Water Solutions with Chem-Aqua

Cycles of concentration, or often stated as just cycles, is a core concept when controlling boiler or cooling tower water systems. Running cycles too high can lead scale and corrosion. Running cycles too low can lead to wasted water. But what is really meant by the phrase “cycles of concentration?” Basically, it is telling us how many times the water in the boiler or cooling tower has been concentrated compared to the makeup water. The next logical question may be “What do you mean by the water being concentrated in boilers or cooling towers?” Both boilers and cooling towers function by evaporating water. In a boiler, fuel is burned to turn water into steam. In a cooling tower, evaporation occurs as air is blown across the water to remove the heat picked up from air conditioning a building or cooling a manufacturing process. As water is evaporated in both the boiler and cooling tower systems, primarily only pure water leaves the system. Other impurities, such as calcium, sodium, and chlorides, are left behind