Bleedoff

Evaporation

Fans

Sprays

Flow

Windage
Fill

Condenser

Makeup
Sump or Coldwell


72:(5
Cooling-TOWER calculations
Version 4.0 for Windows

(c)1989-99

M A R V I N S I L B E R T and A S S O C I A T E S
23 Glenelia Avenue, Willowdale, Ontario, Canada, M2M 2K6
Telephone and FAX: (416) 225-4541
Internet: marvin@silbert.org

C-TOWER
C-tower is a contraction of Cooling T O W E R water and chemical consumption calculations. C-tower does all the
calculations needed to estimate the use of water and chemical treatment products within a cooling tower. This latest version has
added the ability to calculate usage and costs associated with a short-term feed to the recirculation line as well as corrections
for the percentage of active materials within a given product. C-tower can work with US, metric or imperial units or any
combination of them and any currency. C-tower uses several very common calculations from the open literature, many of which
are used by the various water-treatment suppliers and consultants. To fully interpret the results, it should be noted that
conditions within a cooling tower may differ from those on which the calculations are based due to factors such wind speed and
humidity. The calculations do give a reasonable average over the year; however, the authors can assume no responsibility for
any decision based upon the results of the calculations.

An Quick Introduction to

Marvin Silbert and Associates

In spite of the potential risk, water chemistry tends to get a low
priority in many industrial plants. MS&A began with the goal of
providing plant operators objective audits of system performance
to minimize costs and optimize the various processes or to perform
those special projects that are needed, but not performed due to restrictions in staff availability. We give industrial plants the opportunity to time share their own Chemist and/or Chemical Engineer.








Over the years we have performed a wide range of industrial

water-treatment projects ranging from building HVAC systems to
nuclear steam-supply systems. We look at water systems from the
point the water enters the plant until it is discharged. This ability
to see the overview comes from a background of direct hands-on
experience and gives us a distinct advantage as we can look for
ways to reduce effluents and conserve energy by improving control
on the influent and process water systems. We also assess the
various environmental and safety aspects and can prepare audits.
Marvin Silbert and Associates are prepared to undertake any
projects you might have related to water systems, environmental
releases, safety and environmental audits. We cover the entire
spectrum from small HVAC systems to the biggest industrial
systems in the country. We have experience in the following
areas. Under NAFTA, we are now able to work on both sides of
the Canada-USA border.

Troubleshooting industrial plants/commercial properties

Optimization of chemical treatment equipment and programs
including the development of standardized supplier contracts
Environmental, safety and legal analyses, audits and support
Specialized studies and R&D Projects
Computer applications including the development of watertreatment software
Training courses, seminars and workshops in water treatment
and applied statistical process control

For more details contact:

Marvin Silbert and Associates

23 Glenelia Avenue
Toronto, ON, Canada, M2M 2K6
Tel/FAX: (416) 225-4541
E-mail: marvin@silbert.org

or visit our Web Site at:

http://www.silbert.org/~silbert/

Ctower - Water and Chemical

Consumption calculations

bleedoff must be established to drain some of the solids-laden

water from the system. Fresh make-up must be brought in to
replace the water lost though bleedoff.

Cooling Tower Dynamics

Water is our most common cooling medium for industrial and
HVAC systems. A simple once-through system takes its water
from the source (e.g., a river); circulates it across the equipment
to remove heat and returns the warmed water to the source. With
major systems, this requires vast quantities of water. When it is
not available and/or too expensive to purchase, the water can be
reused and recycled through evaporative cooling. Instead of
discarding the returning warmed water, it passes through a tower,
similar to that shown below.
EVAPORATION
- residual solids concentrate
in system water
- Rate of loss = 0.18/0.10% of
recirculating flowrate per C/F
rise across system
FAN

WINDAGE
- set by design and weather
<0.025% of recirculating flow
- limits concentration
- loss of treated water

b. Drift or windage are droplets of treated water carried by the

wind and lost from the system. The quantity lost is dependent upon wind conditions and tower design. Some typical
values for different tower designs are shown below.
Type of Cooling Tower
spray ponds
natural-draft towers
induced-draft towers
forced-draft towers

Windage Range
1.0 - 5.0 %
0.2 - 1.0
0.02 - 0.3
0.02 - 0.3

c. In addition to the controlled bleedoff, there will be an

uncontrolled bleedoff or leakage. The final system chemistry
will be achieved does not discriminate between the two; it is
dependent upon the total value of all sources.

