NATIONAL THERMAL POWER CORPORATION

OPERATION DIVISION FORMAL COCUMENTATION SYSTEM

OPERATION INFORMATION NOTE OIN/OPS/CHEM/002
Issue No. : 1 Date : October, 1994

THE CONTROL OF MARINE FOULING BY

CONTINOUS CHLORINATION

Approved by R. V. Shahi.
Director (Operation)
Date :06.10.94.
Enquiries to : Executive Director, Operation Services.

THE CONTROL MARINE FOULING BY CONTINOUS CHLORINATION

CONTENTS
Page Nos.
1.0

Introduction

2.0

Superseded Documents

3.0

Scope

4.0

Guidelines

5.0

Review

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Issue- 1 Oct., 1994
THE CONTROL OF MARINE FOULING BY CONTINUOUS CHLORINATION
1.0

INTRODUCTION
This document provides guidance on the plant and procedures which may be
specified within the over-riding constraints of efficiency, economy and
environmental acceptability.
It includes information on mussel settlement and growth, and the formation of
biological slimes.

2.0
2.0
3.0

3.0

SUPERSEDED DOCUMENTS Nil

SCOPE
Practices are recommended for the design, planning, precommissioning and
operation of cooling water circuits to minimize fouling principally by the use of
chlorination.

4.0

GUIDELINES
The cooling water of all marine and esturaine stations contains organisms
which can settle and grow on cooling water (CW) circuit components and can
lead to mechanical damage, reduced flow and a reduction in heat transfer.

4.1

Macrofouling
Macrofouling comprises of the growth of mussels, barnacles, hyroids and
other fouling organisms which usually colonize intake structures, CW intake
tunnels and culverts, screen forebays and rotary screens, condenser
tubeplates and occasionally the discharge tunnels.
Wholesale detachment of macro organism can blanket screening plant and
condenser tube plates. Uncontrolled growth of macrofouling in tunnels and
culverts will rapidly reduce carrying capability and increase pumping cost. If the
condenser tubes are not made from titanium, single shells which lodge in them

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Issue- 1 Oct., 1994
may cause perforation due to erosion corrosion and hence, lead to raw water
salt contamination of the feed water and boiler corrosion.
It is unlikely that other organisms in the culverts will pose a
problem if the preventive measures are adequate for mussels.
mussel population can be difficult and may be hazardous to plant
condenser inlet is protected by shell filters which are effective in
detached mussel shells reaching the condenser tubes.
4.2

significant
Dislodging
unless the
preventing

Microfouling
Whereas infestation of CW circuits with young mussels and other
macrofouling is more common during the spring and summer, microfouling
occurs all year round. Chlorination may be required at coastal stations to
control microfouling even when there are no mussels present. Fouling of the
waterside surfaces of condenser tubes by biological slimes results in impaired
heat transfer with associated loss of condenser vacuum.
The process of biofilm formation involves several steps. Surfaces placed in
the sea are immediately coated with a polymeric film consisting of proteins,
polypeptides, polysaccharides and lipids derived from the degradation
products of marine organisms. Free swimming bacteria are attracted to
nutrients on the film and within 6 hours permanent attachment occurs when
polymeric fibrils are exauded from bacteria within the film.
Within 7 days at temperatures of 10 to 20 oC, a layer of bacteria 50 to 100 mm
or more thick will have developed on the surface. After 14 days, the slime film
will have reached its maximum thickness which rarely exceeds a few hundred
microns even in nutrient rich water. The biofilm so firmed can act as an
anchor for any silt or mund in the water and such deposits further impair heat
transfer. Titanium tubes are generally more prone to slime films than
condenser tubes made from copper based alloys which are toxic to the micro
organisms involved.

4.3

Together, these processes are called biofouling, against which a range of

antifouling techniques are available but only three are judged suitable for sea
water cooled power stations. These are manual cleaning, mechanical
cleaning and the use of chemical biocides. These methods may be used
separately or in combination depending on the individual station layout and
operating regime.

