“Mr. Customer, In what crazy way did you manage to get the Fill pack that clogged up?”

Mr. Customer, In what crazy way did you manage to get the Fill pack that clogged up?

If youre looking for Mr. Blue no Khun Blue, the man in blue who regularly comes around to tell you a story about the cooling tower, is not present. Ive taken over Khun Blues knowledge center today since I think you guys would enjoy short articles. Maybe? 

Well, hi, my name is Nong Pink. Hello! Nice to meet you!

Relax, though; we wont abandon the topic of cooling tower discussion altogether. After hearing about one of our case studies from Khun Blue, I decided to bring it along.

All of the pieces in this "Case Study" series are based on real-life experiences our team has had with customers. Aside from being a fun read, I think this may be a helpful guide that, with a few little adjustments, could help you avoid accidents involving your cooling towers.

The "Normal Fill Pack Floor" within the general cooling tower is what Id like to start todays article with:

You can see that it is a floor made of black plastic stuff that allows water to flow through it. The cooling tower contains a space where air and hot water from the plants production process can interchange temperatures.

What I have here is a case study of a Fill Pack replacement incident at one of the cement plants in Thailand. According to what Ive been told about the incident, their Fill Pack was blocked and the water was unable to flow through it., so they reached out to Innovek for assistance. 

They also mentioned that it has been in service for a certain 5 years.

As I sat there wondering if this was the typical lifespan of a fill pack...

After racking my brain for a solution, I realised that I dont know anything about the topic so I asked Khun Blue, is 5 years a normal lifespan of the fill pack?

Khun Blue responded "No. No, its not"

This is due to the fact that readers can expect to use Fill Pack for at least 10 years. However, in this particular case, after only 5 years of usage, it was so clogged that the owner requested a complete replacement, rather than just a few parts.

How clogged is it, exactly? 

I couldnt contain my curiosity till Khun Blue showed me some pictures of the incident.

First off, I want to clarify that this picture was not taken outside the cooling tower. The photo was taken from inside the cooling tower, where the fill pack was completely clogged until it hardened, creating the appearance that the workers were walking on a cement floor.

The fill pack looks as though it has been used for 100 years, while having been utilised for only 50% of its expected lifetime.

This incident, our staff began by carefully chopping the fill pack off the floor into little pieces, which were then carefully transported out.

According to what Ive heard, getting through the cutting process was no easy feat. The cooling towers restricted interior means that we cant bring in heavy machinery or utilize particularly large tools. Our team has to use a hand saw to slowly cut them. 

The question is. only 5 years why was it that clogged up

According to the information gathered from our conversations with the customer, the previous cooling tower manufacturer from 5 years ago selected a kind of offset flute mix with cross flute fill pack for the customer.

( Cooling tower Fill Pack comes in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. To learn more about this, please visit this link. This topic was previously explained in an article by Khun Blue. )

Khun Blue elaborated, explaining that the water calculation is the major consideration for choosing a Fill pack cooling tower.

However, just because water calculation is a "major consideration" does not mean that it is the only factor to be taken into account.

In this circumstance, the customers cooling tower manufacturer from five years ago likely selected a fill pack appropriate for the water calculation but without thinking about the conditions inside the plant.

A cement factory, where cement dust is continually floating around.

The cement dust in the air will be sucked into the cooling tower as it runs, where it will dissolve in the water. With enough time, it can aggregate to form a whole cement floor, as shown below.

It is clear that the efficiency and longevity of the cooling tower depend on a number of factors, including the waters appropriateness and the conditions in the plant where it will be put.

It is imperative that the business owner, cooling tower engineers, or responsible parties keep a close eye on the cooling tower at all times. The sooner a problem is identified and addressed, the less likely it is that it will worsen and become impossible to repair.

You dont know what to look for or where to look. Need further clarification about cooling towers, or have any other questions? 

Try us! We charge nothing in talking with us. 

Innovek Asia is the leading cooling tower manufacturer in Thailand and we adhere to international quality standards. We offer cooling tower services ranging from design and installation to inspection and maintenance, and our team has more than 15 years of combined experience in this field.

If youd rather use the LINE app, click the green button on the right; otherwise, you can email us at coolingexpert@innovek.co.th with any relevant materials, such as screenshots.