Measuring Droplets in Cooling Tower Emissions
Industrial Cooling Process and Water Droplets
Oxford Lasers has the ability to measure droplets found in emissions from industrial cooling processes. The capability to cool processes using water is a requirement in a variety of different industries including power generation, data centers, commercial building management, oil and gas industry, and chemical manufacturing industry. One of the outputs from this cooling process is water droplets that escape into the atmosphere. This can be difficult to measure and therefore difficult to optimise the emissions control.
What are the potential risks?
There are a number of corresponding issues caused through the release of these droplets into the environment; examples include the potential to transmit legionella bacteria, increased corrosion, and the formation of ice on adjacent roadways. Other factors can include the degradation of the infrastructure itself including the fan blades used in the cooling process. Control of water droplet emissions is important, but what can industry do?
Oxford Lasers’ VisiSize P15+ portable droplet measurement system. Providing easy-to-use droplet characterisation capabilities to help assess shape, size and velocity of particles.
The Solution includes VisiSize P15+
Standard solutions exist to reduce emissions from cooling towers. There are several physical and chemical methodologies such as drift eliminators and the addition of adjuvants that can be applied. However, it is difficult to know how effective they are. Oxford Lasers’ VisiSize P15+ droplet measurement system can be utilised to assess the performance of each technique and support their optimisation.
The easy-to-use VisiSize P15+ is designed to measure droplets in the field or in a laboratory setting. It can support assessments completed on these cooling facilities to help determine if steps need to be taken to reduce the negative impacts on the environment from the droplet emissions.
Image-Based Measurement System
The system images droplets and particles and analyses the data on size, shape, and velocity enabling insight into drift rate and volume flux of water emissions.
Design Benefits for Monitoring Cooling Tower Emissions
The robust features of the VisiSize P15+ provide benefits with IP67 rating making it ideal for operation in high humidity environments. It is portable, compact and at only 9 kg in weight, makes it easy to install in various locations outdoors or indoors in the lab.
The system can be operated by a generator, enabling its operation in remote environments and with a cable length between the controller and measurement head up to 25 m, makes it possible to place even in difficult locations. In addition, the VisiSize P15+ can operate over long periods of time, allowing long sampling times where data rate may be low due to the nature of the spray.
Each feature of the VisiSize P15+ contributes to a system that is easy to use, install and analyse information enabling industry to understand and optimise their control processes.
Measuring vapour droplets: An Oxford Lasers’ VisiSize system suspended over a cooling tower. Photo credit: CleanAir
| PARTICLE SIZE RANGE | >10µm |
|---|---|
| MAXIMUM PARTICLE VELOCITY | 30m/s (50µm diameter particle) |
| IMAGE SOURCE | Online, high-resolution camera up to 15,000 particles/second in real-time mode |
| SPRAY PROTECTION | Waterproof enclosure, rated IP67 |
| CABLE LENGTH (POWER AND CONTROLLER) | 5m (25m optional) |
| DIMENSIONS | 610mm W x 100mm D x 190mm H (closed) 895mm W x 100mm D x 190mm H (fully extended) |
| WEIGHT | 9.7kg* 19kg* shipping weight with case and accessories |
| ANALYSIS MEASUREMENTS | Droplet and particle: Size and velocity Statistics reported: Mean diameter (by number, area or volume), Sauter mean diameter, volume percentiles (10%, 50%, 90%), deviation, relative span |
*all weights given are approximate only and are dependent on options chosen.
Advanced Imaging Products and Services
Oxford Lasers is ready to provide our customers with a range of options to ensure high-quality imaging solutions.
Image-based measurement systems: VisiSize Range
For droplet and particle characterisation, Oxford Lasers has designed image-based VisiSize products. We provide real-time information on fast-moving particles and droplets over a range of requirements. Read more about our VisiSize systems. We also provide customers particle sizing contract services and rentals.
Advanced high-speed laser illumination: FireBIRD & FireFLY
Our high-performance laser-based illumination technology enables you to see what was previously hidden. With maximum power at a single wavelength (808nm), the short-pulsed illumination from our lasers give you the ability to capture high-quality images of fast-moving particles without blur. Read about our illumination systems. We also provide laser illumination and high-speed imaging contract services and rentals.
