical devices I have varying levels of confidence including filters, electrostatic precipitation,
and even a case could be made for softeners and reverse osmosis being "relatively" nonchemical. Other technologies have yet
to gain my confidence with properly vetted testing and case studies.
Are there membranes that offer monovalent vs. divalent selectivity in a water-based environment?
Are there any colleges/universities that offer degrees in water treatment?
For those who don't know, there is also a trade magazine called INDUSTRIAL WATER TREATMENT published by Tall Oaks
Publishing Inc., the same folks who publish the ULTRAPURE WATER journal. There is no connection between this LinkedIn
Group and the magazine aside from the fact that they happen to share the same name. The magazine is aware of this
LinkedIn group and asked if they could publish one of our conversation threads. I said, "Why not!" since we have stated in the
Group Rules that "This is an open group, which means it will be indexed by search engines (e.g., Google). As a result, it is
hoped that member involvement will enhance their own online credibility." We chose the Tannin vs. Boiler Sulfite discussion,
and it was published in the January/February issue of the online magazine here:
http://digital.ultrapurewater.com/DigitalAnywhere/viewer.aspx?id=58&pageId=26&refid=392894&s=upws
What are the upper reverse osmosis feedwater limits for iron? Why is iron a problem, and how can it be controlled?
What methods are there for removing ammonia from water?
What are sludge thickeners, and why are they important?

287

4/3/2013

Liquid Smoke (Peer Submitted)

How would one treat the wastewater effects of a poultry plant starting to use "liquid smoke?" (See more in comment below.)

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4/4/2013
4/5/2013
4/8/2013
4/9/2013
4/10/2013
4/11/2013
4/12/2013
4/15/2013

UV
Zinc
Nitrite
Coagulation vs. Flocculation
True Cost of Water
Entering a Boiler
Pilot Research Boiler (Peer Submitted)
Filter Aid

296

4/16/2013

CA vs. PA Membranes

What are the advantages/disadvantages of using cellulose acetate (CA) versus polyamide (PA) reverse osmosis membranes?

297

4/17/2013

Nitrite vs. Microbiological Activity

298

4/18/2013

Chlorine vs. PA Membranes

299
300

4/19/2013
4/22/2013

Microfloc
Years of Experience

How does microbiological activity affect the use of nitrites in closed loops?
Why is chlorine incompatible with polyamide (PA) reverse osmosis membranes? What can worsen or reduce the effects of
chlorine on PA membranes?
What properties must one look for in microfloc (pin floc) to know it is time to add flocculant? (Peer Submitted)
How many years of industrial water treatment experience do you have?

301

4/23/2013

Softener Conductivity

Why is the conductivity of a softener's effluent water a little different than the influent water? Is it typically higher or lower?

302
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305
306
307

4/24/2013
4/25/2013
4/29/2013
4/30/2013
5/1/2013
5/2/2013

Heat Exchanger Approach Temperature

Iron Deposits & Dispersants (Peer Submitted)
Filming Amine Over Feed
Dirt Loading
Economizer Issues
Multimedia Filter pH Change (Peer Submitted)

308

5/3/2013

Walking In

309
310

5/6/2013
5/7/2013

Ceramic Membranes
Legends

How does one calculate the approach temperature of a heat exchanger?

What levels of iron can be carried in a water application, and what dispersants can be used to minimize deposits?
What could happen if a filming amine is overfed in a steam system?
What is meant by "dirt loading" in regards to filtration?
What issues might an economizer have if water chemistry is not managed properly?
What would cause the pH to change across a multimedia filter?
What is your routine as you walk into a powerhouse or water plant? What do you notice? What do you read? To whom do
you talk?
What are the advantages/disadvantages of using ceramic membranes?
In your opinion, who are the "legends" of the industrial water treatment industry?

5/8/2013

Inc. Article on this Group

Check out the article by Jeff Haden on our Industrial Water Treatment group. http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/7-ways-tocreate-awesome-linkedin-group.html I had commented on one of his other articles which lead to a discussion of this group.
He asked if he could write an article about it, and I said, "Sure!" Thank you guys for making this such a great group!

311
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313

5/9/2013
5/10/2013
5/13/2013

Using LinkedIn
Training "Back in the Day"
Steam Traps

How do you use LinkedIn to make connections, grow business, and learn about industrial water treatment?
What was the training like "back in the day" at the big water treatment companies (e.g., Six Pack companies)?
How do steam traps separate liquid condensate from steam?

