What are good solutions for severe scaling in air compressor coolers?
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The oil cooler in our company’s air compressors develops scale very quickly. We have to remove it and use thin steel rods to clean it, but the issue reoccurs after only about 20 days. Since it’s not possible to modify the water system, do any of you have any good solutions? Please give some advice. Is it possible to clean it with a chemical? The pipes are made of copper; if it’s feasible, what kind of chemical should be used to minimize damage to the pipes?
What does this dirt consist of? If it’s due to sediment buildup, it’s best to install a filter. Adding chemicals is mainly to delay biological fouling.
The water quality is too poor; is the recirculating water open-system?
There is dirt as well as scale formed after high temperatures.
This post was last edited by crazywawa on 2018-5-3 09:48. It is not recommended to use open-loop cooling water as heat exchange coolant, as not only does sediment accumulate, but scale can also easily form due to crystallization. And it builds up scale very quickly as well. Scale can be removed by adding chemicals, but dirt is difficult to eliminate through cleaning. It is recommended to replace the open tower with a closed tower, while keeping the pipelines unchanged.
Then it’s better to add a filter and also a slow-release agent.
By switching to a closed-loop system and using soft water as the heat exchange medium, the power consumption of the pump is reduced, resulting in greater energy savings. But an external closed-type cooler is required.