An innovative new AIRAH online tool, the Cooling Tower Water Efficiency Calculator (CTWEC), makes it easy to assess the water efficiency of cooling towers.
With support from a wide range of industry stakeholders, water corporations and the Victorian government, AIRAH has developed the online tool to enable simple calculation of cooling tower water consumption. It can be accessed at www.ctwec.com
“The thinking behind the new tool is to provide an easily accessible device capable of calculating the water efficiency of cooling towers,” says John Fawcett, Manager Cleaner Production for City West Water. “The Cooling Tower Water Efficiency Calculator is the culmination of some awareness and forward thinking about the need for increased water efficiency among business.”
The calculator has the potential to be used and applied anywhere in the world.
Fact: cooling towers can account for about 30 per cent of a site’s total water use.
“Given that water is becoming an increasingly valuable resource in Australia, particularly in the south-eastern region of the country, it makes sense to be able to assess a cooling tower’s water use. This is especially important when simple adjustments to cooling towers can save substantial amounts of water and money,” Fawcett continues.
Cooling towers in Australia use a considerable amount of water. Indeed, there are an estimated 30,000 cooling towers operating in the country, many using between 5,000 to 10,000 litres per day. This equates to more than 150,000 million litres nationally, which is about the same amount of water used by 200,000 homes.
It’s a sobering statistic, which only serves to underline the importance of a useful device such as the calculator.
“The idea behind the calculator is to raise water conservation awareness to improve water efficiency in the operation of cooling towers by businesses,” says AIRAH technical manager Phil Wilkinson.
“The calculator provides users with an on going indication of the water efficiency of any cooling tower relative to its operational capabilities, which can be checked at any time,” Wilkinson says. “But you should always discuss the calculator findings with your water treatment service provider before taking action to change operational practices.”
For more information go to www.ctwec.com
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