314

5/14/2013

Analog vs. Digital Conductivity Meter

315
316

5/15/2013
5/16/2013

Storing pH Probe
Categories of People Employed

317

5/17/2013

Test Kits

318

5/20/2013

Acronyms

What are the advantages/disadvantages of using ultraviolet light for disinfection in a water system?
How does zinc inhibit corrosion in water systems?
What is the mechanism for nitrite corrosion inhibition?
What is the difference between coagulation and flocculation?
What is the "true" cost of water? What should be considered beyond the basic water bill?
What suggested precautions should one take before entering a boiler for inspection?
How would one develop a small scale boiler for testing various boiler chemistries?
What is "filter aid" chemistry?

Are analog conductivity meters accurate enough for industrial water treatment or should digital meters be used instead?
Should deionized water be used for pH probe storage?
Aside from engineers and chemists, what other categories of people are employed in industrial water treatment?
For those who carry portable test kits, do you prefer drop tests, burettes, digital titrators, or other type of kit? What's the
basis of your preference?
What are some examples of acronyms used in industrial water treatment that can mean more than one thing (e.g., PAC, SDI)
or even two different acronyms that mean the same thing?

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5/21/2013

Book?

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5/22/2013
5/23/2013
5/24/2013
5/28/2013
5/29/2013
5/30/2013
5/31/2013
6/3/2013
6/4/2013
6/5/2013
6/6/2013

CO2 vs. Condensate

DBNPA vs. RO
Titles (Peer Submitted)
Oxygen vs. Condensate
Pump Seal Failure
Knowledge Management
Estimating Conductivity
Lime Softening Sludge
Sulfate Reducing Bacteria
Water Experiments for Kids
Deaeration vs. Antifoams

331

6/7/2013

Phosphate Reversion Rates

332
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335
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340

6/11/2013
6/12/2013
6/13/2013
6/14/2013
6/17/2013
6/18/2013
6/19/2013
6/20/2013
6/24/2013

Boiler Scale and Deposits

Mixed Bed Demineralizer Exhaustion
Warm Caustic (Peer Submitted)
Molybdate
Silica
Mixed-Bed Anion vs. Cation Resin Exhaustion (Peer Submitted)
Brine Saturation Time
Calculating Evaporation
Emulsion Polymer Mixing

341

6/25/2013

What If You're Doing a Bad Job?

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348
349
350

6/27/2013
7/2/2013
7/8/2013
7/9/2013
7/10/2013
7/11/2013
7/15/2013
7/16/2013
7/17/2013

Maximum Cooling Tower Cycles of Concentration

Blowdown Valves
Windshield Time
High Pressure Boiler Phosphate Selection
RO High Pressure Drop
Chromate
Cooling Tower Blowdown Reuse
Oil Detection
DEHA

351

7/18/2013

Softener Brine Reuse/Recovery

352
353
354
355
356
357
358

7/19/2013
7/22/2013
7/23/2013
7/30/2013
7/31/2013
8/1/2013
8/5/2013

Bleach Injection Point Clogging

Boiler Blowdown Reuse
First Things First
Removing Phosphate
Cooling Tower Acid Trough
Dissolved Organics in Produced Water (Peer Submitted)
Copper Erosion Corrosion

359

8/6/2013

Units of Measure

360
361
362

8/7/2013
8/8/2013
8/13/2013

FOG Test
Polyampholyte
Sweep Floc

363

8/14/2013

H2O2 & Air Washer

364

8/16/2013

Water Analysis vs. Elevated Chlorine

365
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8/19/2013
8/20/2013
8/21/2013
8/22/2013
8/26/2013
8/27/2013
8/28/2013
8/29/2013
8/30/2013
9/4/2013
9/5/2013
9/6/2013
9/11/2013

Description from Others

Cooling Tower Controllers
ORP
Cavitation
Equalization
Inclined-Plate Clarifiers
Flocculant Mixing
Turbidity Measurement
Removing Acetone and Acetaldehyde (Peer Submitted)
Calcium Testing
RO Normalization Software (Peer Submitted)
Benchmarking Reports
Mixed-Bed vs. Single-Bed Demineralization (Peer Submitted)

378

9/12/2013

NON-Water Treatment-Professional Resources

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9/13/2013
9/16/2013
9/17/2013
9/18/2013
9/19/2013
9/20/2013
9/24/2013
9/25/2013
9/27/2013
9/30/2013
10/1/2013
10/2/2013

Types of Corrosion
Chemical Product Concentration
Chlorides vs. Corrosion
Proper Chemical Delivery (Peer Submitted)
Watertube Steam Purity Problems
Cooling Tower Wood
What Are You Doing Today?
Metals Precipitation
Green Chemistry
Globally Harmonized System (GHS)
Data Centers
Parts of the Cooling Tower System

