AWT Winter 2021 Analyst

the Analyst The Voice of the Water Treatment Industry

Volume 28 Number 1

1300 Piccard Drive, Suite LL 14 • Rockville, MD 20850

Winter 2021

Can Packed-Bed IX Reduce the Environmental Impact for Makeup Water Treatment?

Advances in Online Iron Monitoring in the Presence of Film-Forming Products Volume 28 Number 1 Winter 2021

Can the Contrarian Use of Chlorine Help to Control Biofouling in RO Membranes?

How an SRA Can Improve Cooling Water Treatment and Address Liability Concerns T.U.T.O.R.: Select Questions From Inquiring Minds About Cooling Towers

Published by

Cover A comfort cooling tower atop an office building in New York.

Photo courtesy of MD Henley & Associates.

Winter 2021

Volume 28

Number 1

8 Can Packed-Bed IX Reduce the Environmental Impact for Makeup Water Treatment?

John Wale, Ecodyne LTD (Marmon Group), and David T. Dally, LANXESS Sybron Ion exchange resins have proven to be one of the most reliable methods for producing large quantities of deionized water on a continuous basis. However, it has now been proven that a countercurrent, packed-bed demineralizer in combination with uniform particle size resins can produce more water of higher quality, with less waste, at a lower cost.

20 Advances in Online Iron Monitoring in the Presence of FilmForming Products

Kenneth Kuruc, Hach Co. By using a combination of a simple colorimetric total iron laboratory analysis with a sensitive nephelometric analyzer, a cost-effective, quantitative, real-time corrosion monitoring solution is possible. When properly calibrated, the nephelometric units provided by a nephelometer can be correlated to total iron concentration values.

The iron concentration of the process water is a direct indicator of steel corrosion.

28 Can the Contrarian Use of Chlorine Help to Control Biofouling in RO Membranes?

Alexandra Rubin, Rich Franks, P.E., and Craig Bartels, Ph.D., Hydranautics; and Peter Cartwright, P.E., Cartwright Consulting Co. An increasing number of RO systems are used to treat challenging wastewaters with a tendency for biofouling. Due to the incompatibility of RO membranes with oxidants such as chlorine and due to the limited effectiveness of nonoxidizing biocides, these RO systems require frequent, harsh cleanings. Membrane manufacturers do not allow chlorine to be used with RO membranes, but laboratory studies and recent testing on a full-scale RO system using the latest generation of highly crosslinked membranes demonstrate that low concentrations of chlorine may be safely dosed to control heavy biofouling with no adverse effect on membrane salt passage.

4

Calendar of Events

5

President’s Message

6

Message From the President-Elect

60 Membership Benefits 61 Industry Notes 66 CWT Spotlight 67 Making a Splash 68 Capital Eyes 70 Financial Matters 72 Tales From the Waterside 75 T.U.T.O.R. 80 Business Notes 82 Advertising Index

46 How a Shared Responsibility Agreement Can Improve Cooling Water Treatment and Address Liability Concerns

Kenneth Soeder, Jamestown Technologies Division; John D. Caloritis, The Metro Group, Inc.; Michael J. Highum, McGowan Insurance Group; Adam Green, Esq., Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC; and Garret Garcia, Masters Company, Inc. The objective of this article is to introduce the idea of a Shared Responsibility Agreement. The primary goal of the agreement will be to re-engage, re-energize, and reinvest customers back into the maintenance, testing, and oversight of their own cooling water treatment programs, all done in conjunction with their water treatment service company. The second goal will be to clearly document specific service tasks and responsibilities to be conducted by both facility management and the water treatment service company staffs.

3 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

1300 Piccard Drive, Suite LL 14 Rockville, MD 20850 (301) 740-1421 • (301) 990-9771 (fax) www.awt.org

2020–2021 AWT Board of Directors President

Michael Bourgeois, CWT

Calendar of Events

Association Events Technical Training Seminars (East)

Secretary

May 5–8, 2021 Graduate Annapolis Annapolis, MD

Treasurer

2021 Business Owners Meeting

President-Elect

Matt Jensen, CWT

Stephen C. Hallier, CWT

September 21, 2021 Providence Convention Center and Omni Hotel Providence, Rhode Island

Noah Baskin

Immediate Past President

Thomas Brandvold, CWT

Directors

John D. Caloritis, CWT Mark Coldren, CWT Stephanie Keck, CWT Fred Shurtz

2021 Annual Convention & Exposition

Ex-Officio Supplier Representative

Garrett S. Garcia

Past Presidents

Jack Altschuler John Baum, CWT R. Trace Blackmore, CWT, LEED AP D.C. “Chuck” Brandvold, CWT Thomas Brandvold, CWT Brent W. Chettle, CWT Dennis Clayton Bernadette Combs, CWT, LEED AP Matt Copthorne, CWT James R. Datesh John E. Davies, CWT Jay Farmerie, CWT Gary Glenna Charles D. Hamrick Jr., CWT Joseph M. Hannigan Jr., CWT Mark R. Juhl

Brian Jutzi, CWT Bruce T. Ketrick Jr., CWT Bruce T. Ketrick Sr., CWT Ron Knestaut Robert D. Lee, CWT Mark T. Lewis, CWT Steven MacCarthy, CWT Anthony J. McNamara, CWT James Mulloy Alfred Nickels Scott W. Olson, CWT William E. Pearson II, CWT William C. Smith Marc Vermeulen, CWT David Wagenfuhr Casey Walton, B.Ch.E, CWT Larry A. Webb

Staff

Executive Director

Heidi J. Zimmerman, CAE

Deputy Executive Director

Sara L. Wood, MBA, CAE

Senior Member Services Manager

Angela Pike

Vice President, Meetings

Grace L. Jan, CMP, CAE

Exhibits and Sponsorship Manager

Barbara Bienkowski, CEM

Meetings Manager

Marci L. Hickey, CMP, DES

Marketing Director

Jennifer Olivares

Marketing Coordinator

Mary Claire Gordon

Managing Editor

Lynne Agoston

Production Manager

Maryia Alenchyk

Director of Accounting Services

Dawn Rosenfeld

The Analyst Staff

Publisher, Heidi J. Zimmerman, CAE Managing Editor, Lynne Agoston Production Manager, Maryia Alenchyk Technical Editor

Michael Henley, mdhenleywater@gmail.com, (303) 324-9507

Advertising Sales Manager Carol Nettles, carol@awt.org

The Analyst is published quarterly as the official publication of the Association of Water Technologies. Copyright 2021 by the Association of Water Technologies. Materials may not be reproduced without written permission. Contents of the articles are the sole opinions of the author and do not necessarily express the policies and opinions of the publisher, editor or AWT. Authors are responsible for ensuring that the articles are properly released for classification and proprietary information. All advertising will be subject to publisher’s approval, and advertisers will agree to indemnify and relieve publisher of loss or claims resulting from advertising contents. Editorial material in the Analyst may be reproduced in whole or part with prior written permission. Request permission by writing to: Managing Editor, the Analyst, 1300 Piccard Drive, Suite LL 14, Rockville, MD 20850, USA. Annual subscription rate is $100 per year in the U.S. (4 issues).

Please add $25 for Canada and Mexico. International subscriptions are $200 in U.S. funds.

September 22–25, 2021 Providence Convention Center and Omni Hotel Providence, Rhode Island

2022 Annual Convention & Exposition September 21–24, 2022 Vancouver Convention Centre Vancouver, Canada

2023 Annual Convention & Exposition

October 4–7, 2023 Amway Grand Hotel and Grand Rapids Convention Center Grand Rapids, Michigan

Also, please note that the following AWT committees meet on a monthly basis. All times shown are Eastern Time. To become active in one of these committees, please contact us at (301) 740-1421.

Second Tuesday of each month, 11:00 am – Legislative/Regulatory Committee Second Tuesday of each month, 2:30 pm – Convention Committee Second Wednesday of each month, 11:00 am – Business Resources Committee Second Friday of each month, 10:00 am – Special Projects Subcommittee Second Friday of each month, 11:00 am – Cooling Subcommittee Second Friday of each month, 2:00 pm – Pretreatment Subcommittee Third Monday of each month, 9:00 am – Certification Committee Third Monday of each month, 3:30 pm – Young Professionals Task Force Third Tuesday of each month, 3:00 pm – Education Committee Third Friday of each month, 9:00 am – Boiler Subcommittee Third Friday of each month, 10:00 am – Technical Committee Quarterly (call for meeting dates), 10:00 am – Wastewater Subcommittee

Other Industry Events

ACS, Spring National Meeting & Expo, April 5–16, 2021, Virtual NACE, Corrosion Risk Management Conference, April 18–22, 2021, Virtual AWWA, Annual Conference & Expo, June 13–16, 2021, San Diego, CA ASHRAE, Annual Conference, June 26–30, 2021, Phoenix, AZ BOMA, International Conference and Expo, July 18–21, 2021, Boston, MA AWWA, Membrane Technology Conference, July 19–22, 2021, West Palm Beach, FL WQA, Convention and Expo, July 28–30, 2021, Las Vegas, NV ASHE, Annual Convention & Expo., August 2–5, 2021, Chicago, IL ACS, Fall Meeting & Expo, August 22–26, 2021, Atlanta, GA USGBC, GreenBuild, September 21–22, 2021, San Diego, CA WEFTEC, Annual Technical Exhibition and Conference, October 16–21, 2021, Chicago, IL IWC, Annual Conference, November 7–11, 2021, Scottsdale, AZ RETA, Annual Convention, November 8–11, 2021, Schaumburg, IL

4 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

President’s Message

By Michael Bourgeois, CWT

I hope your 2021 is off to a good start. We have lots in store for AWT this year.

to take the in-person training and then several weeks later, sit for the exam. Visit the AWT website at www.awt.org for more information.

In-Person Training The last time I was able to see many of my AWT friends in person was at the 2020 Technical Training Seminar in Seattle, Washington. I’m pleased to report that AWT is planning on holding an in-person Technical Training this year. While we aren’t able to hold seminars on both coasts, we are going to squeeze one in. We were able to move the dates of the Annapolis, Maryland, Training to May 2021. Space is limited, so be sure to reserve your spot today.

Online Introduction to Water Treatment Thanks to the dedicated efforts of many volunteers, the AWT Introduction to Water Treatment Modules are now all available online. This training program is free to all members. The modules cover the basics of water treatment and are a great tool for those new to the job.

You can find these and other online courses in the education portal of the AWT website at https://edu.awt.org/ education.

CWT While Pearson Vue testing centers were closed part of last year, we still welcomed many new CWTs. The CWT designation is the water treatment industry's definitive standard. There is no other credential that gives you the professional credibility you deserve.

The CWT exam is a computer-based exam, and you can take it on your own time, when you are ready, at one of the many Pearson Vue testing centers. Many people like

Online Safety Training If you haven’t taken advantage of the online safety training AWT offers, I would encourage you to do so.

These trainings cover hundreds of safety topics and are a convenient and easy way to obtain necessary safety training for you and your staff.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve. I can be reached at mbourgeois@chemcoprod.com.

5 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Message From the President-Elect

Planning is going well for the 2021 Convention and Exposition, which will take place September 22–25, 2021, in Providence, Rhode Island.

Keynote Speaker We’re so excited about our keynote speaker, Brett Culp.

Brett is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and founder of the not-for-profit The Rising Heroes Project. He is known for the films Legends of the Knight and Look to the Sky, both of which explore the power of heroic stories and heroic individuals to inspire us to believe in a better tomorrow. Through his groundbreaking documentary work, Brett has pioneered the art of creating “mini-movements” that inspire the super-human spirit in us all. His unique approach to community-building and relationship-driven engagement invite people to connect with a noble vision and make a difference together. His insights on connecting individuals to an organization's mission and goals resonate, help us realize our greatest personal and business potential, and renew our collective sense of hope for the future and belief that our efforts can make an impact.

By Matt Jensen, CWT

but I look forward to walking the show floor to meet with people and see their products. We have plenty of space in our exhibit hall and so far, if numbers continue, we expect a record number of exhibitors in 2021.

As we continue to plan the 2021 Annual Convention, I welcome your feedback. I can be reached at mjensen@ gwt-inc.com. Thank you for the opportunity to serve.

Educational Program We are currently putting together the program for the 2021 Convention, and we have some great abstracts from which to choose. I’m confident we will have a solid program with quality sessions. Our hope is to have more panel discussions and educational workshops, which we all enjoy.

Expo Hall If you’re like me, you can’t wait to see our suppliers in-person this year. It was wonderful to connect online last year, 6 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

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Remote monitoring of your water treatment program has never been easier with MicroVision EX and PULSAlink.

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Receive system parameter readings charted and sent to designated emails at pre-determined intervals.

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Customize delivery of alerts from the controllers to your email or others in your organization.

Monitor Chemical Usage

Track water treatment programs efficacy and increase water efficiency to accurately calculate evaporation credits.

Communications with Data Logging and Reporting has become very important in the fight against Legionella.

To learn more, contact your Pulsafeeder sales rep at pulsatron.com today!

Can Packed-Bed IX Reduce the Environmental Impact for Makeup Water Treatment?

John Wale, Ecodyne LTD (Marmon Group), and David T. Dally, LANXESS Sybron

8 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Historically in North America, ion exchange (IX) resins have proven to be one of the most reliable methods for producing large quantities of deionized (DI) water on a continuous basis. As with other technologies, the processes used to produce high-purity DI water have been greatly improved over the decades. Through 60 to 70 years of technical development and industrial production, IX systems have become remarkably high tech, powerful tools used in astonishingly sophisticated manufacturing applications.

The conventional co-flow and countercurrent block-flow demineralizer systems have been operating in most water treatment plants throughout North America for decades and have proven to be relatively trouble-free for treating industrial water.

However, it has been shown that a countercurrent, packed-bed demineralizer in combination with uniform particle size (UPS) resins can produce more water of higher quality, with less waste, at a lower cost. This article discusses the replacement of an existing blockflow countercurrent DI system (vintage 1975) with a custom-designed packed-bed system.A

Packed-Bed Systems

Packed-bed technology was first developed by Bayer AGB in 1949. This new design featured an up-flow

service and downflow regenerant countercurrent design.

During the early 1970s the packed-bed technology was originally introduced into the United States by Bayer, but with little fanfare or interest. At the time, conventional co-current and countercurrent technology was well established and dominated the market.

By the 1980s, up-flow service countercurrent packed-bed technology was already in use and well accepted in Europe and much of the world. Packed beds were proven to be reliable and more importantly, already met most of the necessary criterion that would later become important to U.S. industry. However, their use in the United States was still limited.

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, packed-bed technology had finally started to gain acceptance in North America and was being marketed as the “new technology� by various major equipment and IX resin manufacturers. This was due in part to competition from other newer technologies, such as reverse osmosis (RO) and electrodeionization (EDI), and more importantly, to accommodate the new interest of users to improve operational efficiencies and meet stricter waste discharge limits.

Figure 1 provides two examples of common designs for packed-bed IX systems.

Figure 1: Two examples of common designs for packed-bed designs for IX systems using up-flow service design.

9 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Can Packed-Bed IX Reduce the Environmental Impact for Makeup Water Treatment?

Packed-bed designed systems are a relatively simple design with up-flow exhaustion and downflow regeneration. The resin is placed between two nozzle plates or distributors. A layer of floating inert resin is placed between the active resin bed and the top nozzle plate.

The floating inert resin prevents resin fines and impurities from clogging the upper nozzle plate, helps reduce pressure drop, and ensures optimum distribution of the regenerant. A minimum of freeboard is required to account for the swelling of the resin. Freeboard is minimized to prevent fluidization.

Up-flow design. Major advantages of the up-flow packed-bed design include:

continued

“Packed-bed designed systems are a relatively simple design with up-flow exhaustion and downflow regeneration.” as provision for optimal resin cleaning, allowing for easy resin removal and replacement, and providing a place to conveniently store resin during vessel inspections or other required maintenance.

Figure 2: Packed-bed with external backwash tank. Note: For this schematic, the Resin Transfer Velocity = 1 meter per second (m/s) and the Mixing Ratio (water to resin) > 2:1.

Lower pressure drops, resulting in a narrower column diameter (smaller footprint).

Lower service and demineralized water consumption for rinsing and dilution.

Utilization of deeper resin beds Lower and more consistent leakage than other regeneration strategies.

Lower regenerant usage/increased operating efficiency compared to other regeneration strategies.

More packed-bed (up-flow service) designed DI systems have been installed throughout the world than any other countercurrent design strategy.

A commonly perceived disadvantage to the packed-bed system is the need for an external backwash tank. (See Figure 2.). In fact, some current manufacturers of packed-bed systems have tried to address this perceived disadvantage by asserting that IX resins never get fouled with their design and that an external backwash tank is not required. However, it is our experience that the resins in all systems will require backwashing or cleaning at some point in their life and there is no place in the vessel to perform the function—so an external backwash tank is strongly recommended in a carefully designed packed-bed system.

Furthermore, the external backwash tank provides maximum operating flexibility and has advantages such

Facility Description

In this article, we use a fertilizer plant located in Alberta, Canada, as an example to compare the use of conventional IX to a packed-bed IX water treatment system. The raw river water source used at the facility is cold-lime softened followed by dual-media filtration systems prior to being directed to the DI trains. Since 1976, to provide boiler and process water to the plant, five block-flow, countercurrent demineralizer trains with the following dimensions and resin volumes were used, as detailed in Table A. Table A: IX System Characteristics IX System Size

Cation/Anion Vessel Size

Resin Volumes/ Type

3 Trains

Cation: 9.5 ft X 12 ft

443 ft 3, SAC

Anion: 8.5 ft X 12 ft

330 ft 3, SBA

Cation: 11 ft X 12 ft

475 ft 3, SAC

Anion: 11 ft X 13 ft

380 ft 3, SBA

2 Trains

Notes: SAC = strongly acidic cation; SBA = strongly basic anion

10 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Can Packed-Bed IX Reduce the Environmental Impact for Makeup Water Treatment?

A common degassifier was placed between the strongly acidic cation (SAC) and strongly basic anion (SBA) units. The demin trains were limited to a gallon set point based on free-mineral acidity (FMA) versus throughput based on historical data. The DI trains were considered exhausted on a silica break of 250 parts per billion (ppb) or a conductivity break greater than 10 microsiemens per centimeter (ÂľS/cm).

During 2010, the facility decided to replace the older block-flow, countercurrent system with a new, custom-designed, packed-bed countercurrent system. The main reason for replacement was end-of-life of the vessels and control systems. RO was considered but dimissed due to cost comparisons and complications of downstream processes. It was decided that IX was a better choice.