SPRAYS
AIR FLOW
- atmospheric
contamination
FILL

COLDWELL

The ultimate concentration reached within the circulating water

is measured in cycles of concentration or as a concentration
ratio or Cr. The two terms are synonymous. The ratio is a
measure of the concentration of a given species in the
concentrated water compared to the concentration of that species
in the original make-up. The species, most commonly used, is
chloride as it tends to be soluble and easily measured. As an
example in a system where the chloride in the makeup is 30 mg/L
and 120 in the coldwell:

MAKEUP
- untreated water

TREATMENT
- chemical
addition

- purification

HEAT LOAD

BLEEDOFF
- consider leakage as
uncontrolled bleedoff
- adjusting flow sets "cycles of
concentration" in system
- loss of treated water

COC or Cr =

As the finely dispersed droplets cascade over the fill (a packing

that provides a large surface area), the warmer molecules
evaporate and go off to the atmosphere leaving behind a cooled
liquid that collects in the coldwell from which it can be recycled
to cool the process again. Fresh water is added only to make up
for the evaporation and system losses. Typically, the make-up
requirements are only a few percent of the flowrate and the water
may reside in the system for several hours. The chemistry of the
recirculating water is more complex than for once-through cooling and is based upon the factors shown below.
a. The water that leaves as evaporation is pure water. The
solids remain behind and the water in the system will become
more and more concentrated as evaporation continues. To
compensate for this concentrating effect, a small controlled

120
= 4.0
30

The use of chloride may give misleading results where chloride

can be carried in the atmosphere e.g. towers located near the sea
or operated in the winter near a salted highway.
Treatment of open-recirculating systems tends to be much more
complicated then for a once-through system due to the rather
dynamic nature of their operation. Pure water is lost to the
atmosphere by evaporation leaving behind a residue. At the same
time the scrubbing action of the sprays picks up gases (including
oxygen and other gases from the neighbourhood, e.g., H2S near
an oil refinery) and debris from the atmosphere. High concentrations of some species can lead to scaling. Treatment requires
establishing control of microbiological life, suspended material
and corrosion. The fact that only a relatively small volume is

  

being discarded and the operation is somewhat closed, allows for

more expensive formulations.
The required chemical dosage is related to the water used within
the system. The dynamics are dependent upon losses of treated
water as well as losses of untreated water. Evaporation removes
heat from the water by allowing those molecules with the highest
kinetic energy i.e. temperature to escape. Water that is lost is
pure and carries no treatment as the treatment products stay
behind. The loss of water by evaporation, as a percent of the
total, is directly related to the temperature difference across the
tower. As a rough approximation, the rate of evaporation is
approximately 1% of the recirculation rate for each 10 FE of rise
between the outlet and inlet going across the tower.
%E

The total make-up of both evaporated and concentrated water will

be:

Evaporation losses are fixed by the
T across the system

with some variation related to the weather, e.g., the losses
will be dependent upon the ambient temperature, the relative
humidity and wind. The higher the
T, the higher will be the
number of cycles to which the tower water can be
concentrated for a fixed bleedoff and windage rate.

Windage losses are set by the design of the cooling tower.

The cooling tower is usually sold with a windage
specification. This may vary over a wide range as the
ambient wind speed increases. The lower the windage loss,
the higher will be the number of cycles to which the tower
water can be concentrated for a given
T and bleedoff rate.

Bleedoff can be adjusted within a fixed range. If the flow is

not metered, the bleedoff flowrate can be calculated from the
concentration ratio and the evaporation rate:

T or E
Recirculation Flowrate
T
10

1000

with T measured in degrees Fahrenheit. In the real world, the

calculation must include corrections for factors such as wind,
relative humidity, etc. Multiplying the value of %E by 0.85
works out to a reasonable long-term approximation. If the
climate is particularly moist, the value may go down to 0.65; if
it is very dry, it may go up to 1.0-1.2.
%E

0.85
T

in FE

10

%B

%E
(Cr1)

 %W

As the bleedoff is reduced, the concentration ratio increases.

When the bleedoff reaches zero, the ultimate concentration
will be limited by the windage. In a typical HVAC application, where the
T is low, the maximum ratio attainable
may be 4-8. In an industrial application, where the
T is
high, it may go over 20 cycles. As the ratio rises, so also do
the concentrations of scale forming species and the need for
a program to control them.

0.85
T in CE
5.55

As described above, the concentration ratio is measured from

ratio of the concentration of chloride (or some other species)
between the tower clearwell and the make-up:
CR

%M = %E + %B + %W

[ClClearwell]
[ClMake up]

2.0

rearranging gives:
%M
%L

[ClLosses]
[ClMake up]

or

[ClClearwell]
[ClMake up]

PERCENT MAKEUP
CUMULATIVE PERCENTAGE

To maintain a balance within the system, it follows that the total

chloride in the make-up must equal the total chloride in the losses,
i.e.
%M [ClMake-up] = %L [Cllosses]

where the concentration of chloride in the losses is the

concentration in the clearwell and the total losses of concentrated
material include planned blowdown, unplanned blowdown
(leakage) and windage, i.e.
%L = %B + %W.
Coupling the above:
CR

%M

%L

%M
%B  %W

1.5

Bleedoff
1.0
Windage
Evaporation
0.5

0.0

6
8
CYCLES OF CONCENTRATION

10

The water makeup requirements decrease rapidly with the first

few cycles of concentration, but much less so with further cycling
up of the tower. There is little change once 5 cycles have been
reached. On the other hand, chemical costs continue to drop as
the products are concentrated within the system. Product
consumption is directly related to the losses of treated water
from the system, not the makeup added to the system.