What are the pros and cons of this group developing a book? What are the complications? What are the liabilities? What
would the group gain as a whole? How could it be kept fair? Should this group even consider such a project? Is it
appropriate?
How does carbon dioxide affect a condensate system?
How should DBNPA be applied to a reverse osmosis system? (Feed frequency, dosage, etc.)
What do water treatment professionals call ourselves? What are the ranges of job titles we use?
How does oxygen get into a condensate system?
What are water-related causes for a pump seal to fail?
How is industrial water knowledge managed within your company?
Knowing the specific ions in the water from a water analysis, how can the conductivity be estimated?
What are possible uses for sludge generated by the lime softening process?
How can you determine if you have sulfate reducing bacteria in your system causing corrosion?
What are some cool water experiments to show or do with children?
Can antifoams improve the oxygen removal efficiency of deaerators?
Complex inorganic or organic phosphates can break down and revert to orthophosphate in a cooling system. What reversion
rates (or percentages) do you assume and how do you determine this?
What are typical scales and deposits seen in low pressure boilers (<600 psig or 40 bar)?
What is the first ion to typically leak through a mixed bed demineralizer as it nears exhaustion?
What is the advantage of using warm caustic for regenerating strong base anion resin?
How does molybdate function as a corrosion inhibitor?
How does silica function as a corrosion inhibitor?
In a mixed-bed demineralizer, should cation or anion resin be designed to exhaust first? Why?
How long does it take for brine in a brine tank to reach saturation between refills?
How do you calculate cooling tower evaporation?
How frequently should a container of emulsion polymer be mixed to maintain the emulsion?
For industrial water treatment providers, how and when should the end user (e.g., client) let you know they are unsatisfied
with your service?
How do you determine the maximum cycles of concentration to run a cooling tower?
What should one consider when selecting the type of blowdown valve to use?
What are some productive things you can do (safely) as you are driving to and from a water treatment account?
How do you chose which phosphate to use for high-pressure-boiler coordinated phosphate programs?
What problems can a high pressure drop across a Reverse Osmosis unit cause?
What were the advantages/disadvantages of using chromate in cooling systems? Is it still used anywhere?
Can cooling tower blowdown be reused or recycled in any way (e.g., agricultural irrigation)?
How can oil be detected in a water sample onsite?
What are the advantages/disadvantages of using DEHA? Where and how is it used? What does it do?
What salt savings can be realized by reusing/recycling brine during softener regeneration? Does reusing/recycling softener
brine really work?
How can you keep a bleach injection point from clogging when feeding to a cooling tower side stream?
Can boiler blowdown be reused or recycled?
What is the first information you need to know when choosing a chemical/physical solution for a water system?
What methods are available for removing phosphate from wastewater?
Why would one use an "acid trough" to feed acid to a cooling tower, and how should it be designed?
What are options to remove dissolved organics in produced water during the oil refinery process?
What does copper erosion corrosion look like?
What units of measure do you use for pressure, flow rate, volume, concentration, conductivity, flow velocity, etc? (Please
identify your country too.)
Will the Fats, Oil, and Grease (FOG) test include any other contaminants besides just fats, oils, and greases?
What is a polyampholyte?
What is "sweep floc?"
Does anyone have any experience to share on feeding hydrogen peroxide in an air washer system (e.g., levels to maintain,
control schemes, etc.)?
How may elevated levels of chlorine (or other oxidants) affect the behavior of typical water analysis (e.g., total alkalinity, total
hardness, etc.)? How could you compensate for the effect?
How do your spouses, children, and friends describe what you do for a living to others?
What is your favorite brand and model of cooling tower controllers? Why?
What is ORP and how is it useful in water treatment?
What is cavitation and why is it bad for a pump?
In wastewater treatment, what is the purpose of the Equalization Tank (EQ Tank)?
What are some advantages of using inclined-plate clarifiers (e.g., Lamella)?
What is the proper way to mix a flocculant into a wastewater stream (e.g., fast, slow, short time, long time)?
How is turbidity measured?
How do you remove acetone and/or acetaldehyde from process water?
How does one test for calcium, and what test interferences are there?
What reverse osmosis data normalization software is available?
What benchmarking reports are available about the industrial water treatment industry?
For boiler pretreatment, what are the benefits and costs associated with mixed-bed vs. single-bed demineralization?
What resources (e.g., books, websites) are available for the NON-water-treatment professional (e.g., plant engineer, end user,
operator) to understand their systems and needs?
What are the general types of corrosion found in industrial water treatment systems?
How do you determine whether your chemical product has been blended to the correct concentration?
How do chlorides affect corrosion?
What do end users do to ensure the proper chemicals are delivered to the correct storage containers/tanks?
What can cause problems with steam purity on <600 psig (<40 bar) watertube boilers?
When a cooling tower has wooden components, what do you need to know and do?
What water-related activity are you doing today?
What chemistries are available to precipitate metals out of water in wastewater treatment?
What is Green Chemistry and how is does it apply to industrial water treatment?
What is the Globally Harmonized System (GHS), and why is it important to industrial water treatment?
What water challenges and needs are faced by data centers?
What are the parts of the cooling tower system that an industrial water management professional needs to consider?