Replacement Demineralizer Plant

Compared to conventional demineralizer designs, up-flow service, downflow regenerated, countercurrent packed beds are designed for higher regenerant efficiency along with higher purity water production (lower leakage). Because of optimal internal design along with the use of UPS resins, both service water and regenerant are uniformly distributed through the resin bed, minimizing any hideout.

The replacement demineralization system has been operating since 2011. The DI system operates 24 hours a day,

continued

7 days per week, with a design flow of 855 gallons per minute (gpm) per train and a normal flow of approximately 750 gpm per train. A single train operates for 30 to 35 hours between regenerations and produces approximately 1.3 to 1.6 million gallons (gal) of treated water.

Four trains are included in the design.

Each DI train consists of one cation unit containing two compartments (compound bed) with 200 cubic feet (ft3) of strong acid cation resin per compartment and one anion unit with two compartments (compound bed), with the bottom compartment containing 200 ft3 of weak-base resin and the top compartment containg 250 ft3 of strong-base resin (Figure 3). The cation unit in this application is a special liftbed design with minimal backwashing capability as contingency for potential upsets in the pretreatment equipment and the dual compartment anion is designed not only for optimum regeneration efficiency but also resistance to organic fouling due to the use of weak base resin.

A degassifier was not required due to lime-softened water. Additional dual-media filters were added to provide extra protection against total suspended solids (TSS) getting into the inlet. External backwash tanks were supplied for both the cation units and anion units.

Each DI train is externally backwashed once or twice a year as required.

Figure 3: Compound beds unit sizes: left—8 ft X 13.5 ft; right—8 ft X 13.5 ft

11 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Can Packed-Bed IX Reduce the Environmental Impact for Makeup Water Treatment?

Original Versus Updated IX System Performance

Comparing performance data from pre-2010 (old DI system) to performance data from 2015 (modern packed-bed system) illustrates the improved performance and effluent quality with some interesting trends, as listed in Table B. Table B: Packed-Bed System Performance and Effluent Quality Compared With Conventional IX Parameter

Conventional

Packed Bed

Flow velocity (gpm/ft )

8–12

15–18

Average conductivity (µmhos)

2–2.69

0.25–0.4

Silica (ppb)

< 10

<5

Average throughput/month (gal)

50,727,122

63,705,507

Average run length (gal)

840,067

1,534,672

2

Note: Effluent quality is improved by an 85% reduction in sodium (based on conductivity) and a 50% reduction of silica leakage.

Economics: Original Versus Modernized Comparing economic data from pre-2010 (old DI system) to performance data from 2015 (replacement packed-bed system) illustrates the improved economic performance, as shown in Table C. Cost figures are in Canadian dollars.

continued

Although the customer is not charged for the final discharge of their wastewater, there is additional cost savings by not having to treat this water through lime softening and neutralization, as required with the older block-flow design.

These calculations do not include cost savings associated with four polishing mixed-bed units that would see extended service cyles due to a higher quality of water produced by the new demineralizer system. An additional reduction in yearly regenerant levels, labor costs, and wastewater would result for the existing downstream equipment as well (not included in this caclulation as operating data not provided by site). The mixed-bed units are now more of an insurance policy for more stable steam drum chemistry due to steady and low sodium levels in the mixed-bed outlet. The maximum run length for the MB units is 15 million gallons with no silica break.

Wastewater Calculations: 2015 New Packed-Bed System

Table D provides calculations for the packed-bed system installed in 2015.

Table D: Regeneration Flows for Anion and Cation Resins

Table C: Cost Performance of Old Versus Updated DI System

Regeneration Step

Flowrate (gpm)

Time (min)

Acid injection-1

262

X 30

Acid injection-2

262

X 15

Acid displacement

262

X 32

Fast rinse (recycle)

885

30

Total Cation Waste (gal)

20,174

Cation Unit 2015

Parameter

Conventional

Packed Bed

Average acid/month (kg)

103,008

56,664

Average NaOH/month (kg)

119,941

51,193

Average regeneration/month

64

41

Total acid/year (kgr)

1,236,096

679,968

Total caustic/year (kgr)

1,439,292

614,316

Acid cost/year at $0.23/kg

$284,302

$122,394

Anion Unit 2015

Caustic cost/year at $1.25 kg

$1,799,115

$645,032

Caustic injection

191.7

X 35

Labor at $35.00/hour

$107,520

$60,270

NaOH displacement

191.7

X 40

Maintenance

$50,000

$10,000

Fast rinse (recycle)

885

30

Total annual operating cost:

$2,240,937

$837,696

Total Anion Waste (gal)

14,379

Note: Cost figures in Canadian dollars.

Wastewater Reduction

Findings:

In addition to large cost savings in regenerant, energy, and labor, the generation of wastewater was reduced by approximately 46 million gallons per year due to longer service cycles (fewer regenerations per month) and a huge reduction in final rinse volumes because rinse recycle was incorporated into the final design.

1. Total wastewater produced per regeneration: 20,174 gal + 14,379 = 34,553 gal 2. Average number of regenerations per year = 492

3. Volume of wastewater generated per year = 17,000,076 U.S. gal for the new system

Note: Gallons are in U.S. gallons.

12 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

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Can Packed-Bed IX Reduce the Environmental Impact for Makeup Water Treatment?

“Overall, selecting to replace the older block-flow demineralizer system with a high-efficiency packed-bed system has resulted in ~ 4+ million gallons per month in water savings.”

Table E shows wastewater calculations for the old DI system.

Flowrate (gpm)

Time (min)

530

3

Acid injection

425

X 45

Acid displacement

425

X 30

Fast rinse

450

X 45

Total Cation Waste

52,125 gal

Design Software

A design softwareC was used to help determine required resin volumes and regeneration requirements based on specified operating conditions for the updated DI treatment plant. This is examined in the Appendix, which reviews the type of data the equipment supplier used when designing and then building the replacement packed-bed DI system.

In reviewing this example, it is readily apparent that the use of optimally designed packed-bed systems will provide substantial performance improvement and operating cost benefits compared to older conventional units in similar operating conditions. The cost of chemicals is the main factor, but there are also additional savings in wastewater volume, energy, labor, maintenance, and reduced water consumption.

Cation Unit 2010 Backwash (1oo10)

system compared to the cost of a new replacement-inkind conventional system at the time it was sold was less than six months.

Summary

Table E: Wastewater Calculations for Pre-2010 Conventional Block-Blow System Regeneration Step

continued

To summarize, here are some advantages for the use of packed-bed IX:

Anion Unit 2010 Backwash (1oo10)

170

3

Caustic injection

180

X 45

Caustic displacement

425

X 30

Decrease in consumable chemicals

Fast rinse

400

X 45

Total Anion Waste

38,830 gal

Higher quality effluent to the polishing mixed-bed units

Findings 1. Total wastewater produced per regeneration: 52,125 gal + 38,330 gal = 90,455 gal

Increased throughput for separate beds and mixed beds

2. Average number of regenerations per year = 768

Ease of operation.

3. Volume of wastewater generated per year = 69,469,440 U.S. gal for old system

Overall, the decision to replace the older block-flow demineralizer system with a high-efficiency packed-bed system has resulted in approximately 4+ million gallons per month in water savings. If we add a cost savings of $1 to $2 (Canadian $) per 1,000 gallons of treated water due to lime and neutralization chemicals, the customer should realize a yearly cost benefit of $43,000 to $86,000 per year.

Based on the calculated approximate annual operating cost savings of $1.5 million, the payback period for the premium paid to obtain a new packed-bed designed

Reduction in wastewater/chemicals Higher flux, small footprint per vessel

Endnotes

The packed-bed design discussed in the text was developed by Ecodyne Ltd., the IX equipment supplier mentioned in the text, with the aid of software developed by LANXESS.

A

Bayer AG is one of the companies that pioneered in IX technology back in the 1940s. In 2004, Bayer reorganized its business to only focus on healthcare products and at that time formed LANXESS AG as a separate company focused on specialty chemicals and parts of Bayer’s polymer business, including IX resins.

B

C The LewaPlus software was developed and provided by LANXESS (formerly Bayer) and the system design was conceived and implemented by Ecodyne.

14 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Can Packed-Bed IX Reduce the Environmental Impact for Makeup Water Treatment?

John Wale has worked for Ecodyne Ltd. for the past 36 years and currently is a technical sales manager with the company.

Mr. Wale holds a B.Eng. from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, and has a P.Eng. designation in Ontario. He may be contacted at john.wale@ecodyne.com.

continued

Dave Dally holds a B.A. in geology from the University of California, a B.S. in chemical engineering from Drexel University, and an MBA from Drexel.

His professional background includes 10 years at Crane Cochrane and 30 years with Sybron, Bayer, and LANXESS providing technical support with IX resins. Mr. Dally can be reached at dave.dally@ lanxess.com.

This paper was presented at the 2019 Electric Utilities Chemistry Workshop, which was conducted June 4â&#x20AC;&#x201C;6, 2019, in Champaign, Illinois.

APPENDIX

Figures 4 through 7 show types of data entered into the design software.C This was one of the tools that the supplier used as it designed and built the updated DI system. Figure 8 shows a packed-bed DI system built following this approach.

Water Analysis Figure 4: Example of a water analysis for a treatment system.

Comment: A complete, accurate water analysis is the most important part when designing a water treatment system.

Total organic carbon (TOC), water temperature, pH, and silica levels are some of the most important items to be included in any water analysis. Design software packages like the one used for this report will calculate the total dissolved solids (TDS), free CO2 level, and conductivity for the raw water. When inputing data, units can be selected from a list that includes parts per million (ppm), mg/L, milliequivalents per liter (meq/L), and grams per liter (g/L), among others. The contaminant levels listed are averages taken from data collected by the customer for 2014 and February and June of 2016.

15 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Can Packed-Bed IX Reduce the Environmental Impact for Makeup Water Treatment?

continued

Resin and Regenerant Selection

Unit Design

Figure 5: Displays product and regenerant selection, levels used to calculate the final water quality, and throughput.

Actual net throughput is based on regenerant levels, resin volumes, and endpoint. The program automatically calculates a safe acid or caustic concentration based on the water analysis and system design.

Figure 6: Displays include unit dimensions, resin volumes, resin bed depths, flow velocities, and others. Pressure drop and % free board along with floating inert volume and depth are calculated.

Net Production and Wastewater Figure 7: Net production and flowrate along with wastewater neutralization.

16 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Can Packed-Bed IX Reduce the Environmental Impact for Makeup Water Treatment?

continued

Example of Packed-Bed IX Equipment Figure 8 shows an example of an actual packed-bed system built based on this approach.

Figure 8: Example of a pack-bed IX system.

Ask for Legiolert and deliver more accurate Legionella results The Legiolert® Test is a more accurate culture test for Legionella pneumophila Spread plate methods are notoriously inaccurate, with up to tenfold variability in results for the same sample.1 Multiple peer-reviewed studies have confirmed that the Legiolert Test provides more accurate and consistent results.2–5

Request the Legiolert Test from your laboratory today or find a laboratory at idexx.com/LPlabs.

References

1. Lucas CE, Taylor TH Jr, Fields BS. Accuracy and precision of Legionella isolation by US laboratories in the ELITE program pilot study. Water Res. 2011;45(15):4428–4436. doi:10.1016/j.watres.2011.05.030 2. Petrisek R, Hall J. Evaluation of a most probable number method for the enumeration of Legionella pneumophila from North American potable and nonpotable water samples. J Water Health. 2018;16(1):25–33. doi:10.2166/wh.2017.118 3. Spies K, Pleischl S, Lange B, et al. Comparison of the Legiolert/Quanti-Tray MPN test for the enumeration of Legionella pneumophila from potable water samples with the German regulatory requirements methods ISO 11731-2 and ISO 11731. Int J Hyg Environ Health.

2018;221(7):1047–1053.doi:10.1016/j.ijheh.2018.07.006 4. Sartory DP, Spies K, Lange B, Schneider S, Langer B. Evaluation of a most probable number method for the enumeration of Legionella pneumophila from potable and related water samples. Lett Appl Microbiol. 2017;64(4):271–275. doi:10.1111/lam.12719 5. Barrette I. Comparison of Legiolert and a conventional culture method for detection of Legionella pneumophila from cooling towers in Québec. J AOAC Int. 2019;102(4):1235–1240. doi:10.5740/jaoacint.18-0245

© 2020 IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. All rights reserved. • 2485785-00 • All ®/TM marks are owned by IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. or its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries. The IDEXX Privacy Policy is available at idexx.com.

17 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

What Does Your Warehouse Staff Want

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Advances in Online Iron Monitoring in the Presence of Film-Forming Products Kenneth Kuruc, Hach Co.

20 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Introduction

Water plays a vital role in the successful operation of fossil power stations. High-purity water is used in boilers to produce steam to drive the turbines that generate electricity. And water is also used in cooling towers, which are also vital to operations at most power plants.

One area of concern is the metallurgy and how to properly treat the water to prevent boiler/steam system failures and possible plant shutdowns. Corrosion of ferrous steam cycle components is a serious safety and financial risk with the potential to cause fatal accidents, significant repair costs, and lengthy downtime (1). Accordingly, monitoring iron corrosion is a high priority for power and steam producers. Total iron monitoring has historically been performed via grab sampling and expensive, time-intensive laboratory analysis (2).

Since iron corrosion exists primarily in particulate or colloidal forms, online monitoring using nephelometers and particle analyzers have been employed as surrogate measurement techniques (3, 4). These kinds of instruments provide real-time data, but they do not measure iron directly, nor do they offer quantitative iron concentrations.

As the process waters used in power generation are extremely pure, it can be assumed that almost all insoluble matter present in a ferrous metallurgy process stream is due to steel corrosion in the form of particulate or colloidal iron oxides. This is an important assumption, and the entire discussion that follows is based on that premise. While the focus of this article is primarily made to the power generation sector, it holds true for any steam process utilizing ultrapure water as its source. However, caution must be exercised if considering return condensate in a cogeneration facility where there is any possibility of cross-contamination from the process.

Corrosion of steel components in power generation is generally found primarily as iron (II, III) oxide (magnetite), α-iron (III) oxide (hematite), or dissolved iron (1).

Each of these species produces a different nephelometric response to visible light. Black magnetite absorbs more and reflects less light than red hematite. Dissolved iron does not produce any nephelometric response.

Corrosion products range in size from sub-micron to 10 microns (µm) in diameter, with an average diameter of 1 µm (5). This range of diameters poses another challenge for particle monitoring, as nephelometers respond differently to different particle sizes. The variables associated with iron corrosion products (species, color, particle size) make it impossible to create a universal nephelometric calibration for quantification of corrosion products.

A nephelometric calibration that is appropriate for a particular sample location with corrosion characteristics will not be accurate for another location with different corrosion characteristics. Total iron measurements require digestion of the particulate and colloidal iron oxides that constitute most of these products.

By using a combination of a simple colorimetric total iron laboratory analysis with a sensitive nephelometric analyzer, a cost-effective, quantitative, real-time corrosion monitoring solution is possible. When properly calibrated, the nephelometric units provided by a nephelometer can be correlated to total iron concentration values.

The iron concentration of the process water is a direct indicator of steel corrosion.

The Iron Correlation Curve

Before being able to glean any information from an online nephelometer, it is first critical to establish a correlation curve for this analyzer. Typical units of measurement are in Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU), which measure the intensity of light scattered at 90 degrees as a beam of light (in this case a laser) passes through a water sample. The assumption is also being made that the water (condensed steam) sample does not contain any particulates other than iron. This is generally true in an all-ferrous steam cycle.

The fact that the majority (> 90%) of corrosion product in a steam cycle (assuming all ferrous construction) is in the particulate form is advantageous for this method, though not critical. Although particle counters have been employed in the past in this regard, they do not detect particles under 2 µm in diameter. The laser nephelometer can detect a large range of particle sizes down to sub-micron dimensions.

21 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Advances in Online Iron Monitoring in the Presence of Film-Forming Products

continued

To develop a correlation between the process iron concentration in the steam cycle and an online laser nephelometer, a correlation curve must be developed. As illustrated in Figure 1, hematite and magnetite will reflect laser light differently. Also, nephelometers with different wavelengths of light will generate different curves.

Figure 1: Correlation curves for hematite and magnetite using two different nephelometers.

The first step is to obtain several (4 to 6) grab samples directly from the outlet of the nephelometer. It is important that the nephelometer reading is steady and has not been trending in either direction for at least a couple of hours. This will ensure that the sample being obtained is representative of the reading being displayed on the analyzer. As the samples are taken, the reading on the nephelometer is noted (in units of milli NTU [mNTU]).

The samples then need to be digested to get all iron present into solution. As this procedure has been discussed in prior papers, the reader can refer to the actual method for details (6, 7). Once the samples have been digested, they can be analyzed with a bench-top spectrophotometer at 562 nm using the proprietary FerroZineÂŽ Method 10287 (8). Samples are averaged, with any extreme outliers dropped.

The relationship has been demonstrated to be linear, at least in the region of interest. Further, it has been demonstrated in the laboratory that ultrapure water with no particulates will produce a nephelometer reading of 7 mNTU. This value, along with the experimental value, provide the two data points required to obtain the equation for iron concentration.

Establishing a Site-Specific Correlation

The charts in Figures 2 and 3 reflect correlation curves (slopes) for the two different sites being considered in this study. The x-axes represent the nephelometer readings in mNTU, and the y-axes represent iron concentrations in parts per billion (ppb). They are quite similar, indicating oxidizing chemistries in both cases. Although the slopes may become less linear at higher iron levels, the focus for monitoring corrosion product transport is at trace levels.

The resulting concentration is used along with the nephelometer reading to create the site-specific curve.

22 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Advances in Online Iron Monitoring in the Presence of Film-Forming Products

continued

Figure 2: Site-specific correlation curve.

mNTU

Combined Cycle Power Plant - AFP (Study 1)

ppb Iron Figure 3: Site-specific correlation curve.

mNTU

Coal-Fired Power Plant - NFP (Study 2)

ppb Iron

From these linear relationships, an equation can be developed based on the simple y = mx +b relationship, where “m” is the slope of the line and “b” is the y-intercept. The online laser nephelometer can be monitored continually and the nephelometric readings converted to iron concentration using Equations 1 and 2.

Fe = (mNTU – 7)/15.0 for the AFP study Fe = (mNTU – 7)/18.7 for the NFP study

The respective equations can either be entered into the process controller for the nephelometer (if equipped with that capability) or into the facility’s distributed control system (DCS). Either way, a direct reading in units of ppb iron can be obtained on a continuous basis from the process measurement.