Evaporation losses do not remove the treatment products as do

bleedoff and windage.

For a feedrate in
lb per day
kg "
kg "

It is interesting to note that the volume held within the system is

not always accurately known. Some estimates take the volume of
the sump or clearwell and add anywhere from 2550%. Others
assume it to be 610 times the recirculating rate. An accurate
value can be obtained by a tracer method where a known amount
of an easily measured substance is added and the concentration
measured once it is well mixed. It is useful to work with some
estimate and get an idea of some time-based operating
parameters, particularly when trying to estimate the dosages of
chemical products..
a. Time per cycle: This is the length of time for water to make
the complete loop through the system, This is given by the
relationship:
volume
t


V
flowrate
E

X=
1000
454
120

For slug-fed products such as biocides, the calculation is

independent of the concentration ratio and following
relationship holds.
Slug Feed

desired ppm V
120 X

For a feedrate in with V in

lb per slug
US gallons
kg "
US gallons
kg "
litres

X=
1000
454
120

To destroy alkalinity, the addition of sulfuric acid can be

calculated from:

If the volume is in gallons or litres and the flowrate in gallons

or litres per minute, t will be in minutes.
b. Retention time: This is an oversimplified indication of the
length of time for an impurity to be removed through the
bleedoff system. For this application, the term bleedoff
means bleedoff plus windage and losses. This is given by the
relationship:
volume

V
t

bleedoff rate
BW

with MU in
US gallons per day
US gallons per day
litres per day

Acid Feed

ppm of alkalinity removed MU

120 X

For a feedrate in with V in

lb per slug
US gallons
kg "
US gallons
kg "
litres

X=
1000
454
120

200

If the volume is in gallons or litres and the bleedoff rate in

gallons or litres per minute, t will be in minutes.

ANNUAL OPERATING COST

150

c. Holding time index (HTI): This is a more realistic

approach to the retention time recognizing that all material is
not removed as it passes the bleedoff valve. This is given by
the relationship:
t

0.693

volume
bleedoff rate

0.693

V
BW

PRODUCTS: k$

d. From the above timing, it is possible to calculate product

dosages. The calculation for continuously fed products such
as inhibitors and dispersants, the following relationship
applies.

desired ppm MU
Cr 120 X

MAKEUP: million usg

50

As with the above calculation, if the volume is in gallons or

litres and the flowrate in gallons or litres per minute, t will be
in minutes. The 0.693 term is ln 2, i.e., this is the same type
of half life as would be calculated for a nuclear system.

Continuous Feed

100

6
8
CYCLES OF CONCENTRATION

10

Biological Control: The tendency for biological activity and

fouling can be most effectively controlled by chlorination.
Chlorine is usually added as a shock dose at night. It can be
added as Cl2 or as hypochlorite depending upon the size of the
system. The hypochlorite should be sodium (Javex) as opposed
to calcium (HTH) as the calcium would add to the system's
scaling potential. Bromination, is also becoming an accepted
procedure when the pH run >8. Alternatively a number of
proprietary biocides can be used. These include isothiazalones,
carbamates and quaternary products. Unlike chlorine, which

  

oxidizes cell walls, the use of the proprietary products can lead
to the development of an organism that adapts to the biocide. It
is common to use one biocide and periodically alternate it with a
second to kill off any bacteria that may have adapted.
Corrosion Control: The most effective corrosion inhibitor is
chromate which acts as an anodic inhibitor forming a stable
-iron oxide film. With increasing consciousness of the
environment, chromates were first reduced from the 150 mg/kg
region to the 30-50 mg/kg region by blending with zinc.
Environmental legislation has now ruled out the use of chromates
and the newer formulations utilize blends of biodegradable
organics such as phosphonates and azoles.
Scale Control: Scaling tendencies can be reduced through the
use of pretreatment of the water through techniques such as
softening or reverse osmosis, but the cost for their application is
high and as yet not widely utilized. On the other hand, the nature
of the scale can be changed through the use of scale modifiers
such as polymaleic and polyacrylic acids or phosphonates. The
scale formed tends to stay suspended long enough to be removed
by either the blowdown or a filtration system.
The overall treatment program would include product
formulations to cover all three areas and would be accompanied
with a daily testing program to measure its effectiveness. It must
be pointed out that as the operation of the tower leads to
accumulations of contaminants in the water, good control of these
materials can prevent severe corrosion or fouling of the heatexchange surfaces. Four approaches can be taken to ensure
adequate control:
1. Increase bleedoff to remove solids and prevent their concentrations from going too high. Unfortunately this approach
also increases the quantities of water and treatment products
used and tends not to be cost effective.
2. Utilize heavier dosages of treatment products to prevent
deposition possibly with the incorporation of an acid-feed
system to keep the carbonate equilibrium system in the more
soluble bicarbonate form. This approach can be very costly
and is counter to good environmental practice.
3. Provide filtration either on the basis of full flow or a side
stream to remove the impurities as they collect and prevent
their overconcentration. This is the preferred approach as it
can maintain a clean system and thus tends to avoid or at
least reduce the long-term fouling of heat transfer surfaces.
It also does not add to the environmental load produced by
the system.
There has been a controversy as to the type of filtration
required. A typical side-stream sand filter may take several