391

10/3/2013

Silt Density Index (SDI)

392

10/4/2013

Boiler Polymer Feed Point

393

10/7/2013

Sodium Hydroxide vs. Ammonia

394

10/9/2013

Tomorrow (Peer Submitted)

395

10/10/2013

Boiler Fireside

396
397
398
399
400

10/11/2013
10/15/2013
10/16/2013
10/17/2013
10/18/2013

Fluoride Removal
Selenium Removal
Molybdate Replacement
Selenium Form (Peer Submitted)
400th Question of the Day: Education

401

10/21/2013

DAF

402
403
404
405
406
407
408

10/22/2013
10/23/2013
10/29/2013
11/4/2013
11/6/2013
11/8/2013
11/12/2013

Polyacrylamide (PAM) (Peer Submitted)

Scale & Corrosion Inhibitor Feedpoints
Ion Exchange vs. Reverse Osmosis (Peer Submitted)
Silica Removal with Magnesium Oxide (Peer Submitted)
Softener vs. Antiscalant before Reverse Osmosis
Cleaning a Cooling Tower
Silica in Boilers

409

11/14/2013

Top USA Water Treatment Services

410

11/15/2013

Valuable Waste

411
412

11/19/2013
11/20/2013

Professional Licenses
Condensate Corrosion

413

11/22/2013

Comparing Industrial Water Service Providers (Peer Submitted)

414

11/25/2013

Cleaning Scaled Boilers

415

11/28/2013

Thanksgiving

416

12/2/2013

Decommissioning RO Plant (Peer Submitted)

What are some guidelines and recommendations for decommissioning a Reverse Osmosis plant for long-term preservation?

417
418
419
420
421

12/3/2013
12/4/2013
12/5/2013
12/9/2013
12/10/2013

Essential Tools (Peer Submitted)

Softeners vs. Chloride Discharge Limitations
Metal Hydroxide Precipitation
Arsenic Removal
Filter Selection

422

12/11/2013

Cooling Tower Cycles Determination

423
424
425
426
427

12/12/2013
12/13/2013
12/16/2013
12/17/2013
12/18/2013

Cooling Tower Fill

Snake Oil Salesmen
Nitrate Treatment (Peer Submitted)
Boiler Explosion
Ultrasonic Disinfection in Water Tanks (Peer Submitted)

428

12/19/2013

Iron Testing

429

12/20/2013

Boiler Carryover Problems

430

12/23/2013

Evaporative Credits

431

12/30/2013

RO Concentrate Treatment

432

12/31/2013

High Pressure Boiler Problem (Peer Submitted)

433

1/7/2014

Jobs

434

1/8/2014

Leaking Steam Traps

435

1/9/2014

Water Testing Resources

436
437
438

1/10/2014
1/13/2014
1/14/2014

RO Probing
Testing Supplies Labels (Peer Submitted)
Data Collection

439

1/16/2014

Observing a Plant

440
441
442
443

1/17/2014
1/21/2014
1/24/2014
1/28/2014

Deaerator Steam vs. Accountant

Reverse Osmosis Prefilter Rating
What to do with Data?
Fuel Type & Water Treatment

What is a list of essential tools for an industrial water treatment professional (e.g., jar test kit, SDI kit, etc.)?
Are chloride discharge limitations restricting the use of water softeners in your area?
What are some tips for using metal hydroxide precipitation in wastewater treatment?
What methods are available for removing arsenic from a wastewater?
How do you properly select and size a filter?
Aside from using conductivity and chlorides, what are other methods of determining the cycles of concentration in a cooling
tower?
How does the type of cooling tower fill affect the choice of water treatment, if at all?
Are industrial water treatment companies just snake oil salesmen?
How do you treat for high nitrate levels in drinking water?
What can lead to a boiler explosion?
What is your experience with using ultrasonic treatment for disinfection in water tanks?
What recommendations do you have for iron testing (e.g., sample run time, material of construction of sample point, test
method, etc.)?
What problems can boiler carryover cause in low, medium, and high pressure boiler systems?
When water utilities charge customers based upon incoming water, how does one avoid paying sewage fees on water
evaporated by cooling towers or other consumptive processes?
Are there wastewater treatment issues with antiscalant and biocide in reverse osmosis (RO) concentrate? If so, how do you
handle the issues?
A high pressure boiler with demineralized makeup has a whitish film. Deposit analysis shows high iron, phosphate, and
hardness. There appears to be no condenser tube leaks and the feedwater quality is within requirements. Boiler water
analysis showed chlorides and hardness. Phosphate was near zero even though TSP was being dosed at higher rates.
Hardness and chloride levels are slowly dropping. What advice do you have to help track down probably causes and solve the
problem?
I'm feeling generous, so let's start off this new year with a different kind of post: Jobs. Are you looking for a job? Are you
hiring? For this once-a-year opportunity to reach over 3,064 members, please post either here.
Why are leaking steam traps a problem?
What are good resources for understanding the background chemistry, interferences, etc. of chemical water tests (e.g.,
Hardness, Calcium, Phosphate, etc.)?
How and why do you probe an RO?
Private-label or trusted third party name? What do you prefer on your testing supplies and why?
What do water treatment professionals and companies use to collect and store their water-related data?
When standing above an industrial plant looking out over the various processes, what might you see that would tell you about
the state of the water operations?
How do you convince the company accountant that the steam venting off the deaerator is not a waste of money?
What filter rating should be used on a reverse-osmosis prefilter (e.g., 1 micron, 5 micron, 10 micron, etc.)?
You've recorded LOTS of data, now what do you do with it?
How does the type of fuel used in a boiler affect the water treatment program?