Eq. 1 Eq. 2 23 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Advances in Online Iron Monitoring in the Presence of Film-Forming Products

Mitigating the Problem

Film-forming products (FFP) continue to receive attention as a means of passivating metal surfaces in the steam cycle, especially with systems that cycle frequently. At the same time, facilities that have added these products to their cycle need to prove that their investments are effective in reducing both production and transport of corrosion products.

There are several commercially available amine-based film-forming products (AFP) and non-amine filmforming products (NFP). It is not the intent here to discuss the place of either of these types of products in the overall management of water chemistry in a steam cycle. Instead, it is the goal to demonstrate, with some degree of certainty, that they can be used and reliably monitored as one component of a well-managed chemistry program.

In two separate case studies, one using an NFP and the other an AFP, a laser nephelometer was employed along with a laboratory spectrophotometer to quantify online concentrations of iron on a continuous basis in the steam cycle. The results illustrate corrosion product transport

continued

on a real-time basis. The data at each facility was logged as the plant progressed through conditions such as repetitive load changes, where corrosion of an untreated surface can be most prevalent. The protective capacity for the specific product used can be observed to demonstrate its contribution in reducing corrosion product and its transport throughout the steam cycle.

Case Study No. 1 This site was a combined-cycle facility in the United States feeding an amine-based film-forming product (AFP). The product had already been introduced into the steam cycle prior to the start of the study. As a result, no pre-introduction baseline was able to be established as would be desired from an experimental perspective.

For this study, the analyzer was placed on the intermediate-pressure (IP) drum. The resulting baseline reading corresponded to a consistent low level of iron, indicative that the filming amine was already reducing the transport of corrosion product (iron), even among 250 to 450 megawatt (MW) daily load changes, as seen in Figure 4.

It has been previously demonstrated that change in load can be a significant source of corrosion product transfer.

Figure 4: Nephelometer (blue in mNTU) versus Load (orange in MW) over a 12-day period for the AFP study at the IP drum of a combined-cycle plant.

24 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Advances in Online Iron Monitoring in the Presence of Film-Forming Products

continued

Case Study No. 2 The second site was a coal plant in the United States that fed an NFP. In this instance, a baseline was able to be established with the nephelometer prior to the addition of the product, as illustrated in Figure 5. For this study, the analyzer was placed at the economizer inlet of a coal-fired plant. It is apparent from the intensity of the nephelometer readings and corresponding iron values that corrosion product transport was taking place quite frequently over the seven-day period of monitoring.

Figure 5: Nephelometer (blue) and calculated iron (yellow) values before the addition of NFP at the economizer inlet of a coal plant

Figure 6 shows iron data for a two-week period after the film-forming product had been fed to the system for some time, along with load. The data clearly show that in the presence of the film-forming product, even load changes in the 250-MW range did not cause any substantial increase in corrosion product transfer. While it is unclear what caused the spike of iron at the beginning of the trace, it does appear that it was not aligned with a change in load.

At the end of the trace, another more significant spike of iron was noted that corresponded to a complete shutdown of the unit. While this cannot be taken as conclusive evidence, it does demonstrate that, while the presence of a filming amine in the steam cycle can reduce iron transport significantly, it does not necessarily eliminate it completely.

Figure 6: Calculated iron (yellow) and load (purple) after the addition of NFP at the economizer inlet of a coal-fired plant.

26 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Advances in Online Iron Monitoring in the Presence of Film-Forming Products

Conclusions

In these two case studies, it was demonstrated that both the NFP and AFP could reduce the amount of corrosion product transport (i.e., iron) during certain events, such as a change in load, believed to be contributors to these products. It was also demonstrated that by using a laboratory method of correlating iron levels, a laser nephelometer could be employed as an online surrogate for measuring these corrosion products on a continual basis.

It should be further noted that, while the results here support the effectiveness of the two film-forming products being used, it was not within the intent or scope of this discussion to provide any prequalifications or system requirements for adding one of these products to a particular water loop or steam cycle. Before making any changes to a facility’s corrosion-prevention program, appropriate personnel and/or consultants should review existing conditions to determine whether this might be an effective alternative.

continued

References

1. Dooley, R.B. (2008). “Flow-Accelerated Corrosion in Fossil and Combined Cycle/HRSG Plants,” Power Plant Chemistry 10(2), pp. 68–89.

2. Sampson, D. (September 2011). “ACC Users Group: Corrosion Product Transport Monitoring,” 3rd ACC Users Group Conference, San Francisco, California.

3. Bryant, R.L. (2008). “Using Particle Counters for Pretreatment Optimization, Iron Transport Monitoring, Condenser Leak Detection, and Carryover Monitoring – A Synopsis of Experiences,” Power Plant Chemistry 10(2), pp. 102-114.

4. Hach Co. (2013). Monitoring Iron Transport in Power Generation, Technical Document: LIT2011, Hach Co., Loveland, Colorado.

5. IAPWS (2013). Technical Guidance Document: “Corrosion Product Sampling and Analysis for Fossil and Combined Cycle Plants,” International Association for the Properties of Water and Steam, available from http://www.iapws.org.

6. Kuruc, K.; Johnson, L. (2015). “Further Advances in Monitoring Low– Level Iron in the Steam Cycle, ” Power Plant Chemistry 17(2), pp. 86–89.

7. Johnson, L. (2015). “Monitoring Iron Transport in the Steam Cycle via Grab Sample and Online Methods,” Power Plant Chemistry 17(4), pp.

218–222

8. Hach Co. (2018). Iron, Total, FerroZine Rapid Liquid Method 10287, Technical Document: DOC316.53.01520, Hach Co., Loveland, Colorado.

Ken Kuruc holds a B.S. in chemistry from John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio, and has been active in the power industry for more than 25 years. In his current role, Mr. Kuruc provides technical support on all aspects of water-quality monitoring for fossil power generation sites across the United States. He has authored and co-authored articles appearing in several industrial publications, presented at numerous utility and water chemistry conferences, and given webinars on monitoring of industrial waters that have reached more than 60 countries.

This paper was presented at the 2019 Electric Utility Chemistry Workshop, which was conducted June 4-6, 2019, in Champaign, Illinois.

27 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Can the Contrarian Use of Chlorine Help to Control Biofouling in RO Membranes?

Alexandra Rubin, Rich Franks, P.E., and Craig Bartels, Ph.D., Hydranautics; and Peter Cartwright, P.E., Cartwright Consulting Co.

28 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Introduction

One of the most challenging environmental issues facing many countries is inadequate access to fresh water.

Today, more than 1.2 billion people worldwide lack constant access to fresh drinking water (1). Without this fundamental resource, societies cannot thrive. Clean water is not only necessary for development but also for sanitation, human hygiene, and food preparation (2).

Sadly, this issue is not going to resolve itself anytime soon. It has been predicted by the United Nations that by 2025, the freshwater resources for more than half the countries around the world will either undergo stress or experience shortages (3). An additional issue is the increasing need for intense treatment of existing fresh water sources due to the growing number of pollutants being fed into clean water sources across the globe (1).

The majority (97%) of water on earth is salt water.

Therefore, the answer to the global freshwater crisis may be desalination—the removal of salt from water. Today, most desalination plants use a membrane filtration process called reverse osmosis (RO), where saltwater is pressed through an ultrathin, semipermeable membrane to separate unwanted compounds (4). This membrane system results in two streams: the product or permeate, which contains the filtered solvent, and the concentrate containing the contaminants rejected by the membrane.

Today, the most common form of RO uses a spiralwound configuration. The spiral wound is made up of multiple membrane “envelopes,” each separated on the feed side by a feed-brine spacer (1).

RO and other types of membrane filtration do not come without their flaws. One of the biggest challenges for operation of an RO is the tendency for fouling. Fouling is the unwanted buildup of deposits on the membrane surface and in the feed-brine channel, resulting in greater energy consumption, more frequent cleanings, and a reduction in membrane life (5). Biofouling is a critical type of fouling created when biofilm formation causes operational problems. This biofouling occurs when

bacteria lodge in the feed-brine spacer and excrete extracellular polysaccharides (EPS), as shown in Figure 1.

EPS then clogs the feed-brine channel and results in an increase in differential pressure. This high differential pressure necessitates frequent cleanings and may lead to potential membrane damage. Membrane manufacturers suggest cleaning once normalized permeate flow decreases more than 10% and when the normalized pressure drop increase is more than 15% (6). The manufacturer “rule of thumb” as to an acceptable cleaning frequency is once every three to 12 months. Due to limited human resources and the need to keep the RO system online, many operators wait until these limits are surpassed and do not clean as often as they should.

Figure 1: Bacteria lodged in the feed-brine channel excrete extracellular polysaccharides and inhibit flow through the channel, leading to an increase in differential pressures.

Multiple strategies are used to reduce different types of fouling. Scaling can be controlled by an antiscalant, and particulate fouling can be controlled by pretreatment with filtration (1). However, options for controlling biofouling are limited. In most cases, the membrane is periodically cleaned with caustic to remove the biofilm.

Manufacturers suggest implementing gentle cleaning for biological matter and, if the cleaning does not produce desired results, cleaning with a harsher cleaning solution.

Gentle cleaning to remove biofouling uses sodium tripolyphosphate at a pH of 10, while harsh cleaning uses sodium hydroxide at a pH of 11.5 or higher (6).

While cleaning an RO, the entire system must be taken offline. Typical downtime for cleaning is 8 to 24 hours.

“RO and other types of membrane filtration do not come without their flaws. One of the biggest challenges for operation of an RO is the tendency for fouling.”

29 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Can the Contrarian Use of Chlorine Help to Control Biofouling in RO Membranes?

“Another option to combat biofouling in the RO membrane is the use of chlorine as a disinfectant. Membrane manufacturers do not allow chlorine because it is an oxidizer.”

If the operators must clean their system frequently, the added downtime of the system becomes a major drawback due to loss of productivity. Another drawback to chemical cleaning is that the harsh chemicals slowly break the cross-linked structure of the membrane, as seen in Figure 2. Once the cross-linked structure of the polyamide chemistry starts to break, the membrane allows more salts to pass, leading to a lower quality permeate.

Figure 2: The breakdown of the molecular structure of the polyamide chemistry when harsh chemicals are in contact with an RO membrane.

continued

Another option for combating biofouling in the RO membrane is using chlorine as a disinfectant. Membrane manufacturers do not allow chlorine because it is an oxidizer. The electrons gained by the chlorine may come from the surface of the polyamide membrane; thus, it is said that the membrane has been oxidized by the chlorine. The tolerance of an RO membrane to chlorine is given in units of parts per million-hours (ppm-hr). The conventional chlorine tolerance is 1,000 ppm-hr, which is approximately the point where salt passage through the membrane doubles from its original value. This chlorine tolerance of 1,000 ppm-hr suggests that an RO membrane could be exposed to 1.0 ppm of chlorine for 1,000 hours before a doubling of the salt passage would occur. Manufacturers typically specify that the RO feed contain less than 0.1 ppm of chlorine and that any chlorine exposure may risk nullifying the product’s warranty.

Furthermore, certain foulants, such as iron and manganese, can act as a catalyst and rapidly increase the rate of oxidation and membrane destruction.

Despite the stated incompatibility of chlorine with the RO membrane, there are benefits that make its use worth analyzing. Consider the following facts about chlorine: It is one of the most effective, widely used, and widely accepted biocides in the water treatment industry.

There are options, however, for managing biofouling and reducing the number and severity of caustic cleanings. Nonoxidizing biocides, such as 2,2-Dibromo-3nitrilopropionamide (DBNPA), can be used to mitigate the growth of bacteria. DBNPA is a fast acting, nonoxidizing reagent that is effective at low concentrations in controlling aerobic bacteria, anaerobic bacteria, fungi, and algae (7). Since DBNPA degrades into carbon dioxide, ammonia, and bromide, it allows the effluent to be safely discharged. Other nonoxidizing biocides include isothiazolin and glutaraldehyde; however, they are not as effective as DBNPA. Disadvantages of biocides are their high cost, inconsistent effectiveness in removing biofilm when compared to cleaning solutions, and potential toxicity that can make them incompatible with drinking water standards.

It is one of the lowest cost biocides used in the water treatment industry.

It can be dosed inline into the RO feed without shutting down the RO system or as part of a periodic flush.

It is only partially rejected by the RO membrane and therefore passes through the membrane to sanitize the permeate side.

It can extend the useful life of the membrane if its use reduces the number and aggressiveness of chemical cleanings.

It can reduce RO system downtime and human resources associated with chemical cleanings.

30 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Can the Contrarian Use of Chlorine Help to Control Biofouling in RO Membranes?

Additionally, polyamide chemistry is continuously evolving to become more robust. Recent improvements in new brackish water RO membranes have resulted in a more highly cross-linked molecular structure.

Truly improving the molecular structure gives both higher flow and better salt rejection when compared to previous, less crosslinked membranes tested at the same standard test conditions (Figure 3). The standard test condition shows better rejection on a straight sodium chloride solution. The new membranes also show better rejection of multiple constituents found in actual feedwaters. For example, a laboratory study was conducted on a single element treating a concentrated municipal

continued

water of 1,500 milligrams per liter (mg/L) total dissolved solids (TDS) containing 20 mg/L silica and 880 mg/L of total organic carbon (TOC). The results showed a 50% decrease in both silica and TOC passage in the newest generation of membranes.

The new, more highly cross-linked membranes also have greater tolerance to cleaning chemicals. Figure 4 shows a new generation membrane maintaining 100% of its original salt rejection when exposed to a caustic solution at pH 13. Thus, improved membrane structure also results in a more durable membrane.

Figure 3: New brackish water RO membranes trend toward the upper right-hand corner of the graph, signifying high flow, while maintaining a high percent rejection.

Figure 4: The latest generation of high-pressure brackish water ROA maintains its original rejection characteristics after aggressive caustic cleaning relative to previous RO membrane chemistries.

31 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Can the Contrarian Use of Chlorine Help to Control Biofouling in RO Membranes?

continued

Laboratory Testing

Since these higher cross-linked membranes are more tolerant of caustic cleanings, their ability to tolerate chlorine exposure should also be improved. To quantify this improvement, laboratory testing compared the chlorine tolerance of RO membranes with different degrees of high- and low-molecular crosslinking. The test was performed on a single element in a recirculation loop running with 50 ppm of chlorine (Cl 2) for 240 hours, resulting in a chlorine exposure of 12,000 ppm-hr. When compared to the lower crosslinked membrane, the higher crosslinked membrane showed a less relative increase in salt passage and therefore, greater tolerance to chlorine over the same period. These results can be seen in Figure 5.

Figure 5: Single element laboratory test confirming that higher crosslinked membranes show less of an increase in salt passage compared to lower crosslinked membranes when exposed to a high concentration of 50 ppm Cl2 for 240 hours, for a total of 12,000 ppm-hr of chlorine exposure.

Another study was conducted to test the newest membranes when exposed to a static soak with a concentration of only 5 ppm chlorine over nearly 400 hours, for a total exposure of 2,000 ppm-hr. As seen in Figure 6, the membrane shows no significant increase in salt passage, indicating the chlorine did not affect the cross-link of the membrane. This is significant because, as already stated, membrane manufacturers have historically indicated that a 2X increase in salt passage will occur after only 1,000 ppm-hr of chlorine exposure.

Figure 6: Laboratory test confirming that the latest membrane exhibits little change in salt passage when exposed to chlorine for roughly 2,000 ppm-hr. This is double the membrane manufacturerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s historical limit of 1,000 ppm-hr.

32 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

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Can the Contrarian Use of Chlorine Help to Control Biofouling in RO Membranes?

Since the introduction of the polyamide chemistry in the 1990s, operators have considered the use of chlorine to control biofouling in an RO system. A study conducted in 1998 found chlorine helpful in reducing biofouling.

Two trains were run in parallel. One of the trains was exposed to chlorine periodically injected into the RO system and found that, “after more than 15 months into the experiment, the non-chlorinated array required 10 washes while the chlorinated array had but one” (8).

The report later concludes, “periodic direct chlorination of the thin-film membrane RO may be a viable option for those enduring intense biofouling conditions” (8).

This 20-year-old report found positive results with lower crosslinked polyamide membranes than those used today. This kind of experience, along with controlled laboratory tests such as already discussed, lead to the question, “Can low concentrations of chlorine be used to control biofouling in an RO system?” Though no membrane supplier promotes their standard membranes as chlorine tolerant, the improved membrane durability makes the use of chlorine to control biofouling in an RO system a possibility worth considering when confronted with extreme biofouling.

To further test the latest generation of RO membranes’ chlorine tolerance in the field, chlorine was dosed in a biofouled industrial wastewater reclamation RO system at a manufacturing facility in California. Organic fouling and biofouling adversely affected system

continued

performance. Within a period of only a few weeks, differential pressure doubled, and normalized permeate flow decreased by 33%. Because of limited resources for cleaning and a requirement to avoid shutdowns, the operators chose to initiate a chlorine dosing study to try and mitigate the fouling without damaging the membranes.

Chlorine Tolerance?

The chlorine study was conducted over a period of 150 days. Chlorine was injected intermittently into the feed stream during normal operation at a concentration of 1 ppm for 30-minute intervals. Initially, operators conducted only one exposure per week. However, as biofouling continued, operators eventually increased to three exposures per week. Considering that during the 150-day test there were 13 treatments done for a total exposure time of 390 minutes, it was calculated that the total chlorine exposure was 6.5 ppm-hr. The system configuration and measured chlorine concentrations as seen in Figure 6 illustrate how, during normal operation at 80% recovery, when salt and chlorine is concentrated as water flows from the feed to the brine end of the system, the concentration of chlorine doubles by the time it reaches the tail element. This is not ideal because most of the fouling is in the lead element. The area of highest fouling should correlate to the highest concentration of chlorine. Figure 7 illustrates chlorine dosing in an industrial wastewater reclamation RO.

Figure 7: Chlorine dosing in the industrial wastewater reclamation RO with measured chlorine concentrations.

Based on an analysis of the operational data in Figures 8 through 10, the chlorine dosing successfully inhibited further biofouling but did not remove the existing biofilm that had accumulated during the first few weeks of operation before chlorine was dosed. The chlorine dosing helped to maintain stable differential pressures but did not fully recover differential pressure back to the baseline. This is likely because the biofilm that had accumulated in the feed-brine channels created paths of least resistance and prevented the chlorinated feed from reaching all the biofilm.

34 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

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35 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Can the Contrarian Use of Chlorine Help to Control Biofouling in RO Membranes?

continued

Similarly, the chlorine dosing maintained stable permeate flow but did not recover the original permeate flow. This may be caused by the nature of the foulant on the membrane surface as a combination of both adsorbed organics and accumulated biofilm. Though the chlorinated feed will work to break down and remove the biofilm from the membrane surface, it will do little to remove the adsorbed organics. Lastly, when analyzing percent salt passage, the chlorine had no adverse effect.

