Case study: How a chemical processing plant reduced downtime with water treatment
Manufacturing plants rely on intricate processes and systems to operate smoothly and meet production targets. However, issues such as scaling, corrosion and fouling in critical cooling systems can halt operations, resulting in costly downtime. According to Siemens, the hourly cost of downtime in certain manufacturing sectors can reach over $2 million — up 50% from 2020 levels.
For one chemical processing plant in Illinois, chronic water treatment issues led to frequent system failures and downtime that severely impacted productivity. This plant had previously attempted to resolve problems with scaling and plugging in its closed-loop systems by working with its water treatment provider. However, the solutions fell short and contributed to the plant’s shutting down for years.
When the plant was ready to restart operations, operators knew it needed a more robust, customized water treatment program to prevent the potential recurrence of debilitating downtime — estimated at nearly a month per year. It turned to Veolia to leverage the company’s expertise in developing specialized solutions for unique manufacturing processes and water chemistry challenges. Veolia’s team conducted a comprehensive assessment and developed a tailored program to effectively treat the plant’s systems.
Developing the right system
Veolia developed a customized water treatment program based on its assessment utilizing a strategic combination of proven chemistries and system upgrades. To remove the extensive buildup of scales and iron oxide deposits, Veolia implemented Kleen AC9507’s descaling chemistry along with Ferroquest* to sequester the rust.
Veolia softened the plant’s hard well water for the cooling tower system to reduce scaling potential. E.C.O.Film technology provided protective filming amines for corrosion control, while Spectrus OX oxidizing biocides controlled microbiological growth.
In the closed-loop systems, the existing demineralized (DI) water system was upgraded to ensure a consistent supply of high-purity makeup water. To inhibit corrosion while maintaining the low conductivity requirements, Veolia applied Steamate PAP7000* polyamine.
Veolia worked closely with the plant to implement this new program, systematically cleaning and preparing the systems. The use of softened water and high-purity DI water addressed the problematic scaling and fouling caused by the facility’s hard well water. The tailored chemical programs targeted corrosion control and microbiological issues.
With the new water treatment program in place, the plant could finally restart operations after years of downtime, confident that its systems would run reliably.
Staying operational
Veolia’s customized water treatment program has delivered impressive results for the chemical processing plant. Most significantly, the new program has drastically reduced the downtime that previously plagued operations.
Before working with Veolia, the plant estimated it experienced nearly a month of total downtime per year due to scaling, corrosion and plugged lines in the closed-loop systems. The plant’s analysis showed Veolia’s solution reduced that downtime by roughly 66 hours in the first 18 months of implementation.
Beyond the downtime savings, Veolia’s program also allowed the plant to avoid the major capital expense of installing new chiller units to replace the existing cooling towers.
Most importantly, the plant’s operations team expressed high satisfaction with the systems’ performance under Veolia’s water treatment program. After years of battling scaling issues, the plant could finally operate reliably without the looming threat of downtime.
Note: A version of this article originally appeared on the Veolia blog, which can be found here.