444

2/3/2014

RO Cleaning Endpoint

During a Clean-in-Place (CIP), how do you know when you have cleaned an RO enough and can place the unit back online?

445

2/4/2014

Technical Department

446

2/6/2014

Demineralizers, Silica and Conductivity

447

2/7/2014

Condensate Sampling

How does your Technical Department offer support to the water management professionals in the field?
Why does the conductivity of demineralizer effluent often decrease at the end of a service run when silica breakthrough
occurs?
What is the proper way to sample condensate?

What is the Silt Density Index (SDI)? What are the strengths and weaknesses of this test?
Where is the optimal location for feeding polymer to a low/medium pressure boiler system and why? What are alternative
feed locations?
What are the advantages/disadvantages of using sodium hydroxide vs. ammonia for pH control? How would usage rates
compare?
What are you doing for tomorrow? What are you doing to improve industrial water technologies, service, techniques,
conservation, water/wastewater quality, etc?
Why would a water management professional be interested in the fireside of a boiler system (both low and high pressure)?
What methods are there for removing fluoride from water?
What methods are there for removing selenium from water?
What are possible replacements for using molybdate as a tracer in a water treatment chemical product?
How does the form of selenium affect the treatment processes considered?
What type and level of education does one need to be an industrial water treatment professional?
When should a Dissolved Air Filtration (DAF) be used vs. other clarification technologies where solids sink instead of float?
How do you determine the active content of polyacrylamide (PAM)?
What are the various methods of feeding scale and corrosion inhibitor to a cooling tower system?
Should ion exchange or reverse osmosis be used? What factors go into deciding between these two technologies?
What advantages can Magnesium Oxide (MgO) offer over traditional Lime & Dolomite dosing for silica removal?
Which is your preferred method and why: softener or antiscalant as pretreatment for an RO?
What are tips and advice for a typical maintenance cleaning of a cooling tower?
Why are silica levels controlled in boilers?
Who are the top suppliers of outsourced water treatment services for industrial facilities in the United States? Which of these
suppliers offers operation and maintenance services (i.e., without equipment rental)?
What are some industrial water examples where waste was turned into value (e.g., wastewater sludge, waste streams)?
What professional licenses are available and help in industrial water treatment?
What does condensate line corrosion typically look like?
How should an end-user (e.g., company) compare industrial water service providers when going out for bid? What questions
should they ask? How should they manage references?
How do you clean scaled boilers?
Today is the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. I am thankful for many things; one of which is this Industrial Water
Group. What a wonderful, global community we have formed! Thank you for all the experiences, information, and good will
that you have shared. Even if you are not from the United States, what are you thankful for today?

448
449
450

2/10/2014
2/11/2014
2/13/2014

Carbonic Acid & Amine

Iron Filtration Test
Bottom Blowdown

451

2/14/2014

Air Scrubbing Cooling Towers

452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459
460
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471

2/17/2014
2/18/2014
2/19/2014
2/20/2014
2/21/2014
2/25/2014
2/28/2014
3/3/2014
3/4/2014
3/5/2014
3/6/2014
3/7/2014
3/10/2014
3/11/2014
3/12/2014
3/14/2014
3/17/2014
3/20/2014
3/21/2014
3/25/2014

Non-Oxidizing Biocide vs. Iron-Depositing Bacteria (Peer Submitted)

Sludge Thickening with Polymers
Potable H2S Removal
DBNPA: Oxidizing or Nonoxidizing
KOI
KPI
Silica & Cooling Towers (Peer Submitted)
Heterotrophic Plate Counts
Condensate Contamination Sources
CO2 vs. Other Acids for pH Control
Biodispersants
Cooling Towers on Soft Water
Aluminum Corrosion Rates
Webinars
Apps
What End User Should Know
Boroscopes/Video Scopes
ZLD
Oxygen Scavenger Feed Points
Condensate Return