Figure 8: Differential pressure with 13 chlorine dosings at 1 ppm for 30 minutes each to control fouling inside the RO. Chlorine dosing helped stabilize the differential pressure but failed to bring it back to original levels.

Figure 9: Permeate flow with 13 chlorine dosings at 1 ppm for 30 minutes each to control fouling inside the RO. Chlorine dosing stabilized the permeate flow but was unable to recover back to original levels.

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Can the Contrarian Use of Chlorine Help to Control Biofouling in RO Membranes?

continued

Figure 10: Salt passage with 13 chlorine dosings at 1 ppm for 30 minutes each. Chlorine dosing had no adverse effects on system salt passage.

Element Analysis

A single element was extracted from the lead position of the RO system at the end of the 150-day test. A standard retest was conducted on the element and compared to its original wet test performance before use in the RO system. The retest showed no loss of rejection but a significant loss in flow and increase in differential pressure. These results are shown in Table A. Table A: Lead RO Element Taken After 150 Days Reject (%)

Flow (gpd)

Dp

Before

99.67

10,905

2.5

After

99.67

4,943

9.48

Difference

0%

-54%

+480%

A weight loss on ignition (WLOI) test was also conducted to determine how much of the residual fouling was organic. The results came back with an organic content of 93%. Finally, based on visual inspection, there was a brown staining on the surface of the membrane that is indicative of organic fouling (Figure 11), which is compatible with the WLOI results.

Figure 11: Organic staining on the membrane leaves of autopsied elements.

Note: Data from a lead element taken from the RO system at the end of the 150-day period that was retested at original standard wet test conditions.

Next, a Fujiwara test was conducted on samples of the membrane extracted from the element to check for the presence of halogenated compounds, such as chlorine, on the membrane surface. Thus, oxidative damage can be confirmed. A small piece of membrane flat-sheet is immerged in pyridine. A developer reagent (sodium hydroxide) is then added, and the mixture is incubated in boiling water for two minutes. If the membrane has been in contact with any halogens, the white membrane will turn pink. The Fujiwara test came back negative, meaning there was no membrane degradation from chlorine.

Considerations Risk Before implementing periodic chlorine treatment to reduce biofouling, several risks must be considered.

As stated previously, membrane manufacturers do not

38 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

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Can the Contrarian Use of Chlorine Help to Control Biofouling in RO Membranes?

continued

is dosed to correspond with the intended chlorine concentration.

endorse chlorine exposure. This is because chlorine, even at low concentrations, will eventually cause the membrane to oxidize, lose rejection, and consequently reduce the membrane life.

One risk associated with chlorine dosing is simply the challenge of monitoring chlorine concentration in real time. To ensure the low dose is not exceeded, oxidation/ reduction potential (ORP) can be used as a surrogate.

When monitoring the potential for oxidation with ORP probes, ensure that probes are always clean and properly calibrated. Check calibration weekly. If possible, use two ORP electrodes in operation for redundancy in case one of them fails or when one is out of order for cleaning or calibration. In this way, the RO membranes are protected continuously. ORP should be < 300 millivolts (mV) during normal operation without chlorine dosing. This value will need to be adjusted when chlorine

Another risk comes from the effect of the dosed chlorine on the feedwater. Certain feedwater constituents, such as iron, manganese, and organics, are precipitated or affected in the presence of chlorine. In one study where chlorine was dosed into RO feedwater with 30 mg/L of TOC, the organics precipitated and plugged the feedbrine channels, thus increasing the RO system differential pressure as much as any biofouling that the chlorine was intended to control. The precipitated organics were evidenced visually by the change in color (see Figure 12) and by an increase in silt density index (SDI) from 2.69 during normal operation to 6.45 during chlorine dosing.

The organic rejection also increased from 99.4% when no chlorine was dosed to 99.7% during chlorine dosing.

Figure 12: Water samples during and after chlorine dosing into an RO system with a feedwater containing 30 ppm of TOC.

Also, the presence of transition metals, such as iron and manganese, can act as a catalyst that will rapidly increase the rate of oxidation on the membrane. Operators should be certain that no iron or manganese are present in the feedwater or on the membrane surface.

Method Because of the risk involved with chlorine dosing, much consideration should be given to the procedures associated with the dosing. For example, chlorine should not be dosed into an RO system with new membranes.

Before chlorine dosing is initiated, a layer of biofilm should be allowed to accumulate on the membrane surface to act as a barrier that consumes the chlorine before it reaches the membrane surface. This means that the differential pressure should be allowed to increase by

at least 10% from its initial values before any chlorine is sent to the system.

There are multiple methods that can be used for exposing the membrane to chlorine. Chlorine can be dosed during normal RO operation (Operation Mode) when the pressure in the system is high enough to produce permeate.

During Operation Mode, the chlorine can be dosed at a low but continuous concentration or it can be dosed intermittently (as in this study) at frequencies between once per day or once per week, depending on the severity of the biofouling. Dosing during normal operation has the advantage of keeping the system producing permeate with no disruptions. But there are also disadvantages with dosing in Operation Mode.

40 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Can the Contrarian Use of Chlorine Help to Control Biofouling in RO Membranes?

As discussed previously, the chlorine is concentrated towards the tail element where there is little to no biofouling. To avoid the disadvantage of dosing chlorine during normal operation, Flush Mode may be utilized.

Flush Mode is done at pressures below 60 pounds per square inch (psi) to avoid producing permeate and concentrating the water, which can be seen in Figure 13.

This prevents chlorine concentration, so the entire vessel is exposed to the same dose. Flush Mode can be done in either a forward or reverse configuration. A forward flush has the water and chlorine enter the lead of the vessel and exit the tail, while a reverse flush is the opposite. The advantages of performing a forward flush are that the RO system does not need a special design modification.

The typical RO system should be designed to perform a forward flush. However, a disadvantage of using a forward flush is the possibility of moving the fouling farther into the system, where it can become lodged. This disadvantage does not exist while performing a reverse

continued

flush. Since most of the fouling is in the lead element, reverse flushing removes the high concentration at the end, so the foulant does not have to travel through the entire system to exit. The disadvantage of reverse flushing is that most RO systems are not designed with this feature in mind. Therefore, reverse flushing may not be possible in existing systems without piping modifications. Designing new systems with reverse flushing requires additional piping and incurs additional cost.

Additionally, certain precautions must be considered when performing a reverse flush. Firstly, scaling must be removed because the salt crystals have sharp edges that can damage the membrane surface. The potential for damage is heightened during reverse flush. Any scale must therefore be removed in a forward flow cleaning.

Another precaution to consider is limiting reverse flush flow rates until the differential pressure is reduced to avoid telescoping in the lead membrane (9).

Figure 13: Illustration of a forward flush, with pressure less than 60 psi to eliminate permeate flow and avoid concentrating chlorine throughout the system.

There is also the option of doing the chlorine exposure through a single stage flush, as seen in Figure 14. In a singlestage flush, water and chlorine are pumped into the first stage at a pressure lower than 60 psi. The second stage of the RO system does not get flushed with chlorinated water since little to no biofouling occurs in the first stage. The low pressure does not result in permeate and therefore keeps the concentration of chlorine the same across the first stage from start to finish.

Figure 14: Illustration of a single-stage flush, where only the first stage in the RO system is flushed with chlorine.

41 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

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Can the Contrarian Use of Chlorine Help to Control Biofouling in RO Membranes?

Economics The last consideration when deciding whether to dose chlorine into an RO system is related to the economics.

Though chlorine dosing may reduce the life of the membranes, the cost of purchasing new membranes before the end of their normal life may be offset by reducing or eliminating the cost of chemical cleanings.

Based on the operation of the industrial RO system in this study, the cost of dosing chlorine was compared to the cost of frequent, high-pH cleanings. To arrive at an annual cost for chlorine consumption, it was assumed that the rate of chlorine dosing in the industrial RO (30 minutes three times per week at a concentration of 1 mg/L) would be sufficient for controlling biofouling for one year. At a chlorine cost of $1.20 per gallon and a pump dosing rate of 5.85 gal/hr, the annual cost of chlorine dosing would be $1,643, as calculated in Equation 1.

continued

Based on the assumption that the absence of chlorine dosing in the industrial RO would require at least one high-pH cleaning every month, the dollar amount for 12 high-pH cleanings of the industrial RO was calculated (Equations 2 through 4). It was assumed that the 54 elements in the industrial RO each required 9 gallons of cleaning solution. The generic, high-pH cleaning solutions was based on 0.83 pounds of sodium hydroxide and 0.25 pounds of sodium dodecylsulfate per 100 gallons of dilution water. With these parameters considered, the average cost of caustic to control biofilm is roughly $6,400 per year. Therefore, the annual cost of controlling biofouling in the industrial RO with frequent, high-pH cleanings would be almost four times that of chlorine dosing.

Equation 1: Calculated cost of chlorine dosing into the industrial RO for one year.

Eq. 1

Equations 2 through 4: Calculated cost of cleaning the industrial RO with a high pH solution for one year.

Sodium Dodecylsulfate:

Eq. 2

Sodium Hydroxide:

Total:

Eq. 3 Eq. 4

Conclusion

An increasing number of RO systems are used to treat challenging wastewaters with a tendency for biofouling. Due to the incompatibility of RO membranes with oxidants such as chlorine and due to the limited effectiveness of nonoxidizing biocides, these RO systems require frequent, harsh cleanings. Unfortunately, membrane manufacturers do not allow chlorine to be used with RO membranes. However, laboratory studies and recent testing on a full-scale RO system using the latest generation of highly crosslinked membranes demonstrate that low concentrations of chlorine may be safely dosed to control heavy biofouling with no adverse effect on membrane salt passage. Controlled laboratory testing found that the latest RO membrane can tolerate chlorine at least twice the historically stated limit of 1,000 ppm-hr. Testing of an RO system with chlorine dosing demonstrated that biofouling could be controlled by 1 ppm of chlorine periodically dosed during normal operation for 30-minute intervals up to three times per week.

44 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Can the Contrarian Use of Chlorine Help to Control Biofouling in RO Membranes?

continued

This article provides only one example of chlorine dosing into an RO system. For any specific RO system, an analysis should be done to consider the risks, methods, and economics of chlorine dosing relative to frequent high-pH cleanings. Furthermore, controlling biofouling may not require choosing between either chlorine exposure or high-pH cleaning, but rather alternating between the two in such a way that achieves the lowest life-cycle cost and long-term stable RO performance.

Rich Franks is currently director of the RO/NF applications and technical support departments at Hydranautics. His primary responsibilities include evaluation of new and existing RO/NF membranes, managing membrane pilot studies, technical support for the operation of membrane systems, and development of computer models for predicting and normalizing membrane systems.

References

Craig Bartels, Ph.D., has a B.S. in chemistry from Baylor University and a doctorate in material science from Northwestern University. He has more than 35 years of experience in all facets of membrane technology, both application and development. Dr. Bartels holds 22 patents and numerous publications, including contributions to two books on RO/ NF technology. He has previously held technical and management positions at Texaco Inc., Fluid Systems, and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. He currently holds the position of vice president of technology at Hydranautics, a Nitto Denko Group Company. His duties include identifying new technologies; overseeing Hydranautics’ intellectual property; and managing joint development activities, new product development, and process implementation at customer plants. He may be contacted at craig.bartels@nitto.com.

1. Vrouwenvelder, H. (2009). “Biofouling of Spiral-Wound Membrane Systems,” Enschede, the Netherlands: Ipskamp Drukkers.

2. Gleik, P.H. (1996). “Basic Water Requirements for Human Activities: Meeting Basic Needs,” Water International, Oakland, California.

3. Rogers, P. (2008). “Facing the Freshwater Crisis,” Scientific American Magazine.

4. Than, K. (2011). “Could Seawater Solve the Freshwater Crisis,” National Geographic News.

5. Siebdrath, N.; Farhat, N.; Ding, W.; Kruithof, J.; Vrouwenvelder, J. (2019).

“Impact of Membrane Biofouling in the Sequential Development of Performance Indicators: Feed Channel Pressure Drop, Permeability, and Salt Rejection,” Journal of Membrane Science.

6. Nitto Group (October 2017). “Foulants and Cleaning Procedures for Composite Polyamide RO Membrane Elements,” Nitto Group Co., Nitto Denko Corp., Osaka, Japan.

7. Nitto Group ( June 2016). “Biocides for Disinfection and Storage of Hydranautics Membrane Elements,” Nitto Group Co., Nitto Denko Corp., Osaka, Japan.

8. Karnaugh, B.; Jaminet, J.; Shelton, B. (Sept. 23–25, 1997). “Semiconductors: Biofouling Management of the Time DI Water RO Plant by Direct Periodic Chlorination,” Ultrapure Water Journal, pp. 56–61.

9. Nitto Group (September 2018). “Reverse Direction Cleaning of RO Membrane Elements,” Nitto Group Co., Nitto Denko Corp., Osaka, Japan.

Endnote

The latest generation brackish water RO element mentioned in the text is the CPA7 LD membrane manufactured by Hydranautics (Oceanside, California).

A

Alexandra Rubin received her B.S. and M.E. degrees in environmental engineering in 2020, and now is at an exciting, early crossroads in her career.

Over the next couple of decades, she envisions making a significant contribution to the collaborative and critical efforts that will ultimately improve our planet’s sustainability. Ms. Rubin was the engineering intern at Hydranautics over the summer of 2019, where she oversaw the two experiments that led to this corresponding article. She may be contacted at ali.rubin13@ gmail.com.

Peter Cartwright entered the water purification and wastewater treatment industry in 1974 and has had his own consulting engineering firm since 1980.

Over the years, he has provided consulting services to more than 250 clients globally.

Mr. Cartwright serves on numerous editorial advisory boards and technical review committees of several trade publications. He is a recipient of the Award of Merit, Lifetime Member Award, and Hall of Fame Award from the Water Quality Association and was the technical consultant for the Canadian Water Quality Association from 2007 until 2018. He has a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota and is a registered Professional Engineer in that state.

This paper was originally presented at the International Water Conference, which was conducted November 10–14, 2019, in Orlando, Florida. To learn more about the IWC, you may visit www.eswp.com.

45 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

How a Shared Responsibility Agreement Can Improve Cooling Water Treatment and Address Liability Concerns Kenneth Soeder, Jamestown Technologies Division; John D. Caloritis, The Metro Group, Inc.; Michael J. Highum, McGowan Insurance Group; Adam Green, Esquire, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC; and Garret Garcia, Masters Company, Inc.

Photo courtesy of Baltimore Aircoil International NV.

46 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Introduction

During the past 20 years, the adage “be careful what you wish for” has found application in the cooling water marketplace among both facility managers and water treatment service companies alike, often with unintended and sometimes troublesome consequences.

These past years have been marked by periods of tremendous political and economic upheaval, such as the dotcom bust, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, ongoing Middle East conflicts, the Great Recession, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the controversial 2020 elections. All through these difficult times, facilities have reacted to these momentous economic downturns by seeking to lower their overall operating expenses, often by eliminating key management and maintenance staff positions responsible for cooling water treatment oversight.

Throughout this time, there was also increased customer concern regarding the handling of hazardous water treatment chemicals by their employees at their facilities.

In addition, industry consultants exerted strong pressure on water treatment vendors to take on more day-to-day responsibilities at their accounts. Reacting to these changes, water treatment service companies recognized these shifting attitudes as an opportunity to better please their customers and to secure their positions at accounts by offering facilities full-service, fixed-price annual contracts with turn-key operations.

An ominous die had been cast. The proliferation of these contracts quickly started impacting and changing the basic customer/vendor service relationships that had

historically characterized our industry. Complex and critical cooling water treatment services, which were once based on a close collaboration between facility and vendor staffs, are now often completely controlled by the water treatment service companies, with little to no oversight by building personnel. In this process, a tremendous amount of responsibility, risk, and liability was passed to the water treatment service companies, usually with little to no awareness on their own part.

Based on these changing circumstances, the objective of this article is to introduce a new concept to the supplier/vendor relationship—one with roots in our not-too-distant past—the idea of a Shared Responsibility Agreement (SRA). The primary goal of the agreement will be to re-engage, re-energize, and reinvest our customers back into the maintenance, testing, and oversight of their own cooling water treatment programs, all done in conjunction with their water treatment service company. The second goal of the agreement will be to clearly document specific service tasks and responsibilities to be conducted by both facility management and the water treatment service company staffs. It is expected that this documentation will eventually lead to better lines of communication between the facility and vendor staffs, improve overall system performance, lower risk, and lessen instances of troublesome litigation, and will create a new standard of best practices for efficiency and safety in the industry. Figure 1 is a typical example of cooling towers that could be operated under an SRA as discussed in this article.

Figure 1: Example of a cooling tower that could be a part of a facility-service provider agreement. Photo courtesy of Baltimore Aircoil International NV.

47 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

How a Shared Responsibility Agreement Can Improve Cooling Water Treatment and Address Liability Concerns continued

Cooling Water Treatment Program Considerations

In all open recirculating cooling water systems, whether associated with manufacturing, commercial buildings, or institutional accounts, even the most technically advanced water treatment programs will not compensate for poor product application or inconsistent system control. Without proper oversight, complex cooling water treatment programs can quickly become susceptible to a wide range of operating problems, including increased corrosion rates, scaling and deposition issues, and increased microbiological activity. Over time, these problems can contribute to shortened equipment service life, increased electric and water consumption rates, poor product quality, and even possible health concerns, such as Legionnairesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; disease. In worst-case scenarios, these problems can lead to costly and time-consuming litigation. These types of problems can be most apparent in small to mid-sized accounts, where the water treatment service company may only conduct service visits on a biweekly, monthly, or even quarterly basis, and program oversight by facility management staff is typically modest or even nonexistent.

However, proper system control and excellent results still can be achieved if the water treatment service and facility management staffs work together to fully identify, understand, and document their individual responsibilities for program supervision, testing, and reporting. Effective control of water treatment programs in any facility requires both the product and technical expertise of the water treatment management staff and the day-to-day oversight of the facility management staff. The vendor has the background and knowledge to select an appropriate water treatment program; supply the necessary corrosion and scale inhibitors, dispersants, and microbiocides; set up the required system monitoring, control, and testing equipment; and periodically visit the site to review program compliance. Likewise, the customerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s staff is present at the building daily and is in the best position to ensure that the water treatment program is operating as designed. In practice, a collaborative effort using the knowledge, expertise, and time commitment of both parties working together is ultimately required if the treatment program is to be successful.

