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The System:
One two-cell, open-draft comfort-cooling tower located at a major corporate headquarters building. The cooling system capacity is 500 tons with an approximate volume of 4,000 gallons. The cooling tower basin had been coated with Belzona.

The Problem:
The tower basin had a severe growth of algae due to the lack of a consistent biocide program. The tower basin was physically cleaned but algae would continue to return. A number of different biocides were tried to bring the situation under control. Both bromine and chlorine based biocides were slug fed into the system but results were not satisfactory. A special biofilm cleaner was added along with liquid bromine but results were still poor.

The Solution:
A new biofilm and algal mat cleaner, Chemtex C-364, was added to the cooling system at a dosage of 500 ppm. The cooling tower basin was swept with a stiff broom to loosen the algal mat. AA-6090M was added to the system to provide a continuous level of bromine in the cooling water. The algal mat was removed and regrowth was kept to a minimum. After five weeks of feeding C-364 in conjunction with AA-6090M the algae problem had not returned.

The Benefits:
An extremely hard to control algae growth was removed and brought under control with the use of Chemtex C-364. Biocide consumption was drastically reduced. The cooling tower basin remained essentially free of algae growth resulting in a cleaner more efficient system.

NOTE: Do not use Chemtex C-364 in conjunction with a glutaraldehyde-based biocide.

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