hours to filter the entire system and is capable of removing

particles down to 5-10 m. The full flow strainer can filter
the entire system every 5-15 minutes, but is limited to particles down to 50 m. The debris from the atmosphere will
contain a mixture of particles of a wide range of sizes. If the
treatment program contains a dispersant, it will keep the fine
particulate material suspended for several hours. This is long
enough to keep it suspended until it is removed by either the
sand filter or the bleedoff system.
4. Soften the water to minimize the scaling potential. This can
be either on the basis of treating makeup or a continuous side
stream. There are a number of industrial plants that use feed
from other parts of the plant to accomplish this goal.
Softening, with ion-exchange resins, is appropriate where the
number of cycles does not get higher than 5-6. While
hardness-producing cations are removed, they can not be
totally eliminated.
The resins do not remove the
bicarbonates. The trace of hardness leaking through will
eventually concentrate enough to give a possible scaling
problem. Softening with a clarifier will also reduce the
bicarbonates and allow higher cycling.

Installation and Operation

Installation
C C-tower can be installed from floppies using the install
program. Insert the first floppy and Run A:SETUP
C We chose a 16-bit approach as that enables its installation
and operation on any Windows system.
C There are no entries to the Registry nor other files located in
hard to find places. To deinstall, simply remove the entire
directory and the files within it along with any shortcuts or
icons used for startup.
C The program is password protected to minimize the
proliferation of unauthorized copies. Until the password is
entered, the program is in the DEMO mode with the printing
and graphing routines disabled. Once entered, the printing
and graphing routines are enables. The BWB file should be
saved and it will be unnecessary to enter it again. Note that
the password is case sensitive.
C Those with DEMO versions can quickly upgrade to the full
version when they make their payment as the required
password can be sent by telephone, FAX or e-mail.
Startup
C When W-index starts, it sets all screens to their home
position and then displays the setup screen. Below the log-on
message, there are places to establish the operating parameter
options including:

  

Setup
C Unit systems: US, Imperial, traditional and SI Metric are
available and can be used in combination. There are three
categories; one each for the flow & volume, product cost and
water cost. All calculations will be entered and reported in
the selected choice.
C Currency: The various title screens for the tables and
graphs can handle any currency with a name not exceeding
seven (7) characters. It will truncate the value to the first
seven if the name is longer. Of the various symbols, only the
$ is compatible, but it must be entered as '$ to identify itself
as label rather than a value.
C Range: The range for the Cycles of Concentration scale on
the x-axis of the graphs and the column heading for the
graphs and tables can be entered along with the number of
decimal places used on the x-axis for the graphs
C Footnotes: A footnote line that will appear on all graphs can
be inserted in this line.
Keyboard Shortcuts
C Ctrl-I returns (initializes) all screens to their home or startup
positions.
C Ctrl-R does a manual recalculation. There are a few
conditions where this may be needed and it will be indicated
by the word CALC appearing on the status bar.
C Ctrl-P brings up the print menu.
C Ctrl-G brings up the graph menu.
C Ctrl-L brings up one graph, when in DEMO mode.
Protected and Unprotected Cells
C The calculations are protected and you can not make any
entry into these cells by error.
C Data can be entered only into the cells provided for the
purpose in the input and setup screens.
System Requirements
C A PC-compatible system running Windows ver 3.1 or higher.
C A minimum of a 80486 with 4 MB of RAM is recommended.
C The output is compatible with all printers or monitors
normally used with Windows.
C A colour monitor is required to differentiate between
protected and unprotected cells.
C A high-resolution monitor at 1024 x 768 resolution is
desirable to appreciate the graphics.
Saving and Exiting
C When exiting the program, a prompt will come up asking if
you wish to save the current BWB file. This is an automatic
response if you have changed any variables. Making changes
is part of the normal operations. Unless there is a reason to
do so, there is no need to save the changes.
C If you want to save a file with the parameters for a particular
system, you may select the usual File and Save as options.

Once started, you can Open and operate with other BWB
files and switch back and forth using the Window menu.
Data Entry
C Data can be entered into the appropriate locations on the
various tables. Please note that data can be entered only into
unprotected cells, which are coloured blue.
C To change the units go to the setup screen.
C Graph/Table labels: Enter the text that will be used as a
title all graphs and tables. Both will be combined into a single
title for the graphs.
C System volume: This is the total volume of system including
pipework and sumps. If you do not have a volume, a good
rule of thumb is to set the volume at six times the
recirculation rate.
C Recirculation rate: This is the total flow rate between
system and cooling tower.
C Operation: This is the number of equivalent full-time days
of operation per year.
C
T: This is the temperature difference between the cool
water feed from tower and warm water returned from system.
C Windage: Most modern cooling towers are designed to keep
windage losses to 0.025% or lower. Use the manufacturer's
value if available. An arbitrary cutoff has been set to stop
the calculations from cycling higher, once the bleedoff
becomes less than windage; entering zero will allow tables to
cycle higher. Enter your limit in the setup screen.
C Evaporation coefficient: 0.85 provides a reasonable
average over a year; other values may be used based upon
local weather conditions or experience.
C Heat load: This value is calculated from the
T and
flowrate in the appropriate units based upon the temperature
scale selected.
C Alkalinity for acid addition: Enter the alkalinity of the
makeup water and the maximum to be allowed in the
recirculating water. W-index will calculate the feedrate for
the sulfuric acid required to keep from exceeding the selected
value. (see acid feed, below.)
Chemical Feed
C Provisions are included to enter the product name, its cost,
the percentage of active1 material and the frequency of
addition.
C For continuously added chemical products: Enter the
ultimate steady-state concentration in mg/L (ppm). If the
product is used for only for a part of the year, enter the