Company Risk and Liability Management Considerations

For several years now, a great deal of energy and conversation has been devoted to SRA, and rightfully so.

The business framework in which we all operate has become increasingly more litigious. Law firms stand ready and willing to jump on even the most minor of perceived transgressions, and take harmful positions aimed squarely at water treatment service providers.

As an understanding of the intricacies of commercial and industrial water treatment programs have steadily increased within the legal community, so has the expectation that, eventually, things will go wrong.

In addition to legal forces, the complexities of our own organizations and related business challenges have also had important deleterious effects. An evolving workforce, ongoing employee training needs, heightened customer expectations, and consistent demands for business growth have all conspired to continually pull the limited resources of water treatment professionals in different directions. Too often, certain sacrifices need to be made to address customer concerns or compete for new relationships. Business owners and managers must balance the obvious need for business growth with effectively managing the various risks faced daily by their organizations.

In many ways, todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s water treatment professionals find themselves in the risk management business. Owners are constantly forced to create new opportunities and assess the risks and liability challenges of their companies, all while charting a beneficial path forward for their business, employees, and customers. This can become an overwhelming burden and can quickly paralyze a business and its leadership. However, for those who effectively implement risk management processes into their business strategies, the results can be extremely positive and can help to reimage water treatment service providers into high-performing and technically proficient organizations.

Insurance companies have seen this process in action many times. Vendors have found that establishing protocols for themselves and their employees helps in establishing a framework to better forecast and manage both internal and external issues. They have proactively used the resources at their disposal (e.g., consultants, advisors,

48 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

How a Shared Responsibility Agreement Can Improve Cooling Water Treatment and Address Liability Concerns continued

industry associations) to create a roadmap for addressing all areas of risk a business may face. Furthermore, this new and focused approach often helps to refresh the corporate culture and restate and emphasize the values of the owner that helped create the business.

The same can be said of the SRA initiative outlined in this article. This agreement should be viewed as a fundamental component of any risk management plan within a competent water treatment business.

Experience demonstrates that several water treatment service companies have already attempted to create such an approach. But only an industrywide effort, with guidance and input from all levels of our professions, can serve to address the great number of issues and situations that lie ahead. Of course, not everything can be solved in this way, but the ability to point to and cite accepted standards and concepts, adopted by and for water treatment professionals, will certainly place this industry in a much better position.

In the development and implementation of the SRA approach, there are several specific areas of our companies that can benefit. The first of these, and perhaps the most important, is the internal structure of each water treatment organization. This is certainly an area that has seen great variance from company to company over the years. Not that everyone does not have good intentions, but too often the combined challenges of employee training, establishing company procedures, and the historical ability (or luck) to have averted problems in the past, leads to a feeling that revisions and updates of current company practices can come later. Unfortunately, this could not be further from the truth.

The practice of risk management is ongoing and must begin at the top. The creation, training, and enforcement of company standards and procedures as they relate to the servicing of customer accounts are significant aspects to leading and managing employees to achieve success. SRAs can help to establish these fundamentals.

The documentation and discipline of service standards allows employees to better address daily challenges and helps them to better understand their respective responsibilities and limitations within the organization. In addition, with an SRA in place, communication with customers becomes a more effective process, and one that employees are better prepared to handle.

Recent insurance claim scenarios have highlighted this with both positive and negative consequences.

These experiences demonstrate that employees who are well trained and guided by established procedures and protocols deal with problems better, document events and procedures more thoroughly, and involve customers in constructive and meaningful solutions more frequently than employees lacking this structure.

The reduced financial impact and enhanced customer support gained from these experiences speaks volumes in support of SRA. Another area of business risk management addressed with the use of SRAs focuses on the limited resources, care, and attention to detail by customers themselves. Perhaps the main goal of every water treatment organization is to please the customerâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;from both a technical and business perspectiveâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and to maintain those professional relationships at all costs. This is understandable, as water treatment vendors combine a special and unique technical background with a drive and necessity to sell. Few other industries combine such a mix of technical and sales initiatives within their employees, but the competing forces leading to the need for this diverse skillset can and sometimes does place these water treatment vendors in the crosshairs of conflict, risk, and litigation.

Recently, the outcome of this conflict has been for customers and their consultants to push more duties upon the water treatment service provider, and to generally expect more from that relationship. In many cases, these expectations can be impractical or nearly impossible to meet. Yet, from the position of the customer, leaning on the knowledge and advice of the water treatment service company has become commonplace.

However, a company structure that is established, well documented, and mutually agreed upon can directly mitigate these risks. Both parties should know, understand, and document the types of services and products available and establish a clear procedure under which these items can be changed or enhanced.

Of course, the overall goal would be to work together with the customer to have them provide a higher level of service and become more involved with the overall management of their own water treatment system. This work would need to be done in a systematic, well-established, and

49 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

How a Shared Responsibility Agreement Can Improve Cooling Water Treatment and Address Liability Concerns continued

documented process designed to alleviate problems down the road. In a similar way, sophisticated customers also have a desire to do business with professionals that best understand their business, including the risks associated with safety and downtime. Water treatment service companies that embrace the goals and needs of their customers create the basis for a long-term business relationship built on trust and confidence.

a fundamental first step forward. Not only can these agreements have positive results in managing legal risk, but there can also be beneficial impacts on training, costs control, documentation, and overall customer relationships. With little to no downside, deploying the SRA initiative within your water treatment company becomes an obvious first step to a successful overall business program.

Using the SRA outlined here as part of your business portfolio can result in two distinct advantages. The first is for increased sales opportunities. The level of services outlined in the agreement creates a natural path forward to assist in upselling and cross selling the customer.

If done in a respectful and prudent manner, with an understanding of the required needs, the communication with the customer and mutual creation of the agreement can increase the revenue potential and longevity of the relationship.

Managing Liability Considerations

A second clear advantage is the expectation of the customer regarding the capabilities of the water treatment organization with which they do business.

Customers increasingly desire a service provider that demonstrates strong knowledge of and expertise in their business. In addition, they seek a vendor that can effectively and succinctly communicate that knowledge while demonstrating how it can directly benefit the customer.

The use of an SRA in these cases can help to achieve all potential goals for both parties. By introducing the agreement into a business relationship, the water treater can effectively address safety, resources, and scope concerns while substantially increasing its reputation and goodwill with the customer.

As we have become acutely aware, risk management has become an essential part of every business operation. Risk management is of considerable importance to todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s water treatment service provider. As owners and managers are faced with competing demands on their own time, energy, and financial resources, they must administer their efforts in a productive manner.

Managing these risks needs to become a top priority within the organization, but in a manner that does not impede the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s business growth opportunities.

While there are several tools and resources available to achieve these goals, the introduction of an SRA can be

Many water treatment vendors uniquely possess a high degree of technical competence in not only water chemistry but related disciplines. This level of proficiency is often exploited by opportunistic claimants who will allege that the water treatment service company is a complete program expert who should somehow save the system from any engineering, operational, or design failures. As a result, water treatment vendors have become the subject of a growing body of claims and litigation. The litigation trends suggest that the threshold for opportunistic claimants to institute legal recourse is diminishing.

In many instances, a system-related issue of any kind occurring during a water treatment service companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s term of service is often enough to result in the treater being implicated regardless of culpability. Regardless of the substantive merits, the legal risks, alleged damages, and expenses can be significant and are frequently disproportionate to the revenue earned in connection with treatment of the system. Even if the water treatment service company is ultimately exonerated, the legal costs involved in defending itself will invariably overwhelm its profit margin.

Much of the expense and risk associated with defending these lawsuits derives from the inherently complex and technical nature of water treatment. The value of these disputes is ultimately decided by those who sit in judgment upon the water treatment service company, namely judges and juries. While generally sophisticated, most judges and jurors have no experience or reference of familiarity with the technical principles of chemistry, engineering, metallurgy, or microbiology, or how they apply these concepts to a cooling water system. Advocates are charged with finding ways to simply explain their positions and to overcome the general tendency of the listener to reject that which is not fully understood.

50 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

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How a Shared Responsibility Agreement Can Improve Cooling Water Treatment and Address Liability Concerns continued

To further complicate matters, experts are frequently retained to educate the finders of facts about the respective roles and responsibilities of the parties in a water treatment setting and the standards of care to which they must abide. Unfortunately, retained experts frequently will seek to find and highlight any possible imperfection in a water treatment service company’s regimen, no matter how inconsequential to the subject issue. The conflation of flaws, which are mere imperfections that did not cause the failure, can serve to inflame an already perilous litigation for those wrongfully implicated. Given the adversarial nature of litigation, experts for competing sides typically offer divergent opinions on these issues as well as the appropriate standard of care. The net result is that an already bewildered finder of fact is now challenged with technically complex and competing information about the water treatment service company’s role, responsibility, and performance standard.

The purpose, scope, and limits of a water treatment vendor’s function are frequently the central dispute in litigation. There is a common disconnect between facility owners and water treatment service companies regarding the scope of a chemical water treater’s responsibilities and the practical limitations inherent in the job. Premise owners and building engineers often errantly assume that anything involving the internals of the water handling system is the responsibility of the water treatment service company. Furthermore, and in certain instances, owners are unconcerned with the requisite procedures needed to preserve their equipment and project the tenor that “they don’t want the labor pains, they just want the baby.” Consequently, when there is an issue with the cooling water system, the water treater vendor is alleged to have failed in its duties regardless of the realities of the situation. The effect of this position is to regard the chemical water treatment vendor as an insurance policy for all ills that may befall the system and the sole guarantor of its welfare.

SRAs present an opportunity to potentially avoid litigation, mitigate these risks, and save the client relationship from being disrupted. Almost invariably, the disputes that unfortunately arise between water treatment vendors and facility owners are contractual in nature. Nonetheless, and for the reasons stated elsewhere in this publication, the parties often fail to define their

respective responsibilities accurately or fully in their contracts.

A detailed division of responsibility should provide a clear understanding regarding the scope and limits of the water treatment service company’s capabilities and job duties and the limits of its responsibilities. Within the document, water treatment vendors should clearly state their scope of work, including the specific equipment they are treating and their purpose in doing so. For instance, if the program is a traditional water treatment regimen intended to promote system efficiency, that purpose should be clearly stated to the exclusion of other goals, such as health-based considerations more appropriately addressed through an ASHRAE 188-2018 Water Management Plan or other pathogen-based monitoring program, such as Legionella testing.

Similarly, the SRA will serve to educate the facility owner about its role and responsibilities in maintaining its capital assets. This set of clearly divided roles and responsibilities is intended to eliminate later disputes.

Should a dispute arise, the parties can then look to the agreement to resolve any discrepancy. If additional services or purposes are to be incorporated, the agreement should be formally amended.

The execution of an SRA will hopefully serve to eliminate the uncertainty, risk, expense, and liability of having to litigate the issue of responsibility. The existence of clearly defined roles will hopefully serve to dissuade litigation and spare the water treatment service company from the risk of having to rebut expert testimony about the nature of the water treatment vendor’s role, responsibilities, or performance standard before finders of fact who are wholly unfamiliar with the subject matter.

In this instance, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

SRA Program Outline

The SRA presented here is essentially a signed document developed between the facility management and water treatment staffs that outlines the tasks and responsibilities that are to be performed on a routine basis by each party. It recognizes that the water treatment service company cannot be at the facility every day, so certain tasks must be performed by the facility management

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How a Shared Responsibility Agreement Can Improve Cooling Water Treatment and Address Liability Concerns continued

staff to ensure the consistent and successful operation of the cooling water treatment program. The objective of the agreement is to document specific tests and tasks that should be conducted by both the facility management and water treatment vendor staffs to ensure the successful operation of the cooling water treatment program.

The agreement begins by outlining specific testing and maintenance tasks in a guideline designed to ensure greater program participation and oversight on a routine basis by facility management staff. It must be stressed here that we are presenting guidelines that are to be used by the individual facilities and water treatment vendor staffs working collaboratively to develop a program specific to the customer’s individual cooling water treatment program and building staffing requirements. Not all the test procedures or tasks outlined in the guideline need to be incorporated into the final agreement. You may even wish to include some new test procedures or tasks of your own that are not even listed in the current guideline. Areas of concern in the guideline include basic, standard, and advanced water testing procedures, supplemental/specialized testing (such as corrosion coupon or ATP studies), cooling tower and chemical feed station inspections, and open equipment inspections and documentation. Please note that many of the routine tests outlined in the agreement (highlighted in red), such as conductivity, pH, temperature, and oxidation reduction potential (ORP) measurements, can now be conducted and documented using modern digital system controllers with data logging, cloud reporting, and remote accessing capabilities.

Once the testing and task responsibilities have been properly allocated between the facility management and the water treatment service company field staffs, the agreement can then be reviewed for correctness and completeness by upper management staffs. The agreement must be signed by customer and vendor representatives that have legal standing and authority to sign on behalf of their respective companies. After the agreement has been properly authorized, it becomes the responsibility of both parties to ensure that the tests and task responsibilities outlined in the agreement are followed and adhered to in a proper and professional manner by all involved. Also, the SRA is designed to be a “living document” that should be reviewed and

modified by both parties on a periodic basis. With a properly prepared and executed SRA, both parties should now have a document that clearly outlines specific testing and task responsibilities, enhances documentation, improves program performance, promotes better lines of communication, minimizes risk, and reduces the possibility of legal action. Once completed, the SRA can then be used as a stand-alone document, or more commonly as an addendum page in a new proposal or contract renewal.

Program Control Activities and Guidelines

This section will provide an overview of the key water treatment program components, which include necessary preventative maintenance activities. This list allows for assignment of the relevant tasks as well as recommended frequency and protocol. These are considered the relevant program control parameters that need to be monitored and reacted to routinely, many of which must be conducted daily or multiple times per week depending on complexity.

Table A provides an overview of an SRA agreement. A more detailed version of these guidelines can be found in the Appendix of this paper.

Table A: SRA Recommended Program Guidelines • Outlines specific tasks and responsibilities for both the customer and vendor staffs • Development of a written and signed document • Each document is site-specific • Testing and task responsibilities can be added or removed as needed

Water Treatment Testing Parameters and Assigned Responsibilities

In this section, we provide an overview of different aspects an SRA pact would cover between the service company and the client facility.

A. Basic Testing (accomplished by system automation or facility staff) • Conductivity • pH • ORP • Bulk water temperature • Halogen reserve (chlorine or bromine)

54 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

How a Shared Responsibility Agreement Can Improve Cooling Water Treatment and Address Liability Concerns continued

B. Standard Responsibilities • Inhibitor residual (PTSA dye, molybdate, phosphate, phosphonate, others) • Total bacteria (dip slides) • Tower visual inspection • Chemical feed and system control station inspections • Read and record water usage for makeup and bleed-off C. Advanced Testing Responsibilities • Hardness • Alkalinity • Chloride • Iron • Copper D. Supplemental/Specialized Testing • Azole concentration • Polymer concentration • Total bacteria via HPC (lab) • SRB • ATP • Biofilm deposits • Corrosion coupons • Metal and pipe failure evaluations

Including these activities in the overall cooling water treatment guidelines will ensure that the water treatment service company is in position to maximize support for the customer’s program and facility. It will allow both parties to remain accountable to producing consistent results and lead to longer equipment life, improved heat transfer rates, lower utility expenses, and reduced challenges from unpredictable events or unforeseen circumstances.

The authors are keenly aware that market pressures and competition play a major role in the awarding of a cooling water treatment service contract. In many situations, price, rather than technical competence, becomes the determining factor in the selection of a water treatment vendor.

However, it is our belief that a well-crafted and executed SRA, based on input from both the facility management and water treatment service company’s staffs, can help to secure and retain business by instilling in our customers greater confidence and trust in the water treater’s technical services and professionalism.

Observations and Conclusions

E. Cooling Tower Inspections • Wetted surfaces • Basin cleanliness • Drift eliminators cleanliness F. Chemical Feed and System Control Equipment Inspections • Product inventory levels • Chemical pumps clean and operational • Chemical storage containers clean, labeled, and intact • System controller clean and operational • Cooling water bleed is operational (and strainer is free of debris) G. Open Equipment Inspections • Inspect, photograph, and document the condition of any open refrigeration equipment, including HEX (tubes/tube sheets or plates/ sections)

During the past two decades, there have been a profound series of economic, political, and business events that have had a disruptive impact upon the cooperative service relationship that historically existed between cooling water treatment customers and vendors. As a result of these changes, a significant portion of the water treatment tasks and responsibilities and oversight that was once the domain of facility management staffs has now been shifted to the water treatment service companies. With this shift in responsibilities came an increase in exposure levels and liability for the water treatment vendor.

Unfortunately, this increase in risk and liability is often neither fully recognized nor appreciated by the water treatment service company. Insurance companies frequently talk to their customers about the need to prepare and plan immediately for the eventual claim or lawsuit that they know will one day happen. With these increased levels of risk and liability, it is imperative that water treatment service companies now take steps to re-engage, re-energize, and reinvest their customers into the maintenance and operation of their own cooling water treatment programs.

For many water treatment service companies, this re-engagement could easily take the form of an SRA.

55 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

How a Shared Responsibility Agreement Can Improve Cooling Water Treatment and Address Liability Concerns continued

Disclaimer: This publication references broad litigation concepts. Not all cases are the same. The context of each case must be assessed for variables including the laws of the forum state, the allegations as framed, available evidence and other unique considerations including the evolving state of Legionella science and authority. This document is not a substitute for competent counsel and should not be construed as legal advice.

Acknowledgements

The original motivation for this work emanated from a project within the Cooling Water Subcommittee. A preliminary overview was presented to our members using a Q&A expert panel format, held at the 2019 AWT Annual Convention in Palm Springs, California.

The authors would like to acknowledge the other participants in that panel as well as other Cooling Water Subcommittee members who supported and helped to shape this project. Special thanks to Jay Farmerie, Keith Johnson, William Pearson, and Anthony Selby.

Kenneth Soeder recently retired as the senior technical advisor for Azure Water Services. He previously was a founding and principal partner of Azure Water Services and president of the company’s Jamestown Technologies Division. During Mr. Soeder’s 38-year involvement in the industrial and commercial water treatment industry, he has published more than 12 technical papers on corrosion, deposit, and microbiological control in various handling water systems, and has also been granted four U.S. patents for new product developments. He graduated from the State University of New York (SUNY) Oneonta with a B.S. in biology and chemistry and also received an M.S. in water resource management from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse. He can be reached at soeder@comcast.net.

John Caloritis, CWT, holds a B.S. in chemistry and is the technical director of The Metro Group Inc. He has spent 37 years in water treatment in multiple roles, all with one firm. Mr. Caloritis has been active within AWT as both a member and chair of the Cooling Water Subcommittee, member of the Legionella Task Force, and was recently elected to serve on AWTs Board of Directors. He can be reached at jcaloritis@metrogroupinc.com.

