We’ll drink to that! New tech to boost water re-use

Industrial use of water gulps a whopping 20 percent of all the water consumed around the world. That’s why the critical issue of water reuse on a large, industrial scale, is so important when it comes to moving the needle on water conservation. One area that offers an immense opportunity for re-use is in the vast amounts used for cooling water — such as when manufacturers use it to cool processes or equipment in order to prevent production losses or decreases in electricity generation when steam-driven turbines are used. These cooling systems rely on chemically treating the water so that the cooling properties are maximized and deposits don’t gum up the works. But the process requires constant fine-tuning. Now a next-generation technology called TrueSense, announced today by GE, advances that process by monitoring, measuring and adjusting more chemicals in the system more precisely and in less time. It further boosts productivity via web-based diagnostic tools and a portable instrument that’s about the size of an iPad. The result is a better performing system that uses less fresh water and less energy.

Handheld lab: TrueSense Personal Water Analytics is the portable water sampling system that tests a sample in minutes versus the half-hour that offline testing typically requires.

As GE’s Glen Messina says in the video below: “Knowledge management is at the core of the solution on how to deal with a lot of the challenges our industrial customers are facing.” He adds: “If you can take that information and consolidate it into one package, one look, one view, and find the critical links between the right elements of operating data,” you can really optimize how a system is operating.

The numbers can be big, as a moderately sized industrial cooling tower can consume about 1.5 million gallons of fresh water a day — which is about two-and-a-half Olympic-sized swimming pools — when the water is cycled through the system three times. In these systems, some water is constantly bled off while some fresh water is constantly added to maintain the desired chemistry conditions. But better applied chemistry and automation can reduce the amount of fresh water required since it allows each gallon of fresh water used to be used more productively.

For example, increasing the number of times the water is cycled through the industrial system from three to seven times can cut the amount of “new” water needed by more than 20 percent, saving over 300,000 gallons per day. Not only does it establish a greener footprint, but the cost of water for the company is also greatly reduced.

Getting thirsty: Current estimates from the OECD already show a gap between the amount of water used and the amount available. That gap is expected to leap by 2020 based on current usage.

GE’s water treatment technology focuses on three areas: preventing corrosion; reducing the build-up of deposits that impede heat transfer; and tackling microbiological problems. For example, mineral scales that deposit on metal surfaces can act as insulation, thereby impeding the heat transfer process. That can result in lost production and more energy use. In addition, microbiological growth can impact production and can lead to increased health risks such as Legionnaires’ disease.

In a cooling system, the total operational costs take into account fresh water consumption, energy consumption, cooling tower treatment chemicals and wastewater discharge. While results may vary, GE’s water team estimates that total operating costs, from a water perspective, could be reduced by 25 percent or more when using TrueSense with the right treatment chemistry. In a moderately sized industrial cooling tower, a system running under optimal conditions could save nearly $400,000 per year in fresh water costs alone.

* Read the announcement
* Learn more about GE’s water technologies
* Learn more about TrueSense

Learn more about our water initiatives in these GE Reports stories:
* “Ultrapure water for ultra-advanced semiconductor ‘fab’”
* “World Water Day: Turning back the threat of scarcity”
* “Water summit opens the floodgates on reuse ideas”
* “Diving into access & scarcity at World Water Week”
* “Making a splash with water wins”
* “Citizen GE: With water, the glass is still half full”
* “Tech’s on tap with new GE-Singapore water center”
* “GE’s “sustainable cities” road show tours Europe”