3/31/2014

On Vacation Last Week

472
473
474

4/1/2014
4/2/2014
4/3/2014

Universal Solvent
FAC
Convincing Unbelievers (Peer submitted)

475

4/4/2014

Receiving Negative News

476
477
478
479
480
481

4/7/2014
4/8/2014
4/10/2014
4/11/2014
4/14/2014
4/15/2014

Isothiazolin vs. Sulfides (Peer submitted)

Algae and Moss on Louvers (Peer submitted)
Mild Steel Pitting Corrosion
Jokes
RO Membrane Lifespan
Water Testing Interferences

482

4/16/2014

Cold Lime vs. Hot Lime Softening

483
484

4/17/2014
4/21/2014

Sludge Bed Control

Changes pH but not Alkalinity (Peer submitted)

485

4/22/2014

Ideal RO CIP Frequency

486

4/24/2014

Cooling Tower Particle Size

487

4/28/2014

RO Stages

488
489

4/29/2014
4/30/2014

RO Cleaning Effect on Membrane

RO Membrane Cleaning Damage

490

5/1/2014

Hazardous Atmospheres

491
492
493
494
495
496
497
498
499
500

5/6/2014
5/8/2014
5/9/2014
5/12/2014
5/13/2014
5/14/2014
5/15/2014
5/16/2014
5/19/2014
5/20/2014

Nanofiltration vs. Reverse Osmosis

Cooling Tower Drift
Aluminum Boilers
Boiler Program Selection
Common Drain
RO & Biocides (Peer submitted)
Cooling Tower Automatic Monitoring
Chlorine Dioxide & Cooling Towers
Scaling Indices
Softener Resin Iron Fouling Cleaning

501

5/21/2014

Scaling Rate (Peer Submitted)

502
503
504

5/22/2014
5/23/2014
5/30/2014

Pockets
Deaerator Inspection
Stainless Steel Erosion Corrosion

505

6/2/2014

Legionella Laws in United States

506

6/3/2014

Food & Beverage Trade Shows

507

6/4/2014

Other LinkedIn Groups

508

6/5/2014

Treating Spent Brine from SAC Softening (Peer submitted)

509
510
511
512
513
514
515
516

6/6/2014
6/9/2014
6/12/2014
6/13/2014
6/16/2014
6/17/2014
6/18/2014
6/19/2014

Passion
Cleaning Calcium Sulfate Scale
Chlorides Test
Sodium Sulfate Removal (Peer submitted)
New & Future Technologies (Peer submitted)
Member-Written Blogs, etc.
Microbiological Activity in High Purity Water
Power Trade Shows

How much amine is required to neutralize carbonic acid in condensate systems?