Michael Highum, CPCU, is a partner in McGowan Insurance Group and focuses on the development and management of the firm’s Specialty Practice Groups, which include chemical and environmental, executive risk, and technology, among others. His career spans over 30 years in the insurance and risk management business and consists of experience in sales, marketing, management, and program design. Mr. Highum may be contacted at MichaelH@mcgowaninsgrp.com.

Adam Green, Esq., is shareholder in the Houston office of Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz, where he serves as the chairman of Baker Donelson's Water Technology and Water Treatment Group.

Mr. Green has represented and consulted parties in all facets of water-treatment-related litigation and transactions for the past 18 years. He has defended lawsuits involving issues incident to shared responsibility between owners, managers, maintenance staff, and water treaters on a national scale.

Mr. Green may be contacted at agreen@bakerdonelson.com.

Garret (Gary) Garcia became involved in water treatment as a young high school student, continuing through college working with Masters Co. Inc. (MCI), which he and his family later purchased.

Some of the many facets of Mr. Garcia’s experience include laboratory testing, pilot formulations, field applications, method development, production blending, and operations. Over the years, he has served on several AWT committees, including the Supplier Task Group, Cooling Water, and Special Projects. Mr. Garcia continues to serve as MCI’s technical director as well as at the firm’s sister division, Solid State Technologies. He may be reached at gary@masterscoinc.com.

This paper was presented at the 2020 AWT Interactive Annual Convention, which was conducted September 30–October 2, 2020.

56 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

How a Shared Responsibility Agreement Can Improve Cooling Water Treatment and Address Liability Concerns continued

APPENDIX

The SRA and associated guidelines are illustrated fully in this Appendix. While the authors recognize each program will be tailored to the individual needs of the customerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s facility, the primary components are intended to serve as a template for water treatment service company to work from. We recommend that all tasks be carefully considered and that responsibility for each item shown be covered by one or both parties. It is also logical that one agreement may be necessary for each cooling water system located at the facility, depending on any unique operating characteristics and conditions inherent to the systems.

Suggested Testing and Tasks Guidelines Under a Shared Responsibility Agreement

Date:

1. Facility Management and Water Treatment Service Company - Operating Document: (One guideline per operating system is recommended) Facility Name:

Facility Street Address:

Facility City, State and Zip Code: Facility Manager Name: Facility Manager Title:

Facility Manager Phone: Facility Manager Email:

2. Open Cooling Water System Operating Parameters: System Parameter: System Name or Designation: Service Visit Frequency: System Application:

System Result: Weekly, bi-monthly, monthly or quarterly Commercial, institutional, health care, data centers, power generation, or manufacturing accounts Expressed in operating tons Year-Round or seasonal Continuous or intermittent

System Size (tonnage): Operation Period: Daily Operation: System Notes:

3. Water Treatment Testing Parameters and Assigned Responsibilities: Basic Testing: (red highlighted tests can be accomplished by an automated system controller or facility staff) WTSC Responsibility: Notes: Parameter: Facility Responsibility: Conductivity (cycles): pH: ORP (oxidizing microbiocide concentration): Recirculating Water Temperature: Halogen residual test (chlorine, bromine or chlorine dioxide):

(with testing frequency)

(with testing frequency)

57 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

How a Shared Responsibility Agreement Can Improve Cooling Water Treatment and Address Liability Concerns continued

Standard Tests: Parameter:

Facility Responsibility:

WTSC Responsibility:

Notes:

Facility Responsibility:

WTSC Responsibility:

Notes:

Supplemental/Specialized Testing: Parameter: Facility Responsibility:

WTSC Responsibility:

Notes:

Corrosion Inhibitor Residual: Dip Slides: Cooling Tower Visual Inspection: Chemical Feed Station Visual Inspection: Makeup and Blowdown Meter Readings (if available): Advanced Testing: Parameter: Total Hardness: Total Alkalinity: Chlorides: Total Iron: Total Copper:

Azole Concentration: Polymer Concentration: Heterotrophic Plate Counts (laboratory procedure): Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria: ATP Studies: Biofilm Analysis: Corrosion Coupon Testing (for mild steel, copper, and other selected metals): Metal and pipe failure analyses:

(with testing frequency)

(with testing frequency)

(with testing frequency)

(with testing frequency)

(with testing frequency)

(with testing frequency)

58 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

How a Shared Responsibility Agreement Can Improve Cooling Water Treatment and Address Liability Concerns continued

Cooling Tower Inspections: Parameter: Facility Responsibility: Wetted tower surfaces are free of organic material, biofilms, algae, scale, sediment, and deposits: Tower basins are free of organic material, biofilm, algae, sediment, and deposits: Drift eliminators are free of organic material, biofilms, algae, scale, sediment, and deposits:

(with testing frequency)

(with testing frequency)

WTSC Responsibility:

Notes:

WTSC Responsibility:

Notes:

(with testing frequency)

Open HVAC Equipment Inspections: Parameter: Facility Responsibility: Inspect, photograph, and document the condition of any open refrigeration equipment:

Notes:

(with testing frequency)

Chemical Storage and Feed Station Inspections: Parameter: Facility Responsibility: Check all chemical inventory levels: Chemical feed pumps are clean and operational: Chemical storage containers are clean and intact: Cooling tower system controller is clean and operational: Cooling tower bleed system is operational:

WTSC Responsibility:

(with testing frequency)

(with testing frequency)

4. Acknowledgement by Responsible Company Parties: Agreed to by Client:

Agreed to by Water Treatment Vendor:

Company:

Company:

Signature:

Signature:

Name:

Name:

Title:

Title:

Date:

Date:

59 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Membership Benefits

AWT Marketplace

AWT Webinars

We’re excited to announce a new member benefit in 2021. AWT is launching the MarketPlace, an area on The Exchange where members can sell and purchase like-new and used items.

The intent of this marketplace is for members to sell equipment or products they purchased for projects that didn’t come to fruition. This is not a place to sell new products or to promote goods or services. If you have unused, good condition material at your office and you think, “I have this great product that I no longer have a use for. Seems like a waste for it to sit around, when I’m sure someone else in the water treatment community could benefit from it,” the AWT MarketPlace is the right place for you.

Typical materials you can sell or buy include: Computer/IT Equipment Lab and Testing Equipment Material Handling Equipment Office Furniture/Equipment Spare Parts (for pumps, controllers, feed, control equipment) Specialty Chemistry Tanks/Scales/Mixers/Transfer Pumps

AWT hosts monthly complimentary webinars for members that provide the convenience of online training paired with live instruction and Q&A opportunities.

Topics of the webinars range from business to technical.

And all webinars are archived on the Members Only section of the AWT website. View the webinars today at www.awt.org.

Committees

Looking for a way to get more involved in the water treatment industry? One way is to join one of the many committees and task forces AWT has to offer. Become a mentor or flex some of your technical skills.

Boiler Business Resources Certification Cooling Legislative/Regulatory Pretreatment Special Projects Wastewater Young Professionals Task Force Get involved today!

Sign up at www.awt.org.

Social Media

Want to connect with other water industry professionals but don’t know where to start? As an AWT member, you can join the Association of Water Technologies professional group on Linked In. This group allows members to network with peers, build professional contacts, access field knowledge, and seek opportunities. Join today at https://www.linkedin.com/company/association-ofwater-technologies-awt/?viewAsMember=true. And you can also follow us on Twitter to learn the latest industry news: https://twitter.com/awtonline.

60 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Industry Notes

H2O Thermo Fisher Scientific Launches New Microsoft Windows 10-Compatible Process Analyzer Software to Streamline Industrial Process Monitoring Thermo Fisher Scientific announced today the launch of the Thermo Scientific Chromeleon 7 Process Analyzer (PA) software to facilitate continuous, reliable, and compliant process monitoring using online ion chromatography and/or high-performance liquid chromatography PA systems.

Reliable, accurate and timely process monitoring is of utmost importance across industrial operations to ensure variations are detected before they can impact yield or cause costly shutdowns. Now running on Microsoft Windows 10, Chromeleon 7 PA software delivers unmatched process monitoring capabilities, driving operational efficiencies, facilitating well-informed and timely decision-making, and reducing costs. The software enables compliance with regulations like 21 CFR Part 11, a crucial requirement for United States Food and Drug Administration regulated industries.

For more information, visit https://www.thermofisher. com/processanalytical.

The New SD 335 Multi Is Available and Completes the SD Range of Lovibond®

Anyone who works on several tasks at the same time as a multitasker will love it. The new SD 335 Multi is available and can measure several parameters simultaneously.

But the multi-talent for electrochemical measurements can do even more in water analysis. It literally follows the user at every turn, even in demanding environments.

Lovibond® has designed the instrument specifically for a wide range of requirements and applications.

The SD 335 Multi masters all the important parameters for wastewater treatment, pool water control, routine

work in specialized laboratories, boiler and cooling water, the treatment of drinking water, the control of water pollution or for research applications. Two parameters and additionally the temperature can be measured simultaneously from a comprehensive range: pH, ORP, 2 4 conductivity, TDS, salinity, dissolved oxygen (concentration and saturation).

H SO

The other features include: Galvanically isolated measuring inputs Robust armouring including two electrode holders Data logger with up to 8 GB data memory Easy data transfer via micro-USB in CSV format Graphical display and intuitive user interface in seven languages Step-by-step calibration Multi-parameter display Rechargeable NiMH-batteries Belt clip for mobile use The SD 335 Multi is offered in three different sets for the most diverse requirements.

Find out more about the complete SD 305 series on our product page at https://www.lovibond.com/en/PW/ Water-Testing/Products/Lab-Portable-Instruments/ Electrochemistry/Portable-Hand-held-Meterswith-Datalogger/SD-335-Multi

Turbidity and the Sample Zeroing Accessory Pack from CHEMetrics

Turbidity is haze or cloudiness in water caused by suspended matter. Turbid water is commonly described as hazy, milky, cloudy, or dirty. High levels of turbidity usually indicate low water quality.

A common field test to check for turbidity is to hold a flashlight up to the water sample. If the light makes the sample look cloudy or the beam highlights particles in the water, your sample is turbid. Turbidity is

61 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Industry Notes continued

scientifically measured using an instrument called a turbidimeter or nephelometer and is reported in Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU).

In addition to the site surveys, the app houses calculators, product catalogs, easy-to-download SDS’s, and product bulletins.

Turbidity interferes with instrumental colorimetric water analysis by causing discoloration and light scattering in the sample. Sample filtration is commonly employed to reduce turbidity, but this is not always appropriate depending on the testing environment or the analyte being measured.

David Naylor, AP Tech app developer and engineering manager, noted, “The app has everything you need to build a solid chemistry water treatment program. The sleek design guides you through the survey process quickly and easily.”

If filtering samples to remove turbidity is not an option when using CHEMetrics Vacu-vials® kits, then the Sample Zeroing Accessory Pack may be your answer.

The Sample Zeroing Accessory Pack allows the operator to zero their instrument with a zero blank from the same source as the water sample. This corrects for the turbidity in the sample allowing for a more accurate measurement of the analyte being tested.

For more information, visit us at https://www.chemetrics.com/szap/.

AP Tech Releases New App – SolidGuide

AP Tech developers recently created an app that will alleviate pain that water treatment consultants experience when completing cumbersome site surveys. In an effort to determine a correct water treatment program for a cooling tower, boiler, or closed-loop system, filling out a site survey is necessary. The site surveys typically entail completing multiple calculations and answering application-related questions regarding water conditions.

“Survey forms are often time-consuming and require drawn-out calculations, leaving people frustrated or unsure. Our team answered the call to develop a solution to these frustrations,” says Matt Horine, managing director of AP Tech. Enter SolidGuide.

SolidGuide allows for the user to simply answer water condition and general application questions and then, within seconds, the app generates a custom report detailing a solid chemistry water treatment program for their specific application. The report includes both chemical and equipment program recommendations as well as pump size suggestions.

The app is now available for download from the App Store (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1522550825) and Google Play (https://play.google.com/store/apps/ details?id=com.aptechgroup.solidguide). AP Tech distributors are also able to use the web app (https://www. aptechgroup.com/distributor/) through the distributor website (https://www.aptechgroup.com/distributor/).

Founded in 1999, AP Tech now serves over 200 water treatment partners who supply AP Tech’s solid chemistry technology and equipment to water treatment programs to over 10,000 customers in North America, Central America, South America, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand.

AP Tech Announces Appointment of CEO

AP Tech is pleased to announce the appointment of Katie Lee as CEO. Lee has been a key member of AP Tech’s executive and leadership team since 2011 and will succeed James Heimert in this position. Heimert has worked in the water treatment industry for 45 years. He has led AP Tech for over 20 years, since founding the company in 1999, and will continue to work with AP Tech as consultant in research & development.

Commenting on Lee’s appointment, Heimert stated, “Katie has distinguished herself as an inspiring and energetic employee whose leadership and honesty are among her greatest strengths. It is with my utmost confidence that I hand over the reins to such an outstanding person.”

AP Tech’s President, Matt Horine, stated, “Katie has provided AP Tech with a very strong financial footing

62 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Industry Notes continued

over the years, and that continues to keep the company well positioned in the industry. Moving forward, she will be able to expand those efforts further into setting the company vision, developing the strategic plan, and setting the course for the future. I’m really looking forward to the continued collaborations with Katie over the coming years.”

Reflecting on her appointment, Lee said, “I am excited for the opportunity to lead the execution of strategies we have set out for the future of AP Tech. I am surrounded by a fantastic team that is passionate about what we do, and why we do it. AP Tech was founded on the principle that the water treatment industry should offer exceptional solid products that are safe and easy to transport and apply.

This principle has successfully guided us for 20 years as a manufacturer of solid water treatment and will continue to be our foundation as we bring new products and innovations to the water treatment industry and beyond.”

Prior to working at AP Tech, Lee spent over 15 years as an economic transfer pricing consultant to multinational companies, with a focus on work in the automotive and oil and gas industries. She holds a B.S. in finance from Miami University, is a Cincinnati native, and resides in Mason with her husband and two daughters.

Navy Diver and Microbiologist Joins Microbe Detectives

Microbe Detectives is happy to announce that Grant Schouweiler, a microbiologist from Purdue University and former diver for the U.S. Navy, has joined the team as a microbiome analyst.

Schouweiler earned a B.S. in biology from Purdue University with a focus in microbiology. In addition to his undergrad research, he interned with a biotechnology innovator, where he constructed bioreactors and managed large-scale algal cultivation for biodiesel production. He initially became interested in wastewater when he started investigating the idea of using nutrients in wastewater to grow organisms required in biofuel applications.

After graduating from Purdue, Schouweiler joined the Navy Diver and Special Operations Program. During

his time at Undersea Rescue Command (URC) he was involved in developing operating procedures for novel systems, methods, and tooling for various phases of submarine rescue. His first command was at the Pearl Harbor Navy Shipyard, where he was also assigned duties in Guam. While at URC, he had a training operation in Alaska and was with a crew for a search mission in Argentina. He also did a lot of training ops off the coast of California. Operations often took him down to 2,000 feet.

Schouweiler notes, "during my undergraduate research and microbiology courses, there was a lot of discussion about the human genome project and how DNA sequencing had become much more affordable. The power of next generation DNA technology and the fact that wastewater is so dependent on microbiology really triggered my interests in renewable resource recovery."

After six years of service in the Navy with honorable discharge, Schouweiler is looking forward to using his unique combination of experiences, which have trained him to understand a system's function and operations in a completely different way. As a microbiome analyst for Microbe Detectives, Schouweiler will use his unique qualifications and experience to apply next generation DNA technology to enable a more intimate understanding of biological systems used to recover renewable resources. He will specialize in wastewater biological nutrient removal and anaerobic digestion, serving customers in municipal, industrial, and agricultural markets. His goal is to improve the efficiency, resiliency, and sustainability of each customer system while delivering an attractive return on investment.

Ken Soeder Retires After 30+ years with Jamestown

At the end of 2020, Ken Soeder, CWT, retired from Azure Water Services.

Since first entering the water treatment industry directly from graduate school in 1983, Soeder's career has been filled with many exciting and challenging opportunities. At Drew Chemical, he had the privilege to work with many

63 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Industry Notes continued

talented and caring mentors, and together they formulated, tested, marketed, and then patented some of the industry’s first commercially successful molybdate-based corrosion inhibitors in cooling water applications. Five years later, he moved to Connecticut and began working at Jamestown as technical manager.

Almost immediately, construction began on the company’s new headquarters and manufacturing plant, where he was responsible for the design and construction of the facility’s production and laboratory areas.

Over the years since then, Soeder was instrumental in successfully seeing the company through a critical EPA Molybdate lawsuit (we won!), applying for and receiving new product patents, plus organizing countless annual technical and sales meetings. Arguably, Soeder's most important contribution to the company’s success has been his ability to find and recruit some of the most talented people in the water treatment industry to work for us.

With the formation of Azure Water Services in 2018, Soeder officially became a shareholding partner in the business, formalizing his longstanding position as a critical member of the company’s management team.

Since then, he has played an important role in all the company’s milestones, such as the purchase and integration of Hofmann Technologies, solidification of our SSI business and compliance with European REACH regulations, updating of our SDSs to GHS Standards, the merger with Condor Technologies, the enactment of the ASHRAE-188 Standard, and navigating our clients through the Legionella crisis in New York City and beyond. Soeder should also be proud that during his tenure with Jamestown and Azure, we never suffered a serious employee or customer injury or were subjected to a major regulatory violation or fine.

In retirement, Soeder plans on keeping busy by expanding his ongoing volunteer activities with the Mystic Aquarium, Mystic Seaport Museum, Mystic and Noank Library, Saint Edmund’s Retreat on Ender’s Island, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Sponsor Family Program. Soeder will also continue his involvement with AWT’s Cooling Water Subcommittee and help his wife, Anne, manage the operation of Cliffside Guesthouse, located on their Mystic property.

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SDS Services Discounted Freight Rates 64 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Microbiological Fouling Causes Many Operational Problems in Cooling Water Systems Impacts of Biological Fouling Problem

Impact

Corrosion

Reduced heat exchanger efficiency Heat exchanger leaks Reduces strength of metals

Scale

Heat exchanger plugging High pump discharge pressure, low flow rate Increased corrosion

Biofouling

Legionella difficult to control Adsorption, deactivation of inhibitors Reduced cooling tower efficiency

Deposits

Damaged cooling tower fill Customer Issue - dirty outward appearance

Many operational problems are caused by a combination of corrosion, scale and biofouling.