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4.3.1

When both cost and environmental impact are taken into account treatment
with hypochlorite or chlorine are the only realistic choices from the biocides
available commercially. They may be injected near the CW inlet or just before
the condenser depending on the location of the biofouling. All major sea water
cooled power stations mostly use bulk chlorine gas. Chlorine reacts with sea
water in a complex manner giving a series of products of different biological
activity. In this Information Note these products are referred to as total
residual oxidant (TRO)

4.3.2

Macrofouling on condenser tube surfaces can be eliminated by semi

continous mechanical cleaning, with for example, a sponge ball system.
Various chlorination dosing regimes, both continuous and intermittent have
also provided successful.

4.3.3

Manual methods do not have a wide applicability but, do provide an effective

means of removing macrofouling from certain designs of on shore intake
culverts.

4.4

Recommended Practice

4.4.1.0

Design considerations.

4.4.1.1

Hypochlorite dosing systems for both off shore and on shore CW intakes
should be designed to guarantee adequate distribution and good mixing so
that all incoming water contains chlorine by the time it reaches any part of the
waterway surface.

4.4.1.2

At stations with long off shore intake tunnels the TRO concentration may
decay to such a low level during transit of the water that supplementary
hypochlorite injection at fore bays to the rotating screens may be necessary.
The objective should be to maintain a TRO value of a least 0.2 mg/litre in all
parts of the waterways without dosing an impracticably high concentration at
the intake.

4.4.1.3

The upper concentration of chlorine equipment in hypochlorite solution which

can be generated in a sea water electrolysis unit is approximately 2000
mg/litre. Hence, pipework layouts pressure drops, pump capabilities and
buffer tank capacities must be designed to accommodate this limit of
concentration.

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Issue- 1 Oct., 1994
Care is especially necessary if it is planned selectively to dose hypochlorite to
a number of CW circuits. This may occur for example, when changing over
from dosing at CW intakes to continuous or sequential dosing at condenser
inlets.
The main sea water strainers/filters and control valves of electrolysis units
should be capable of bypass operation. Cells and pipework should be of
modular flanged design sot that minor plan faults do not result in shut down of
the whole system for maintenance.
4.4.2.0

Planning Stage Assessment

4.4.2.1

Following the decision to commence construction of a new power station at

either new or existing sites, it should be assumed that marine fouling is
inevitable unless local pollution of the sea water is severe. It is essential that
the data required for accurate sizing and design of chlorination plant are
obtained by undertaking a through site survey. This should collate such
information as the seasonal variation in chlorine demand and rate of decay of
TRO in the water, pollution levels, silt burden, microalgae and bacteria
content and the proximity of mussel and other commercial shellfish beds.

4.4.2.2

As a result of this survey, it should be possible to decide whether or not the

local environment is capable of supporting mussel population, that is whether
chlorination is primarily required for macrofouling control or to prevent slime
formation in condensers.

4.4.2.3

Where macrofouling control in CW intake tunnels and culverts in necessary,

data on the minimum chlorine demand of the water and the change of TRO
through the system will be used to determine the required chlorine equivalent
dosing capacity when drawing up the chlorination plant specification.

4.4.2.4

If condenser cleanliness is the main concern there may be an option of using

a sponge ball system rather than chlorination, but chlorination of auxiliary
cooling circuits will still be required. The capacity of the chlorination plant will
be dependent on dosing scheme adopted. This will be influenced by factors
such as where the chlorine solution is injected and whether continuous or
intermittent dosing is employed. Direct injection at condenser inlets minimses
the effective chlorine demand of the water.

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4.4.3.0

Precommissioning Requirements

4.4.3.1

The chlorination plant should be completed before water is admitted to the

circulating water culverts.