What does an iron filtration test on condensate tell you (e.g., Babcock & Wilcox method)? How is it useful?
How does one determine the recommended frequency and duration of the bottom blowdown on a boiler?
What contaminants get scrubbed from the air by cooling towers? Are they seasonal? What impact can they have on the
system?
What non-oxidizing biocides are effective against iron-depositing bacteria in cooling water and at what dosages?
How can polymers enhance the sludge thickening processes?
What is the recommend way to remove H2S from potable drinking water?
Is DBNPA an oxidizing or nonoxidizing biocide?
What is a KOI, and how do you use it?
What is a KPI, and how do you use it?
What types of silica scales form in cooling tower systems and where?
What do heterotrophic plate counts of planktonic microorganisms tell about an industrial water system?
What are some sources of boiler condensate contamination? Please give examples.
Why would carbon dioxide be used instead of other acids (e.g., HCl, H2SO4) for pH control?
What are biodispersants and how can they improve microbiological control?
What is the best treatment for cooling towers on soft water?
What are industry accepted corrosion rates for aluminum (e.g., mpy)?
Are there any upcoming webinars about industrial water treatment that the general public is invited to attend?
What smartphone/tablet apps do you use that make your job easier as a water management professional?
What do water management professionals wish the end user knew?
What boroscopes/video scopes do you recommend for industrial water systems inspection?
Is zero liquid discharge (ZLD) really possible?
What are the recommended oxygen scavenger feed points to a boiler system?
How do you calculate percent condensate return for a boiler system?
FYI, I was on vacation last week and am behind on approving some comments, granting membership, and reading most of the
posts from last week. I will catch up soon though.
Why is water called the "universal solvent?"
What is FAC?
How do you convince someone who doesn't believe in cooling tower chemical treatment?
How do you handle disappointing news (e.g., lost bid, lost customer, missed promotion, etc.) in your business and career?
Is isothiazolin deactivated by sulfides, and, if so, what is the ppm/ppm ratio?
What can be done to minimize algae and moss growing on cooling tower louvers?
What can cause pitting corrosion in mild steel?
Know any good water jokes? (I'm not talking about your competitors.) (Chemistry jokes will work too.)
What is a typical lifespan for reverse osmosis membranes?
What are some of the most common test interferences when analyzing boiler and cooling tower water chemistry?
What are the pros and cons of cold lime softening versus hot lime softening? When would one be chosen over the other?
How do you control the sludge bed in a clarifier?
Can one decrease the pH without decreasing the total alkalinity of an open-circuit cooling tower?
What is the "ideal" clean-in-place (CIP) frequency for a reverse osmosis unit (e.g., 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months,
etc.)?
What are typical particle sizes (in microns) found in cooling tower water?
Why are reverse osmosis systems designed in stages (e.g., 6:2 array) instead of just one stage (e.g., all the membranes in the
first stage)?
What effect does cleaning have on reverse osmosis membranes?
Does cleaning damage an RO membrane?
Atmospheric testing is required for confined space entry. What kinds of hazards atmospheres might an industrial water
treatment professional be concerned about?
What is the difference between Nanofiltration and Reverse Osmosis?
What is the estimated drift rate from modern cooling towers?
What are water treatment recommendations for aluminum boilers?
In dealing with lower-pressure boilers (<450 psi or 3.1 MPa), how does one choose a chemical treatment program?
What could happen if a dealkalizer, water softener, and boiler blowdown all share the same drain?
What biocides can be used with polyamide reverse osmosis membranes?
What cooling tower parameters can be monitored automatically with sensors and controllers?
Is chlorine dioxide an effective biocide to use in cooling towers? What are the advantages and disadvantages?
What are the various scaling indices available to predict the tendency of scale formation?
How is softener resin cleaned from iron fouling?
There are industry-accepted corrosion rates, but are there industry-accepted scaling rates in open, recirculating cooling
systems? If so, how can it be monitored?
What do you routinely carry in your pockets as you manage industrial water treatment systems?
What are some checklist items to observe and note during a deaerator inspection?
What would erosion corrosion look like on stainless steel?
What are the current laws on the books in the United States that regulate the control of Legionella in water systems? (This
does not include guidelines from trade organizations.)
What food & beverage trade shows are beneficial for industrial water companies to attend and exhibit (i.e., not too retail
focused, but production focused)?
What other LinkedIn groups do you find beneficial?
In what ways can spent brine from the regeneration of a strong-acid-cation softener be treated for reuse elsewhere in the
plant?
How do you keep your passion or reignite your passion in industrial water treatment?
What are recommended methods to clean calcium sulfate scale?
How accurate is the chlorides test? What test methods are available? Can they be made more accurate?
What technologies and methods are available to remove sodium sulfate from wastewater?
Where do you go to find information on new or future technologies in industrial water treatment?
Do any of our members write regular blogs, e-articles, etc. that would interest this group?
Can microbes grow in high purity water?
What power trade shows are beneficial for industrial water companies to attend and exhibit?

When industrial water equipment fails, what temporary solutions are available for pretreatment, cooling, boiler, and/or
wastewater operations? (Commercials allowed.)
Can air scouring be used in cleaning reverse osmosis membranes? Why? Why not? What are the results?
Why should a potential client hire you?
If you could design a dream app for industrial water treatment, what would it do?
Why do the cations and anions have to balance out in a water analysis?
Do you hire co-ops or interns? Why or why not?
Can reducing the temperature of combustion feed air to a boiler improve its combustion efficiency?
How do you reduce BOD and COD?

517

6/20/2014

Temporary Equipment

518
519
520
521
522
523
524

6/23/2014
6/24/2014
6/25/2014
6/26/2014
6/27/2014
6/30/2014
7/3/2014

RO Cleaning & Air Scouring

Why Hire You?
App Development
Ionic Balance
Co-ops/Interns
Combustion Feed Air Temperature (Peer Submitted)
Reducing BOD/COD

525

7/7/2014

UF - Inside Out vs. Outside In

526
527
528
529
530
531

7/8/2014
7/14/2014
7/30/2014
8/6/2014
8/13/2014
8/14/2014

UV Beyond Biocide
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Landfill Leachate
Freeboard Space
Fenton's Reagent
RO Antiscalants

532

9/19/2014

RO Data Analysis

533

9/27/2014

Precleaning & Passivation

534

9/29/2014

Cooling Tower Startup Iron Solids

535

10/1/2014

RO Silica

536

10/2/2014

Galvanized Cooling Towers

537
538
539
540

10/3/2014
10/7/2014
10/8/2014
10/9/2014

Average Age
Removing Cooling Tower Makeup Alkalinity
Women in Industrial Water Treatment
Association of Water Technologies