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CWT Spotlight

Timothy F. Keeler, CWT ProAsys Shillington, Pennsylvania

What prompted you to obtain the CWT and when did you begin the process by taking the test?

When I began working with my father in 2003 at The Keeler Company, Inc., I did not have any water treatment experience. I began as a field service technician and trained with the veteran water treaters until I had enough knowledge to service accounts on my own. I attended a few AWT conferences early on in my career and learned about the CWT. I felt like achieving the CWT would be one way that I could become a better water treater and bring more value to our company. I started the process of preparing for the CWT before I was eligible to take the test. For me, participating in the AWT Technical Training with no plan to take the test following the training was very valuable. I learned a tremendous amount of information in just three days of training. I felt it was a benefit to participate in the training without the stress of the exam on the horizon.

Once I finished the training, I studied the Technical Manual. Then, when I was eligible to take CWT exam, I participated in Technical Training a second time and took the exam immediately following the training.

What advice would you give those thinking about taking the exam?

Study, study, study! The exam covers all aspects of water treatment. I found that reviewing the practice exam questions was particularly helpful in my preparation.

Many of us have not taken an exam since college. A key factor is to not get stressed outrelax and diligently work through the exam questions.

What are the advantages of having the CWT designation?

I feel that the CWT certification that I and other ProAsys staff hold allows our company to prove to our clients and prospects that we will bring expert knowledge and experience to the table. The CWT is a great way for ProAsys to distinguish ourselves from our competition. We take great pride in providing the best solutions for our clients and prospects, and the CWT gives our clients the confidence that they hired the right team for their water treatment needs.

What has been your greatest professional accomplishment?

As a third-generation owner of a family business, I feel that my greatest professional accomplishment was leading the successful transition of our company into new ownership. I purchased The Keeler Company, Inc. from my father in 2012, and because transitioning ownership wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hard enough, I renamed the company, too. We started operating as ProAsys and I worked very hard to make sure everyone knew that the products, services, and people were not changing, only the company name was. All of my homework paid off because we had a successful transition to ProAsys, and the company has been strong ever since. I am very proud of what we have built at ProAsysâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;we have an extremely talented team that is always striving for excellence.

Congratulations to the following people who earned their CWT in 2020: Brad Allen, CWT, Pace Solutions Corp.

Richard Clark, CE, CWT, Water Management, Inc. Ryan Cochran, CWT, Southwest Engineers Christopher Roeder, CWT, Barclay Water Management, Inc. Christopher Scala, CWT, Clarity Water Technologies, LLC Dale Scherschel, CWT, Weas Engineering, Inc. Patrick Shaver, CWT, Global Water Technology, Inc. Nate Woodrum, CWT, Jaytech, Inc.

66 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Making a Splash

Brady Benson AquaMedix Minneapolis, Minnesota

What prompted you to start volunteering with AWT? When I first met Al Bassett, CWT, he suggested that the best way to take advantage of being part of AWT was to volunteer. Because I was so busy with our business at the time, I was not able to volunteer, but I always kept the idea in mind. So, a few years later, after one of the Learning Lounges at the AWT conference put on by the Special Committee, I approached Gary to see if I could help out. Al was right.

What has been the most rewarding thing about volunteering?

Getting to better know the people I work with on the project and seeing members utilizing the work we've done has been very rewarding. It is also an opportunity for me to give back to an organization that is helping me and my company. The best part of each committee meeting is catching up on what's going on with the other committees and other work AWT is doing; yes, the stuff that I didn't read about in an email someone worked so hard to put together.

How has volunteering improved your professional career?

My business is primarily focused on the filtration of water in domestic systems to control waterborne pathogens such as Legionella. This is only one small niche of what water treaters do. While working with other volunteers, I have learned what AWT members need to know about our filtration systems to meet the needs of their customers. In other words, how to KISS (keep it simple &^$*) and provide detailed expertise when needed. I have also learned more about the area of Water Treatment.

Volunteering has definitely helped me and AquaMedix.

Why would you encourage others to become a volunteer?

I have found that I learned more working on a project then I ever would simply by reading the results, watching

a presentation, or implementing the project. You will also see how your business ties into what other people are doing and how to collaborate and/or work together on business opportunities. It isn't just networking; It's putting everyone's expertise together. If you have a problem or an issue, someone on the committee will always have a solution or know who to talk to get the right answer.

Tell us about a current project you or your committee is working on?

Currently, we are working on putting together a list of the personal protection equipment (PPE) water treaters need to be safe and take care of themselves. It's such a simple thing, but there's no reference guide, SOP, or specific training already in place on it, and it can look like a lot of work to set it up.

What is a past project that your committee produced that you feel has had the greatest impact on AWT and why?

A lot of the work we do comes from requests of other committees or groups that need help with something they're working on. There's not necessarily a big impact on any specific project the committee works on as much as a lot of little things that help out the organization as a whole. You can see the impact for instance during a training program that has content that our committee provided to someone else to use.

How have you been able to utilize the expanded business connections youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve made while volunteering?

I touched on this earlier; the networking we do is fantastic. If I don't have the time to work on a big project, I just let them know, but I also stay in contact with the rest of the committee and attend the conference calls.

Inevitably, I might be able to answer a question during the call that the rest of the committee is working on, or another member brings up something that I end up being able to use right away. I want to say that it's always fun.

67 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Capital Eyes

A New Administration and What It Means for Environmental and Safety Regulations The election is now over, and the official transition began to a new administration starting on January 20, 2021.

Here are some actions we expect to see in the first year of the new administration.

Workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Protection

Former labor officials say they believe that the new administration will push to revamp the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The administration indicated that they want to increase enforcement surrounding coronavirus protocols. The new president could take action immediately at OSHA by ramping up inspections, filling vacancies, and creating safety standards that workplaces would be required to follow during the pandemic.

Chief among the potential standards would be the creation of an emergency temporary standard and set of rules that workplaces would have to adhere to on such things as social distancing, hand-washing breaks, communication during outbreaks, and ventilation.

Failure to adhere to these standards during inspections could result in penalties from OSHA. Public plans have also called for OSHA to institute an emergency temporary standard for frontline workers and to step up enforcement by doubling the number of inspectors.

There are also calls for the agency to review its whistleblowing program, which is meant to protect workers from retaliation for complaining about unsafe or unhealthful conditions at work.

Environmental Violations

Over the next four years, the administration is expected to take a different tack on addressing environmental violations. In recent years, the number of environmental cases the Department of Justice pursued dropped. Even without pursuing new cases, the new administration could send strong signals to the regulated community simply by making clear its intent to be tougher on polluters.

There is likely going to be more of a focus of self-evaluation audits and self-disclosures. These tools allow companies to analyze their own activities and report violations on a voluntary basis, thus allowing them to avoid heavy civil penalties.

The new administration has also laid out lofty goals for how the Justice Department would address pollution that affects low-income neighborhoods and communities of color. The new administration has indicated it would establish an Environmental and Climate Justice Division at the department. Among other things, this division would increase enforcement, address legacy pollution, and work in partnership with EPAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office of Civil Rights.

The new administration will also likely scrutinize approvals in light of social justice concerns when granting permits, licenses, and other approvals across the range of federal environmental statutes.

Janet Kopenhaver is president of Eye on Washington and serves as the AWT Washington representative. She can be reached at (703) 528-6674 or janetk@eyeonwashington.com.

68 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

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Financial Matters

What Is Power of Attorney?

Power of attorney, or POA, is a legal document giving an attorney-in-charge or legal agent the authority to act on behalf of the principal. The attorney in charge possesses broad or limited authority to act on behalf of the principal. The agent can make decisions regarding medical care, financial matters, or property on behalf of the principal.

A power of attorney comes into play in the event that the principal is incapacitated by an illness or disability. The agent may also act on behalf of the principal in case the person is not readily available to sign off on financial or legal transactions.

The power of attorney lapses when the creator dies, revokes it, or when it is invalidated by a court of law.

A POA also ends when the creator divorces a spouse charged with a power of attorney or when an agent is not able to continue carrying out outlined duties.

Types of Powers of Attorney 1. General Power of Attorney The general power of attorney is a broad mandate that gives an agent a lot of power to handle the affairs of a principal. The agent or the person designated to act on behalf of the principal is charged with handling several tasks. The tasks include buying or disposing of real estate or even entering into contractual relationships on the principalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s behalf.

2. Limited or Special Power of Attorney An individual looking to limit how much the agent can do should choose limited or special power of attorney.

Before signing to notarize a limited power of attorney, a person needs to be as detailed as possible about how much the agent should handle. If an individual is not clear what should fall under the special power of attorney, it is best to speak to a legal counsel.

70 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Financial Matters continued

3. Durable Power of Attorney The durable type of power of attorney is only effective during the period a person wished to get someone else to act on his or her behalf. A nondurable POA will end the moment it is revoked or when the specified expiration date arrives. However, what will happen in the event the agent becomes debilitated? Will the POA still be applicable?

The best way for a principal to start the process is by finding a family law counsel in their state of residence. If the associated legal fees are way beyond what the principal can manage, there is the option of visiting a legal services office. Alternatively, the principal can go to the Legal Services Corporation website and communicate with a legal aide. Principals who are eligible will be attended for free.

In such a case, the principal would prefer that the POA remains active, even if he or she becomes unable to communicate. For example, if the principal becomes comatose, but would prefer that the spouse be the agent, it can be specified in the form of a durable power of attorney. The POA gives power to the spouse to make decisions even when the principal is comatose.

In many states, it is mandatory to get the principal’s signature notarized. In some cases, the witness’s signature must also be notarized. In addition, there are some legal provisos that are not generally applicable. For example, there is no standardized POA principal form.

4. Medical or Healthcare Power of Attorney If the principal becomes very ill, he or she reserves the right to decide the quality of care preferred. Medical or health care POA authorizes the agent to make decisions on behalf of the principal in case of a life-threatening illness. Most health POAs fall under the durable kind because they take into consideration the fact that the principal may be too sick to make their own decisions.

In all the instances above, the principal should speak to a counsel before choosing an agent. In addition, it is best for the principal to get the counsel to walk him or her through every step of notarizing a power of attorney in order to understand what should go into the document.

Procedures and laws vary based on the principal’s residence. While the durable POA is widely accepted, there are powers the principal cannot delegate, such as amending or making a will, contracting a marriage, or casting a vote.

Summary

A power of attorney is an authority imposed on an agent by the principal allowing the said agent to make decisions on his/her behalf. The agent can receive limited or absolute authority to act on the principal’s behalf on decisions relating to health, property, or finances. A power of attorney is common when a person is incapacitated and unable to make their own decisions. https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com

How Power of Attorney Works

The principal can either download or buy POA templates.

In the event the template is acquired through either one of the two methods, the principal should ensure that they belong to the state of residence. POA documents are very important, and the principal should not assume that the documents acquired are of the correct kind. Verification of the POA documents is necessary before the POA process can begin.

71 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Tales From the Waterside

How Regular Sampling Improves Water Treatment and Saves Money

By Gene Tonetti, Water Systems Management, LLC

(Editor’s note: “Tales From the Waterside” features real-life experiences as shared by water treatment experts and how they approached problems or important lessons they learned.)

One of the most important and basic requirements for a successful water treatment program is proper water sampling techniques. For most seasoned water treatment professionals, this is a no-brainer; however, this topic is one that needs review from time to time.

Accurate water testing cannot compensate for poor sampling technique. In addition, it is of utmost importance that a true sample be representative of actual water conditions at the time of sampling. First, both you and your customer must know where to obtain your sample(s) within the water system.

An Unexpected Visit

Let me begin by telling you a story that occurred in 1984 at a plant in southern Indiana that manufactured catheters for the healthcare industry. I made a cold call on the maintenance superintendent on a late Friday afternoon.

I had no expectations of seeing him since I did not have an appointment, but I figured I could at least leave my business card and some sales literature. To my surprise, he asked me to come in and we began talking.

His first question to me was, “How often should we have to replace a Schedule 40 black iron condensate return line?” I told him that I had some customers that had plants that were 25 to 50 years old and that most of the condensate lines were the original ones installed during the plant construction. I also told him that this was not always the case, but it would not be unusual to see similar pipe longevity in a plant with a well maintained water treatment program.

He said, “Well, I asked the question because we have been replacing one condensate pipe every week! I thought he was joking until he said, “We began using Schedule 80 pipe and we only have to replace the pipe every two weeks!” At that point, I knew something was very wrong.

As it turned out, during my survey of the plant the following Monday, I discovered the plant was not sampling the condensate where the pipe failures were occurring. They were sampling the condensate several hundred feet away from the point of failure at a location near a large autoclave. The pH at this location was always near 8.5 to 8.8. The autoclave used 60 pounds per square inch (psi) steam. The point of failure was near a large tank of rinse water that had a submerged steamheated plate exchanger that used low-pressure steam (10 psi). The plant was using a cyclohexylamine neutralizing amine. When I tested the condensate at the rinse water tank, the pH was 5.0.

The incumbent sales rep had no idea what was going on in the plant, as he had instructed the boiler operators to obtain their condensate samples at the autoclave, which is where he sampled. He was very indignant and told the maintenance superintendent he was not being fair after he found he lost the account to me after only three sales calls.

That sales rep really deserved to lose the account. He obviously was unaware of the problem that cost the plant

“…I discovered the plant was not sampling the condensate where the pipe failures were occurring.”

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Tales From the Waterside continued

in weekly lost production as well as weekly replacement of pipe and wasted hours by plant maintenance personnel (it was a two-man job) to make repairs.

Thoughts on Sampling

If I may, I would like to discuss a few ideas that have helped me over the years regarding sampling methods and proper sampling technique. First, we need to determine what type of sample bottle should be used. In almost all cases, a wide-mouth plastic bottle should be used for sampling. The wide-mouth bottle will minimize splashing during sampling. The bottle MUST be clean. NEVER use dirty water sample bottles. Throw dirty bottles away. Look professional. If bottles are to be reused, they should not be used for different sample points. In other words, do not use a previously used boiler sample bottle for sampling condensate or feedwater.

Make sure the customer throws away any dirty bottles.

I have seen operators use bottles that were so dirty that you could not even see the liquid level in them. Finally, always fill the bottle completely to displace any air.

Cooling coils should be used for all boiler, feedwater, and condensate samples. In actual practice, you may often visit a plant that has no cooling coil on the condensate return line. Most times, the condensate sample is obtained hot from a condensate receiver tank. The problem with this is that when the returning condensate reaches a vented receiver tank, a significant amount of carbon dioxide gas will be vented to the atmosphere, causing an increase in pH. The proper thing to do is to point out to the customer that there may be a significant difference in pH from the vented receiver tank versus the pH upstream of the tank.

Do not be surprised if there is significant push back from the plant on installing a sample cooler upstream of the receiver. However, if there has been a history of

â&#x20AC;&#x153;In almost all cases, a wide-mouth plastic bottle should be used for samplingâ&#x20AC;Ś.The bottle MUST be clean. NEVER use dirty water sample bottles. Throw dirty bottles away.â&#x20AC;?

condensate line leaks upstream of the receiver tank, this may be enough justification for the plant to consider a cooling coil installation. The sample flowing into the bottle from the cooling coil should be near room temperature.

One more thing about cooling coils, the material of choice for the coil is stainless steel. If copper were to be used for the cooling coil, not only will it skew the test for copper but it can also affect the dissolved oxygen test when checking boiler feedwater. This is because dissolved oxygen can react with copper during the sampling process.

The next step is to determine the length of time to thoroughly flush the sample line. This will vary and be based on the length of the sample line, line size, and line pressure. For hot samples such as boiler, boiler feedwater, or condensate, this is relatively easy since you simply flush the line until hot water appears.

There are further considerations besides bottle type and bottle cleanliness, sample flush time, and sample temperature. It is critical to know where the chemical injection points are in relation to the point of sampling.

This is usually most critical when sampling from a feedwater tank or the deaerator storage section. If you are trying to calculate boiler feedwater cycles based on conductivity ratios, and are feeding caustic, sulfite, or bisulfite or any other boiler chemical that can add conductivity to the sample, you may need to recommend a different sample point location.

On boilers, the best location to sample the boiler water is from the surface (sometimes referred to as the continuous) blowdown line. I have seen samples obtained by boiler operators from the boiler water level column or the sight glass. These two locations should NOT be used, as they are not representative of the chemistry in the bulk boiler water.

For cooling tower water samples, the sample flush time should be rather short, as most plants have a sample point installed in the cooling tower controller sensor line.

By sampling at this location, you can compare controller conductivity, pH, ORP (oxygen reduction potential), and PTSA, a fluorescent marker molecule (if in use), with your hand-held test instruments. If there is no

73 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Tales From the Waterside continued

sampling point at the controller, one should be installed.

An alternate sample point would be at the cooling tower blowdown line, but the preferred point is the controller sensor sample line.

When sampling cooling tower water, prior to sampling check to see if any of the chemical feed relays on the tower controller are energized. By sampling during the chemical feed cycles, you may get an erroneously high inhibitor or oxidizer reading, depending on where the chemical injection points are in the system.

Table A: Where and How Often to Sample?

Sampling Sites

Where to Sample

How Often?

Softener or Dealkalizer

Downstream of multiport valve(s)

Daily minimum

Feedwater

Storage section away from chemical injection lines*

Daily minimum

Boiler

Surface BD line *

Daily minimum

Condensate

Upstream of vented receiver tank *

Daily minimum

Cooling Tower Makeup

Makeup supply line

Daily minimum

Cooling Tower

Controller sample valve

Daily minimum

*Use stainless steel sample cooler.

Return on Investment (ROI)

Since the above case history occurred 36 years ago in 1984, it is difficult to come up with an ROI for that time.

However, I can give you some current cost numbers on mild steel 2-inch pipe. The catheter company was replacing about 8 feet of Schedule 40 pipe every week.

At a cost of $2.75/foot in 2020 dollars, the material cost would be $22.00 per week or $1,144.00/ year. Assuming lost production due to downtime was approximately one hour per day at $500 per hour, the lost production would be $500 per week or $26,000 per year. Total losses in production and pipe replacement in 2020 dollars would be $27,144 per year. The 2020 cost of a quality stainless steel sample cooler is about $950.

Gene Tonetti is the founder of Water Systems Management. He has worked in the water treatment field for more than 41 years and has expertise in wastewater and high-purity, boiler, and cooling tower water. His experience in treating water includes treatment chemicals, chlorine dioxide, reverse osmosis, and process controllers. Mr. Tonetti is a 1973 graduate of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology with a B.S. in biological engineering.

He is an AWT Certified Water Technologist.

Installing a sample cooler at the proper location (rinse tank) would have saved the plant $26,194 per year.