e.g., Javex may contain 12% active chlorine compared to 100%

for liquid chlorine or an all-organic product may be dosed at 150
mg/L, but actually monitored by molybdate which is present at 5
mg/L. If you are looking at total product, this will usually be set
at 100%.

 

number of days per year over which it is used; otherwise, leave

the time blank as any value entered here will over-ride the
operating time value. The calculation averages the short-term
addition and gives the equivalent value for the full year.
C Acid Feed: Enter the cost per kg/lb for sulfuric acid and the
concentration. 93% is the most common industrial grade.
C Slug-fed chemical products:
Enter the ultimate
concentration in mg/L (ppm), the cost per kg/lb, product
name and number of times per week that they will be
boosted. The weekly and annual additions will be calculated.
The input page calculates the timing parameters that can be
used to assess the number of additions per week.
C Feed to recirculation flow: This would be used for adding
chlorine or a chlorine enhancer (e.g., sodium bromide or a
dispersant) directly to the recirculating flow as a shock
treatment. This mode of addition is usually for a few minutes
to an hour per day, well below the time needed for the system
to reach equilibrium. Note that the mg/L concentration
unit refers to the concentration in the feedwater. This is
a short-term addition and an equilibrium or steady-state
value will never be reached.

Data Output
C There are four tables of data provided. Each can be accessed
by selecting the appropriate Tab at the bottom of the screen.
The output will be in the units selected on the setup screen.
C Input Output: This table summarizes the various inputs.
The outputs include flowrates, percentages and timing
information. The flowrates will be in the unit system selected
in the setup screen.
C Annual: This table provides the annual water and product
consumption. The product additions and costs will be in the
units selected in the setup screen.
C Daily: This table provides the daily water and product
consumption. The product additions and costs will be in the
units selected in the setup screen.
C Comparison: This table gives the water and product
consumption against a pre-set Cycles of Concentration value
which can be entered in the setup screen. The units are in
units of percentage change with a negative value meaning
less and a positive value meaning more. A second table gives
the mole percentage of the various carbonate species at each
pH value.

Water cost
C Enter the actual purchase cost for water. In some regions,
that value might also include a sewage component.
C Where water is pumped directly from the source, e.g., from
a lake or river using plant equipment, an equivalent in-house
cost, such as electrical load should be used.

Printing
C The printing menu is provided by pressing Ctrl-P. The
individual tables can be selected for printing if you desire or
all can be printed.
C Selecting page setup allows you to format the page to
accommodate your printer, to select either portrait or
landscape modes and to change the information included
within the header and footer lines. W-index will remember
your last setup or you can save named ranges for recall. The
default named setting will print vertically on either the 8.5
x 11 inch / 217 x 279 mm North American standard or 210
x 297 mm A4 metric standard pages. If you wish to change
this (e.g., to a landscape mode), you can either set-up the
page and update the default values or save a new named
configuration under a new name. You may use as many
named configurations as you wish, but you must select the
appropriate one before printing or the last named
configuration will be used.

Saving Input Data

C A special saving option using the File and Version options
allows you to save only that data input for a specific sample
or system.
C Selecting Put allows you to save the data. It is recommended
that you select the Input Cells option from the dialogue box.
You are asked to choose a filename with the .BDT extension.
You can retrieve and earlier set of data by selecting the Get
version.
Table Notes
C Three lines are provided at the bottom of each table for
entering notes that will appear in the printed version. Below
this there is a one-line space and an additional three lines for
notes that will appear on screen, but not on the printed
version.
C The leftmost set is carried through to all screens. All other
cells are available for user entries if the notes differ from
those in the input screen. Note that:
C Any note can run the width of the table, from the point of
entry, until it is terminated by a user entry.
C The initial set of notes in the leftmost column can be erased
or modified.
C The notes will be included in the Put version.

Graphing Data
C The graphing menu showing the available graph options is
called up by pressing Ctrl-G. Selecting from the list brings
up the chosen graph. The graphs are designed to show over
any other screens. To get back to the main W-index screens,
it is necessary to minimize or exit the graph.
C To print a graph, take one of the following options:
B The default is set at portrait, full size. This does not give
a good representation of a horizontal page. It is
recommended that you choose landscape full or portrait
half.

