Across Texas, water availability is becoming an increasingly important concern. Regions like Corpus Christi continue to face mounting pressure on water resources due to growing population, drought conditions and increased demand. As municipalities respond with higher water costs and tighter resource management, facilities are being challenged to use water more efficiently than ever before.

Cooling towers play a critical role in industrial cooling processes and HVAC systems, but they also consume significant amounts of water through evaporation, drift, and blowdown. While evaporation is a necessary part of heat rejection, inefficient system operation can dramatically increase overall water usage.

Issues such as fouled fill media, clogged nozzles, damaged or aging drift eliminators, poor water chemistry control, and excessive blowdown can quietly waste thousands of gallons of water while reducing cooling performance and increasing operating costs.

Drift consists of entrained water droplets discharged through the exhaust air stream. Excessive drift represents both water loss and reduced mechanical life of the fan assemblies. Modern drift eliminators can reduce drift rates to below 0.001% of circulating flow when properly designed and maintained.

Routine maintenance and system optimization are essential to getting the most value from every gallon of cooling water. Properly maintained systems operate more efficiently, reduce unnecessary water loss, improve thermal performance, and extend equipment life.

Key areas facilities should regularly evaluate include:

• Drift eliminator condition
• Water distribution uniformity
• Fill media cleanliness/fouling
• Blowdown control and cycles of concentration
• Water treatment effectiveness
• Basin leaks, splash out and overflow conditions

As water becomes more expensive and more limited across the state, cooling system efficiency is no longer just a maintenance issue — it’s part of being a responsible steward of a critical resource.

Evaporative cooling will always require water. The goal is making sure every gallon works as efficiently as possible and EvapTech is ready to support your efforts in ensuring your cooling tower is operating as efficiently and reliably as possible.

If you’re looking for ways to optimize your water use, get in touch with EvapTech today. We can meet with plant personnel, perform an assessment of your cooling tower assets and discuss strategies to optimize performance and reduce overall water use at your plant.