541

10/10/2014

RO Permeate Storage Tank

542

10/13/2014

Softener Capacity Setpoint

543

10/14/2014

CO2 Equilibrium

544
545
546
547

10/15/2014
10/20/2014
10/23/2014
10/30/2014

Biofilm Penetration
Hydrogen Sulfide
Cobalt
Background Fluorescence

548

11/5/2014

Single vs. Multiple Biocide Programs

549
550
551

11/10/2014
11/13/2014
11/17/2014

Ammonia Sources
White Rust Inhibitors
Exothermic Reactions

552

11/20/2014

Boiler Glycol Contamination (Peer Submitted)

553
554
555

12/3/2014
12/5/2014
12/10/2014

World Class Industrial Water Treatment Professional

Young Water Treatment Professionals
Seasonal Effects on Boiler System

556

12/11/2014

Chlorine vs. Bromine Chemistry at Higher pH

557

12/12/2014

Stuck in a Rut

558

12/15/2014

Sodium Bromide & Sodium Hypochlorite

559

12/17/2014

DPD Free Chlorine Test Positive Interference

What can lead a user to believe they have a free chlorine residual using the DPD free chlorine test, when none actually exists?

560

12/19/2014

Produced Water

561

12/31/2014

New Year Water Resolutions

562

1/2/2015

RO Cleaning vs. Size

What is "Produced Water?"

What can you do in the next year to make yourself more valuable to your industrial water treatment clients that you haven't
done before?
Is there a size where it generally makes more economic sense to just replace the reverse osmosis membranes versus cleaning
them?

For hollowfiber ultrafiltration (UF) membranes, which is the preferred direction of flow and why? Inside out or outside in?
Aside from microbiological control, what are other uses for UV in industrial water treatment?
What types of personal protective equipment (PPE) may be required in industrial water treatment?
What are the unique challenges of treating landfill leachate?
What is the purpose of the freeboard space above the resin in a typical, co-current flow water softener.
What is Fenton's Reagent and how is it used?
What are typical components of Reverse Osmosis antiscalants?
What information do you capture from a Reverse Osmosis unit, and what program(s) do you use to trend and analyze the
data?
Why should new water equipment and piping be precleaned and passivated?
What do you call the iron solids that show up when a cooling tower system is restarted after being offline for a season when it
wasn't properly stored? This includes the suspended and chipped piece of iron from piping that plugs up spray nozzles,
strainers, etc.
What are maximum silica levels that can be controlled with antiscalants in reverse osmosis systems?
What are the recommended water quality parameters for treating a galvanized cooling tower? What types of water
treatment chemistry should be used?
What do you think is the average age of today's Industrial Water Treatment professional?
Does it make sense to remove makeup alkalinity with a dealkalizing resin for a cooling tower system?
What are unique challenges and benefits that may be faced by women in the industrial water treatment profession?
Who is going to the Association of Water Technologies (AWT) convention this year?
For a low-to-medium pressure boiler reverse-osmosis makeup system, how do you properly size the RO permeate storage
tank?
Once you calculate the softening capacity of a SAC water softener, what is your volumetric setpoint to trigger regeneration? Is
it 100% of capacity? 95%? 90%? 85%? Why?
Can someone explain the equilibrium between carbon dioxide in the air and in cooling water? Will alkalinity cycle up like
everything else or will this equilibrium affect this?
How do you penetrate biofilm for effective microbiological control?
How is hydrogen sulfide formation controlled?
How is cobalt used in water treatment?
What causes background fluorescence in water?
What are the advantages/disadvantages of a single-biocide program versus a multiple-biocide program for a cooling tower
system?
What are potential sources of ammonia contamination in industrial water systems?
Are there any corrosion inhibitors that effectively control and prevent white rust in cooling towers?
What water treatment chemical combinations will result in a potentially dangerous exothermic reaction?
An industrial watertube boiler (temperature <180 C) has monoethylene in the feedwater (condensate tank). The makeup
water is free of this component. The situation currently makes it impossible to eliminate this contamination. What would the
effect be on corrosion rate, conductivity, and heat transfer?
What are the qualities of a "World Class Industrial Water Treatment Professional?"
How did younger water treatment professions (<30 years old) get into water treatment?
How do seasonal changes in water affect overall boiler system operation?
Is there really a significant difference between the performance of chlorine and bromine chemistries at higher pH? Does
theoretical effectiveness match up with practical application?
How easy is it to get "stuck in a rut" when servicing industrial water systems and doing your "pinks and blues" each day? How
do you recognize it and get out?
What is the recommended ratio and method for using sodium bromide and sodium hypochlorite (bleach) in a cooling system
biocide program?