  

Page Setup provides the choice of printing the graphs as

full pages in landscape and portrait modes or half pages
in vertical mode. Custom sizes can also be selected.
Select Print to print.
B Select edit and copy to insert the graph into other
Windows applications, e.g., a word processor or
graphics package. The sample graphs in this manual
were printed this way. (Note that the common Ctrl-C
command does not function; however, Ctrl-V does
function in the application receiving the graph.)
As one of the major roles for W-index is comparing one set
of operating conditions with another, the graphing program
works to support that type of role. Each graph operates as a
separate and permanent file once created. You can graph the
data under one set of conditions, then minimize the graph and
go back to the main program and change the conditions and
make another graph as many times as you wish. The
individual graphs can then be accessed via the Windows
taskbar or by pressing the Alt-Tab keys. They must also be
exited individually.

Technical Support
C
C
C
C

Telephone or FAX: 1-416-225-4541

E-mail: marvin@silbert.org
WWW: on-line technical support and registration is available
at http://www.silbert.org/~silbert.
Don't forget to send in the registration form or use the on-line
registration. This qualifies you for free technical support and
upgrades.

FAQs
This section is a summary of questions that have popped up over
the years. Users are encouraged to supply additional questions as
the user is the one with the questions. The developer tends to see
things in their sleep and can miss some critical points.
C How do I establish a cutoff for the maximum number of
cycles in a tower?
While the theoretical limits may appear quite high, the tower
is operated in the real world. C-tower allows you to set a
cutoff based upon the bleedoff related to windage. The
default is 50% of the windage. Allowing the tower to cycle
higher is really meaningless.
C Why doesn't C-tower plot graphs of everything?
The answer to that is simply an effort to avoid graph fatigue.
Hard numbers are available for everything. The ones that are
plotted tend to be those that can give a useful overview. If

  

you think we left one out, let us know and it may be added to
a future upgrade.
What is the difference between Save and Put?
Save should be used once to establish a standard with a
standard set of notes and data. Put should be used to save
each set of data (including notes) for records or reuse. The
resulting BDT file from the Put command is much smaller
than that from the BWB produced by a save, typically 3 k vs.
300-400 k.
Can I really believe 50-60 cycles of concentration?
No. That's really theoretical. Even the windage numbers
quoted by the manufacturers must be questioned under some
wind conditions. Measurements that indicate such numbers
should be investigated for realistic causes, e.g., being too
near a highway overpass or too close to a neighbour who's
emissions can end up in the cooling tower sump.
I also have W-index and the files look similar. Could I
install both in the same directory?
Yes. Most of the files, e.g., the DLLs, are identical and they
could be placed in the same subdirectory. W-index.exe is
able to run the C-tower.bwb file and vice versa. We suggest
separate installations only to avoid confusion.

Sample Output
C

Sample printouts of Ctower tables and setup page: The

originals were printed directly using the default settings, but
have undergone some changes for presentation and printing
in this manual.
Samples of graphical output: These were displayed on
screen and then copied directly into WordPerfect for
inclusion in this manual.

Cooling-Tower Water & Chemical Consumption

PLANT:

XYZ Manufacturing Inc.

Mould Cooling

SYSTEM:

SYSTEM
PARAMETERS
Total Volume
Recirculation
Operation
Delta T:
Windage
Evap'n

C - tower

MARVIN SILBERT and ASSOCIATES

23 Glenelia Avenue, Willowdale, ON, Canada, M2M
Tel/FAX (416) 225-4541, e-mail: marvin@silbert.org

Rate

conditions within a cooling tower may differ from those on which the calculations are based due to factors such
as wind speed and humidity. The calculations do give a reasonable average over the year; however, the authors
can assume no responsibility for any decision based upon the results of the calculations.

Enter User's Name here

Enter User's Affiliation here

4016328
Serial Number:
Note: The license prohibits making copies other than for backup purposes or operating on more
SETUP instructions:

Enter appropriate values ONLY in the blocks provided below.

Do not enter values in any other location.

Keyboard shortcuts:

CtrlCtrlCtrlCtrl-

MEASUREMENT UNITS
- Treatment products sold
- Water sold by:
- Temperature
- Volume and flow

CYCLES OF

1
kg
US
C
US

2
lb
Imperi
F
Imperi

3
m^3
Litres

4
m^3

1
2
1
1

kg
Dollars/1000
C degrees
000 usgpm
000 usg
4.00
is available

When bleedoff is
Maximum COC will be

50
>>>

% of windage
41.80

2.5
0.5
>>>
1

2.50
0.50
7.50
2.5 to 7.5

FOOTNOTE FOR GRAPHS

(C) 1998, Marvin Silbert and Associates
Password

Retention Time
Hold. Time

Active
ABC
DEF
GHI
H2SO4
XYZ
QWER
Chlorin
ASDFG

4.00

2.0E+0 J/s
4.7 min
41.8 COC

Frequency
days/yr 150.0
if not
35.0
full time 15.0

Dosag
mg/L
averag
over yr

/week
99.2
"
132.3
hrs/day 708.5
hrs/day 82.7

kg/slug
"
kg/day
"