4.4.3.2

Water to be held static and the culverts should be dosed with chlorine or
sodium hypochlorite solution to achieve as higher chlorine equivalent and as
uniform a concentration as possible upto a maximum of 10mg/litre in the
culverts.

4.4.3.3

It is probable that for any storage period of more than a few days the residual
oxidant concentration will be reduced to a very low level but care should be
exercised when discharging the water from the culvert to ensure that its TRO
content complies with condition of consent granted by the Pollution Control
Board.

4.4.3.4

As far as practicable, the closures on the intake of static culverts should be

kept in position.

4.4.3.5

Every opportunity to drain and inspect culverts should be taken. The extent of
fouling present should be recorded and the marine encrustations removed.

4.4.3.6

At certain stations with on shore CW intakes, it is feasible to isolate culverts

during station outages and remove established fouling manually. The option
therefore, exists to reduce the chlorine used at these stations by dosing close
to the condenser inlet rather than at the water intake point. Mussel monitoring
should be installed as soon as pumping sets up a velocity in the waterways
high enough (>2m/s) to prevent sedimentation. The advice of expert marine
biologists on the results and implications of the mussel monitoring survey
must be sough before adopting this option.

4.4.4.0

Operational Control of Macro and Microfouling

4.4.4.1

Chlorination of water inlets for macrofouling control is to be carried out as far

as possible continously whilst the general sea water temperature is above
12oC.

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4.4.2.2

Chlorine injection should be controlled to provide a TRO concentration of 0.2

mg/litre at the condenser inlets. This criterion satisfies existing statutory
consents for discharges from the outlet of the plant.

4.4.2.3

Auxiliary CW circuits which are not part of the main cooling water flow should
be dosed independently with chlorine solution to maintain a continous TRO
concentration of 0.2 mg/litre at dischrage from the system.

4.4.4.4

As far as practicable, the closures on the intakes of static culverts should be

in position.

4.4.4.5

When a circulating water system in to be shut down for less than 3 days,
every effort should be made to establish that all the water ways are properly
dosed, in accordance with to this Information Note, immediately before shut
down.

4.4.4.6

Chlorination discharge from the system is both a waste and a potential threat
to marine ecology. The lowest dose shown to be effective, is therefore,
recommended.

4.4.4.7

The benefit of continuos chlorination can be entirely lost in a very short time.
No attempt, therefore, should be made to deviate from the recommendations
of this Information Note without reference to expert marine biologists for
advice. If a breakdown results in chlorination plant or chlorine supply being
unable to dose to the recommended levels, repairs or chlorine availability
must be completed with in 15 days if the cumulative effect of chlorination is
not be reversed.

4.4.5.0

Elimination of Condenser Biofilms

4.4.5.1

When dosing chlorine merely to rid the condenser of microbial slimes, the
dosing point should be at the condenser inlet. Chemical dosing to control
slime formation in the main condensers will not be necessary for units fitted
with a sponge ball cleaning system.

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4.4.5.2

Where chemical control is judged to be required, chlorine should be dosed

either:
(1) To maintain a continuous TRO concentration of 0.2 mg/litre or
(2) To provide TRO concentration of 0.5 mg/litre for 10 min/h at the inlet to
each condenser.

4.4.5.3

Option (2) can only be exercised at stations where the design permits
sequential dosing of passes (or sections of the condenser) so that the
environmental limit of less than 0.2 mg/litre of TRO in the dischraged water is
not exceeded.

4.4.6.0

Revision of Measure for Biofouling Control

4.4.6.1

Changes in environmental conditions may lead to the need to revise fouling

control practices at specific power station sites. It is recommended that local
operating instructions are reviewed and updated at intervals on more than 5
years.

5.0

REVIEW
The Executive Director (Operation Services), will be responsible for reviewing
this Information Note on a 2-yearly basis or as necessary.
The testing methods recommended should used only basic chemicals and not
proprietory chemicals since these are not readily available in India.