Closing Thoughts

The most important thing to remember when sampling is to obtain a representative sample for testing purposes.

Care must be taken to avoid drawing samples near points of chemical injection. Cooling coils should always be used when obtaining hot samples to avoid flashing of steam as well as for safety considerations. Sample temperatures from cooling coils should be near room temperature. Table A lists sampling sites and where to sample and how frequently. The sample points listed are the preferred sample points.

74 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

T.U.T.O.R.

Technical Updates, Tips, or Reviews

Select Questions From Inquiring Minds About Cooling Towers

By Robert Ferguson, French Creek Software

Over the past 46 years, several questions have been asked by generations of water treaters. This article describes these queries and provides practical answers. These questions are of interest because they cover concepts important to successful water reuse and maximizing cycles of concentration. Although these queries deal with cooling water systems, the concepts are applicable to other areas of water treatment. Each of the following sections will investigate relevant questions appropriate for successful water treatment.

Table A: Determining Ions That Will Precipitate

How Can I Tell What Is Depositing in My System?

One of the first lessons for new cooling water chemists deals with determining what scales are precipitating from a particular water. Determining what ions are precipitating is straightforward and can be done using a pad and paper, Excel spreadsheet, or intense computer water modeling program. Table A summarizes the process. Note that there is a cooling tower schematic under Table A to illustrate the system used for the chemical dosage and feedrate calculations.

75 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

T.U.T.O.R. continued

The “Raw” column contains the water source before acid or alkali addition for pH control. The “Make-up” column depicts the chemistry after acid and or alkali addition.

The “Theoretical” column contains the predicted values.

For most ions, this can be calculated from Equation 1.

Theoretical = Concentration Ratio x Ion Concentration Eq. 1 This simple equation does not necessarily work for chlorides when chlorination is used for biocontrol.

Chlorination adds chloride to the system. Alkalinities can be cycled in this manner because cooling towers maintain alkalinity. Certain techniques can improve the predicted theoretical values for carbonic acid species.

The “Actual” column details the measured values from the recirculating water. The accuracy of this method suffers from the use of varying makeup sources, or a source with varying chemistry. Check for precipitation by comparing the “Actual” to the “Theoretical” values.

A difference of more than 20% typically flags potential deposition (1).

Why Is the pH at One Cycle Different Than the Makeup pH?

Water in an open recirculating cooling system is in an ideal, aerosol state as it goes over the tower and fill. The aerosol promotes both evaporation and the exchange of carbon dioxide (CO2) with the atmosphere. This has a dramatic, predictable effect on the water chemistry and pH, as the water strives to achieve equilibrium with the atmosphere.

Cooling water flowing over a cooling tower conserves alkalinity as it exchanges CO2 with the atmosphere.

The change and direction are dependent upon the initial water condition with respect to CO2 equilibrium. Deep well water, for example, may start out downhole under a high partial pressure of CO2 in the gas phase (pCO2). As the water becomes an aerosol, CO2 is released. The resultant decrease in CO2 shifts the carbonic acid equilibrium towards bicarbonate (HCO3) and carbonate (CO2), and the pH increases. The carbonic acid species rearrange maintaining alkalinity. The pH might increase from the low 6’s to the high 6’s or 7’s as the water equilibrates.

Cold-lime softened makeup, on the other hand, is CO2 deficient. The cooling water aerosol absorbs gaseous CO2, shifting the alkalinity types present from hydroxide (OH) and CO3 to HCO3 and CO3. The pH might drop from the high 9’s or low 10’s to the 8’s as the water equilibrates with the atmosphere.

So, the pH at one cycle is dependent upon the initial state of the water with respect to CO2, and whether excess CO2 is flashed to the atmosphere raising the recirculating water pH, or a water deficient in CO2 absorbs CO2, lowering the pH.

How Come Silica Scale Deposits From a Water That Is Undersaturated?

This common question was asked recently by the discusser of an International Water Conference paper on precipitation (2).

Silica scales differ from the common scales encountered in cooling water and other water treatment applications.

Silica is incorporated into scale as a co-precipitant. Water need not be supersaturated in the bulk water with silicon dioxide (SiO2) for its inclusion in scale. Silica incorporation into scale can be critical due to the property of silica-hardening scale. Silicates are used to harden concrete and have a similar effect on scale.

Magnesium silicates in lower temperature systems tend to be nonstoichiometric due to their incorporation into mineral scales, such as calcite as a co-precipitant, or by adsorption onto or absorbtion into precipitants like Mg(OH)2 (magnesium hydroxide). Metal silicates are sometimes included in the precipitate (3).

Silica need not be supersaturated as amorphous silica or a metal silicate to precipitate due to its ability to incorporate itself into other more common scales as a co-precipitant.

What Is the Best Method for Predicting pH in a Recirculating Cooling Water?

Numerous papers have been published on predicting the recirculating water pH, notably the work of Kunz (4).

He obtained recirculating cooling water analysis from production facilities throughout his company. The data

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T.U.T.O.R. continued

was fit to Equation 3. Equation 3 is a simplified version of Equation 2, the Henderson-Hasselbach Equation used in more sophisticated systems (5, 6). Figure 1 profiles the Kunz curve. pH = pKa + log10({CO3}/{HCO3})

Eq. 2

pH = A + log10(“M” Alkalinity)

Eq. 3

Figure 1: pH-alkalinity curve from Kunz Curve.

noncarbonate, nonhydroxide alkalinity are present, such as from high levels of phosphates, oxalates, ammonia, sulfides, cyanides, or other alkalis.

Why Do Saturation Ratio Predictions Sometimes Differ Greatly From Indices Such as the Langelier Saturation Index?

Many water treaters ignore the limitations of simple indices such as the Langelier Saturation Index (LSI). As outlined in Langelier’s original 1936 paper (7), the index should be limited to use in waters with low total dissolved solids (TDS < 500), near ambient temperature (25 °C [77 °F]), and with alkalinity due almost totally due to carbonic acid species. Langelier also suggested that the index’s accuracy decreased as pH deviated from neutral.

He suggested that iterative speciation calculations be employed to estimate free ion concentrations to account for effects like the reduction of free calcium by sulfate.

The LSI is based on the concept of supersaturation, like the more sophisticated indices calculated using free ion concentrations form speciation engines, and advance activity models (Equation 4).

Saturation Ratio = {Ca}{CO3}/Ksp’

The Kunz curve is used by many of the billion-dollar water treatment service companies as a “go-to” prediction tool. It can also be found in industry handbooks.

Astute users of cooling water monitoring software “customize” the Kunz curve to a specific system. They use the slope of the Kunz curve and translate the intercept to intersect with a single pH alkalinity point from the recirculating water. Do not use a makeup water pH-alkalinity as the point for adapting the curve to a specific system. As previously discussed in this article, the pH of the makeup water is not usually the same as the recirculating water at one cycle.

A complete empirical curve can be developed from at least two data points by fitting to Equation 3. This has been found to be the most accurate method for estimating the pH of cycled waters.

More advanced methods, beyond the scope of this article, might be more appropriate when high levels of

Eq. 4

The LSI is calculated in this method using analytical values for calcium, a simple estimation for CO3, and simple activity coefficients, such as those calculated from the Debye-Hückel equation (8). The DebyeHückel model for activity coefficient estimation in aqueous systems is a simple correlation of activity to ionic strength, which is applicable to low total dissolved solids (TDS) systems only. A TDS of 500 milligrams per liter (mg/L) is a reasonable upper limit for its accuracy. This simple correlation accounts for distance effects of molecular interactions but does not cover near interactions.

Activity estimations are covered in detail in References 9 and 10. Most users ignore Langelier’s admonition to correct alkalinity for noncarbonate alkalinity and use an iterative procedure to estimate carbonate concentration.

A paper presented by the author and a discussion

by Bluemle (9, 10) at the 2011 International Water Conference helped to develop a thorough comparison of the calculation methods and their limitations. When the limits for using the LSI are exceeded, it is not unusual to see a high LSI predicting catastrophic scale formation,

77 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

T.U.T.O.R. continued

while a more sophisticated index portrays a water that will tend to dissolve rather than form scale. For best results, do not apply the LSI outside of its limits.

Indices and saturation ratios calculated using speciation engines, free ion concentration rather than total analytical values, and sophisticated activity corrections overcome or minimize errors inherent in the simple indices and expand the temperature and ionic strength range for accuracy. Indices so calculated also are “transportable” and have the same meaning over a broad range of systems and waters.

Figure 2 profiles barite (BaSO4) saturation ratio versus cycles of concentration ratio for Chicago Tap Water.

Figure 3 profiles celestite (SrSO4) saturation ratio versus cycles of concentration ratio for Chicago Tap Water.

Celestite is rarely, if ever, found as a sole scale but is often encountered as a co-precipitant with barite.

Figure 2: Barite (BaSO4) saturation ratio versus concentration ratio.

Should I Be Concerned About Barium in the Makeup Water?

In the era of low cycles of concentration and a constant freshwater makeup, the primary scaling concerns for water treaters were classics like calcium carbonate, silica, calcium phosphates, and calcium sulfates. Barium sulfate scales were primarily found in reverse osmosis, wastewater, and oil field applications. Field technicians rarely, if ever, tested for barium in the makeup source.

With the advent of water reuse applications, the use of less than desirable makeup sources, and higher cycles, ”mystery” scales began to appear. This would occur with the use of previously “safe” makeup water sources such as Lake Michigan-derived waters, including the thoroughly studied Chicago Tap Water (11).

Figure 3: Celestite (SrSO4) saturation ratio versus concentration ratio.

Lake Michigan water has around 0.02 of barium as Ba, which might seem like an insignificant concentration.

At five cycles, the barium sulfate (barite) scale potential is readily inhibited by the typical treatments based on general use phosphonates and simple polymers, even when sulfuric acid is used for pH control.

As cycles increased, the Barite Saturation ratio driving force exceeds that handled readily by phosphonate like HEDP (1,1-hydroxethylidene diphosphonic acid) and polymers like PAA (polyactrylic acid). At higher cycles, treatments based on phosphonates typically used for stressed sulfate scale systems must be implemented.

Treatments for high-sulfate-scale potential waters include DTMPA (diethylenetriamine penta(methylene phosphonic acid)) combined with copolymers and higher sulfonic acid derived polymers.

In Summary

Typical phenomena observed in cooling water and other industrial water systems can be explained and modeled using the basic laws and correlations of physical chemistry.

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T.U.T.O.R. continued

References

1. Ferguson, R.J. (Feb. 11–13, 2020). “Tailoring Scale Prediction Models to a Specific Application: Cooling Water,” Paper No. CTI TP-19-20, Cooling Technology Institute, New Orleans.

2. Ferguson, R.J. (November 2020). Modeling Mineral Scale Precipitation Mass in Industrial Systems,” Paper No. IWC 20-73, International Water Conference 2020 Virtual Conference.

3. Ferguson, R.J. (Sept. 16–20, 2003). “Water Treatment Rules of Thumb: Myths or Useful Tools,” annual conference of the Association of Water Technologies, Phoenix, Arizona.

4. Kunz, R.G.; Yen, A.F.; Hess, T.C. (1977). “Cooling-Water Calculations,” Chemical Engineering, pp. 61–77.

5. Henderson, L.J. (1908). "Concerning the Relationship between the Strength of Acids and their Capacity to Preserve Neutrality,” American Journal of Physiology 21(2), pp. 173–179, doi:10.1152/ajplegacy.1908.21.2.173.

6. Hasselbalch, K.A. (1917). "Die Berechnung der Wasserstoffzahl des Blutes aus der freien und gebundenen Kohlensäure desselben, und die Sauerstoffbindung des Blutes als Funktion der Wasserstoffzahl,” Biochemische Zeitschrift, 78, ("The Calculation of the Hydrogen Number of the Blood from the Free and Bound Carbonic Acid of the Same, and the Oxygen Binding of the Blood as a Function of the Hydrogen Number."

Biochemical Journal) pp.112–144.

7. Langelier, W.F. (1936). “The Analytical Control of Anti-Corrosion Water Treatment,” Journal of the AWWA 28(10), pp. 1500–1521.

8. Debye, P.; Hückel, M. (1923). “The Theory of Electrolytes,” PHYSIKALISCHE ZEITSCHRIFT (Physical Magazine), S. Hirzel Publishing Co., Leipzig, Germany.

9. Ferguson, R.J. (Nov. 13–17, 2011). “Mineral Scale Prediction and Control at Extreme TDS” Paper No. IWC 11–77, International Water Conference, Orlando, Florida.

10. Bluemle, M. (Nov. 13–17, 2011). “Prepared Discussion of Mineral Scale Prediction and Control at Extreme TDS,” Paper No. IWC 11-77D, International Water Conference, Orlando, Florida.

11. Ferguson, R.J.; Ferguson, B.R. (Oct. 20–24, 2010). “The Chemistry of Strontium and Barium Scales,” annual conference of the Association of Water Technologies, Reno, Nevada.

Robert J. Ferguson is the president of French Creek Software, Inc., a company he co-founded in 1989. His professional career includes positions with Nalco, Apollo, Mogul, Calgon, Chemlink, and Baker.

Mr. Ferguson began modeling mineral scale formation and its control in 1974.

Software he has developed is used for modeling cooling water, reverse osmosis, and oil field chemistry. He was educated at the U.S. Naval Academy and the University of Minnesota and received a B.S. in biochemistry and microbiology. Mr. Ferguson was honored to have been named the 2017 Ray Baum Water Technologist of the Year and to have received the first ever AWT Innovation Award in 2020.

World Leader in Supplemental Disinfection Technologies Partner with Sanipur and become your clients water hygiene expert today!

Visit us @ www.sanipur.com or send an email to sales@sanipur.com Phone 484-351-8702

79 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Business Notes

Feel-Good Messaging Won’t Always Motivate Your Employees

By Matthew Amengual and Evan Apfelbaum

The idea that one’s actions at work contribute to the betterment of society—that they can help to protect the environment, put an end to poverty, or promote social justice—is an inspiring one. Recent research suggests that it can be a powerful motivator too. Indeed, the once-monolithic view of financial incentives as the sole way to motivate employees has been challenged by a wave of recent studies showing that linking people’s work to progressive social causes can inspire people in ways that transcend their paycheck or their bonus.

Employees want to see themselves as good people and to work on behalf of organizations that positively contribute to the world. Consequently, when their actions advance a pro-social cause, they may work harder, for longer hours and even for less compensation.

It is no surprise, then, that when leaders seek to motivate their workforce by taking up win-win behaviors—ones that are good for both society and a company’s bottom line—many assume it’s best to frame such appeals in pro-social terms. Whether it’s getting employees to use less energy in the workplace or nudging delivery drivers to reduce the time their vehicles are left idling, a statement such as “Help conserve the Earth’s vital resources” would seem to be more motivational than “Help conserve our company’s vital resources.”

But is that actually correct? Sure, practical rationales for changing our behavior don’t seem as righteous or uplifting as pro-social ones. But they do, on the other hand, very clearly signal that an organization’s motives are genuine. If you claim to be driven by a desire to make society better, your employees may wonder if it is, in fact, actually true, whereas if you provide simple, practical rationales, they are unlikely to be questioned. This made us wonder: Is it better to motivate employees by inspiring them with a sense of pro-social purpose, or by communicating more humdrum but genuine-feeling reasons to change their behavior?

In soon-to-be-published research, we investigated this issue by studying a change initiative at a large university.

And what we found challenges conventional wisdom.

The initiative involved convincing employees to plan and coordinate orders of office supplies so that every order reached a value of at least $50, a practice we call “bundling.” This represented the kind of opportunity that most organizations relish: a way to reduce both costs and their environmental footprint. But leaders had to figure out how to communicate just why it was that they wanted employees to change their behavior. Should they extol the pro-social, environmental benefits? The instrumental cost savings? Or both?

We designed a field experiment to find out. We randomly assigned employees to view either a pro-social (“limiting pollution”), instrumental (“limiting costs”), or mixed motive (“limiting pollution and limiting costs”) rationale for caring about bundling each time they accessed the organization’s procurement system. We then evaluated changes in employee behavior by comparing a six-month pre-study period to a six-month experimental period, in the end encompassing 10,169 purchases in 556 university offices.

To our surprise, the pro-social message was actually the least effective when it came to changing employee behaviors, and the instrumental message was most effective.

The mixed motive had less clear effects, but it tended to be in the middle. This result stands in stark contrast to the idea that when in doubt, organizations should tout their contributions to environmental sustainability and other pro-social goals.

To understand why we got the results we did, we conducted additional survey experiments with a separate group of people. We described the concept of bundling and then presented one group with the pro-social motive

80 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

Business Notes continued

and another group with the instrumental motive, just as in the field experiment. We asked everyone how they viewed the organization in light of its expressed motive for bundling, and whether they would be inclined to bundle if they worked there. We found that when organizations offer a pro-social rationale for a behavior that also advances their bottom line, people see the organization as less genuine, and they question whether senior managers are disclosing what they really care about.

Offering a cost-savings message may not conjure inspiration or a profound sense of purpose, but to employees, it seems real and true.

And it turns out that seeming genuine matters. We find that people are more willing to change their behaviors when they believe the motives the organization claims are in fact its true motives.

This is not to say that pro-social messages are bad thing.

They have many virtues outside the scope of our work.

Attaching a broader pro-social purpose and meaning to work can provide inspiration and a sense of belonging and deepen one’s commitment to an organization. Even in the context of our survey experiments, we observe the power of pro-social messages to engage people—but only when people perceive them to be true. We suspect that in many organizational contexts, the notion of a purely pro-social motive would be met with some skepticism. This is important because the win-win contexts in which organizations have much to gain financially from pro-social behaviors may be the very ones in which

leaders should be most wary about extolling their pro-social motives. It may be that pro-social motives may only seem genuine and prove effective in changing behavior in selective contexts, when organizations have consistently acted in ways that align with pro-social values, for example, even when costly.

These findings have direct and potentially substantial implications for organizations seeking to promote a wide range of activities that can be justified on both pro-social and instrumental grounds—whether they can make a case for seeking diversity based on social justice or performance, or for improving working conditions in supplier factories with an appeal to morality or risk reduction.

Pro-social values have the potential to inspire and motivate under certain conditions, but in many organizational contexts it may simply be more effective to acknowledge bottom-line concerns. In our university case, that meant encouraging leaders to say, “We care about limiting costs”—not a profound declaration, perhaps, but one that comes across as authentic nonetheless.

Matthew Amengual is a political scientist and associate professor at the

University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School. Evan Apfelbaum is a social psychologist and associate professor at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business.

© 2020 Harvard Business School Publishing Corp.

81 the ANALYST Volume 28 Number 1

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