2
1
1
1

4.50

5.00

5.50

6.00

6.50

7.00

7.50

1.53
0.03
1.00
2.55

1.53
0.03
0.74
2.30

1.53
0.03
0.59
2.15

1.53
0.03
0.49
2.04

1.53
0.03
0.42
1.97

1.53
0.03
0.36
1.92

1.53
0.03
0.32
1.87

1.53
0.03
0.28
1.84

1.53
0.03
0.26
1.81

1.53
0.03
0.23
1.79

1.53
0.03 Recirc.
0.21
1.77

7.6
5.3

10.1
7.0

12.6
8.8

15.1
10.5

17.6
12.2

20.1
14.0

22.6
15.7

25.1
17.4

27.6
19.1

30.1
20.8

32.5
22.5

hours

C-tower: Cooling-Tower - Annual Water & Chemical Consumption

Rate of Evap'n
Windag
Bleedoff
Make-up
Losses

SET COC RANGE FOR TABLES AND GRAPHS

- Start value
Goes to 1.50 if no value
- Step size
Goes to MAXIMUM if no value
- Stop value
Maximum COC plotted will
- Decimal places
Used for

3.50

XYZ Manufacturing Inc.

Mould Cooling

ANNUAL WATER CONSUMPTION

Cycles of Conc
2.50
3.00
3.50

5
kg

Heat Load
Cycle Time
Maximum Conc Ratio

100 ppm
500 ppm

4.00

4.50

5.00

5.50

6.00

6.50

7.00

7.50

Dollars/kg

For comparison table and graphs. Uses

next lower value if not in the "lookup"

MAXIMUM CYCLES
OF CONCENTRATION

Perce Evap'n
Windag
Bleedoff
Make-up

SYSTEM:

Dollar

Alkalinity Present in
Maximum Alk in System

Evap'n
1147.5 1147.5 1147.5 1147.5 1147.5 1147.5 1147.5 1147.5 1147.5 1147.5 1147.5 usgpm
Windag
18.8
18.8
18.8
18.8
18.8
18.8
18.8
18.8
18.8
18.8
18.8
Bleedoff 749.1 557.8 443.1 366.6 311.9 270.9 239.1 213.6 192.7 175.3 160.6
Make-up 1915.3 1724.1 1609.3 1532.8 1478.2 1437.2 1405.3 1379.8 1358.9 1341.6 1326.9
Losses
767.8 576.6 461.8 385.3 330.7 289.7 257.8 232.3 211.4 194.1 179.4

PLANT:

Recalculate
Print menu
Graph menu
Initialize to start positions

CURRENCY Enter currency name/abbreviation up to 7

000 usg
000 usgm
days/year
C degrees
Percent

WATER CONSUMPTION
Cycles of Conc
2.50
3.00

C-tower uses several calculations from literature. To fully interpret the results, it should be noted that

This copy licensed to:

350
75
365
10
0.025
0.85

CHEMICAL PRODUCTS
Produ
mg/L
$/kg Product
%
Contin
150
5.00 ABC100
35
7.50 DEF100
15
5.00 GHI100
0.25 H2SO4
93
Slug
75
7.00 BIO-1
100
100
6.00 BIO-2
100
To
5
1.00 JAVEX
12
1
7.00 DISP100
Water
3.00 Dollars/1000 IG

Cooling TOWER calculations, ver. 4.01, (C) 1990, 94, 98

Developed by:

C-tower:

DEMO mode: Printing and Graphing disabled.

603.1
9.9
232.9
845.9
242.7

603.1
9.9
192.7
805.6
202.5

603.1
9.9
163.9
776.9
173.8

603.1
9.9
142.4
755.4
152.3

603.1
9.9
125.7
738.6
135.5

603.1
9.9
112.2
725.2
122.1

603.1
9.9
101.3
714.3
111.1

603.1
9.9
92.1
705.1
102.0

603.1
9.9
84.4
697.4
94.3

ANNUAL PRODUCT CONSUMPTION

Cycles of Conc
2.50
3.00
3.50

4.00

4.50

5.00

5.50

6.00

6.50

7.00

7.50

Contin ABC228.9
DEF53.4
GHI-789 22.9
H2SO4
0.0
Slug BIO-1
10.3
BIO-2
6.9
To
JAVEX
258.6
DISP-11 30.2

171.9
40.1
17.2
0.0
10.3
6.9
258.6
30.2

137.7
32.1
13.8
0.0
10.3
6.9
258.6
30.2

114.9
26.8
11.5
0.0
10.3
6.9
258.6
30.2

98.6
23.0
9.9
0.0
10.3
6.9
258.6
30.2

86.4
20.2
8.6
0.0
10.3
6.9
258.6
30.2

76.9
17.9
7.7
5.0
10.3
6.9
258.6
30.2

69.3
16.2
6.9
8.3
10.3
6.9
258.6
30.2

63.0
14.7
6.3
10.4
10.3
6.9
258.6
30.2

57.9
13.5
5.8
11.9
10.3
6.9
258.6
30.2

53.5
12.5
5.3
Consu
12.8
in
10.3 kg/year
6.9
258.6
30.2

Contin ABC1144.6
DEF400.6
GHI-789 114.5
H2SO4
0.0
Slug BIO-1
72.2
BIO-2
41.3
To Rec JAVEX
258.6
DISP-11 211.4

