| Popis: |
Cooling water production is very important to oil refineries, and cooling towers are associated with high costs. An analysis of blowdown and make-up streams, cycles of concentration, use of biocides, and corrosion and scale inhibitors, can be performed to find alternatives to reduce process costs. Furthermore, a cooling system with chemical additives is advantageous because it prolongs the lifespan of the cooling tower. It also permits the elevation of the concentration cycle, consequently, reducing the cost of make-up water and minimizing inhibitors. This work seeks the optimization of cooling tower in terms of make-up water and suggests the use of chemical additives for reducing costs. The optimization was performed for scenarios with different make-up water compositions, and the Puckorius Scaling Index (PI) was evaluated to assure the quality of the water. The results showed that the lowest cost is obtained with the highest allowed cycle of concentration, according to the Puckorius Scaling Index interval. |