859.5
300.8
85.9
0.0
72.2
41.3
258.6
211.4

688.4
241.0
68.8
0.0
72.2
41.3
258.6
211.4

574.4
201.0
57.4
0.0
72.2
41.3
258.6
211.4

492.9
172.5
49.3
0.0
72.2
41.3
258.6
211.4

431.8
151.1
43.2
0.0
72.2
41.3
258.6
211.4

384.3
134.5
38.4
1.3
72.2
41.3
258.6
211.4

346.3
121.2
34.6
2.1
72.2
41.3
258.6
211.4

315.2
110.3
31.5
2.6
72.2
41.3
258.6
211.4

289.3
101.3
28.9
3.0
72.2
41.3
258.6
211.4

267.4
93.6
26.7
3.2
72.2
41.3
258.6
211.4

Totals Contin
Slug
To Rec.
All Prod
Water
Total

1246.3 998.2 832.9 714.8 626.2 558.5 504.2 459.7 422.4 390.9
113.5 113.5 113.5 113.5 113.5 113.5 113.5 113.5 113.5 113.5
Total
470.0 470.0 470.0 470.0 470.0 470.0 470.0 470.0 470.0 470.0
in
1829.8 1581.8 1416.4 1298.3 1209.7 1142.1 1087.8 1043.2 1006.0 974.4 of $/yr
2263.7 2113.0 2012.6 1940.8 1887.0 1845.2 1811.7 1784.3 1761.5 1742.1
4093.5 3694.8 3429.0 3239.1 3096.7 2987.2 2899.4 2827.5 2767.4 2716.5

  

603.1
9.9
393.7
1006.7
403.6

1659.7
113.5
470.0
2243.2
2514.8
4758.0

603.1
9.9
293.2
906.2
303.0

million
usg/yr

Individ
costs
000's
kg/yr

Cummulative Water Usage

XYZ Manufacturing Inc. - Mould Cooling
2.8

C-tower: Cooling-Tower - Annual Water & Chemical Consumption

SYSTEM:

COMPARISON AGAINST 4.0 COC

Cycles of Conc
2.50
3.00
3.50

4.00

4.50

5.00

5.50

6.00

6.50

7.00

7.50

2.4
P
e
r
c
e
n
t
a
g
e

XYZ Manufacturing Inc.

Mould Cooling

PLANT:

2.0
1.6
1.2
0.8
0.4

Rate of Evap'n
Windag
Bleedoff
Make-up
Losses

0
0
104
25
99

0
0
52
12
50

0
0
21
5
20

0
0
0
0
0

0
0
-15
-4
-14

0
0
-26
-6
-25

0
0
-35
-8
-33

0
0
-42
-10
-40

0
0
-47
-11
-45

0
0
-52
-12
-50

0
0
-56
-13
-53

% Chg

Ret Time and

-50

-33

-17

17

33

49

66

82

99

115

% Chg

0.0
2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

Evaporation

5.0
COC

5.5

6.0

6.5

Windage

7.0

7.5

Bleedoff
(C) 1998, Marvin Silbert and Associates

Totals Contin
Slug
To Rec.
All Prod
Water
Total

99
0
0
58
25
39

50
0
0
29
12
19

20
0
0
12
5
8

0
0
0
0
0
0

-14
0
0
-8
-4
-6

-25
0
0
-15
-6
-10

-33
0
0
-19
-8
-13

-39
0
0
-23
-10
-15

-45
0
0
-26
-11
-18

-49
0
0
-29
-12
-19

-53
0
0
-31
-13
-21

Product Cost Relative to 4.0 COC

% Chg

XYZ Manufacturing Inc. - Mould Cooling

60

40

COMPARISON AGAINST TOTAL

COST
Cycles of Conc
2.50
3.00
3.50

4.00

4.50

5.00

5.50

6.00

6.50

7.00

7.50

Totals Contin
Slug
To Rec.
All Prod
Water

24.3
3.3
13.7
41.3
58.7

22.1
3.5
14.5
40.1
59.9

20.2
3.7
15.2
39.1
60.9

18.7
3.8
15.7
38.2
61.8

17.4
3.9
16.2
37.5
62.5

16.3
4.0
16.6
36.9
63.1

15.3
4.1
17.0
36.4
63.6

14.4
4.2
17.3
35.9
64.1

34.9
2.4
9.9
47.1
52.9

30.4
2.8
11.5
44.7
55.3

27.0
3.1
12.7
42.8
57.2

20

% Chg
-20

-40
2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

5.5

6.0

6.5

7.0

7.5

COC

Products

Water

Combined
(C) 1998, Marvin Silbert and Associates