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Pursanova Disk
Performance monitoring water treatment

During a trial period you are able to convince yourself about the function at your system, pipe
or machine. We have here a few examples how to monitor the performance of the Pursanova
Disks.

These methods of monitoring are not only used in the trial stage, but can be used in long term
as well.

You might check and monitor the function by:

Analyzing available data from the on line monitoring

In a lot of places online monitoring is established using such data makes it very easy to compare
before and after or a treated against an untreated system. The values we are using for this
analyzes varies, depending on the preference of the customer and off course where a trend can
be easily found.

In the case above we checked flow rates, to see if there is any scaling happening in the network.
We have compared sister equipment. They are not the same size, but struggle with the same
problems. In the left graph, the untreated one, it can be seen the trendline is decreasing,
whereas on the right graph the treated system the flow is stable even increasing.


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Energy consumption

To check the consumption of the energy is normally only indirect possible. For instance, if you
have a blocked pipeline the counter pressure from the pipe is rather high, hence the pumps
need more energy to pump the liquid through the pipe. This can be measured or calculated and
can give significant results. Or a reboiler in a refinery, where the crude is heated to 400C, there
the fouling happening in the heat exchanger, is direct related to the need of energy.

In the graph above you can see a comparison in between two heat trains. We compared 7
month before the installation against 7 month after the installation. Whereas the fuel
consumption per treated ton of gas condensate increased from 4,56 to 5,7 in the untreated
heat train, shows the treated train even a slight improvement from before 5,62 to 5,35 after.
The savings in this case have been more then 30,000 m3 of fuel gas a month.

Content of calcium or total iron in the water in a closed loop

Without Pursanova Disk
With Pursanova Disk

Ca mg/l
1
18

CaO mg/l
2
25

CaCO mg/l
0.03
0.44

Doing a water analysis is a very easy and efficient way of checking what is going on the water
system. This we are using whenever possible. Either we are checking the calcium or the total
iron in the water. Both values giving a good indication to what is happening in the system. In
closed loops it is easier and clearer to read and interpret the values, then in a big open loop. In
a closed loop the water is more or less the same, and a change in the calcium or iron content
give a direct indication what is going on. In an open system, where a lot of water if pumped
through, the changes are not always so obvious, as the changes are compared to the total
volume of water might be marginal only.

The enclosed table shows a case of a closed cooling loop. We have checked the values of
Calcium in this loop before installing a Pursanova Disk. Then after 8 weeks we have checked the
values again and found a dramatic increase in all the values. As the water was the same, no
fresh water was added in these 8 weeks, the higher calcium values can be only explained, and
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they originate from inside the system. The Pursanova Disk has solved already a lot of existing
scale from the inner surfaces of the loop, and this calcium can now be measured when doing
the water analysis.

The inner volume in a heat exchanger

Primary [Liter]
Secondary [Liter]
Theoretical
10.8
14.8
Before
9.0
4.5
After
10.8
13.0

There are so called welded heat exchangers around. These are heat exchangers, which cant be
opened for cleaning or servicing. Normally these are rather small heat exchangers.

What we have done in this case, we have taken an already blocked heat exchanger and filled in
water and measured how much water we were able to fill in. The theoretical volume of the
heat exchanger is known and the difference in between the theoretical volume and the water,
which could be filled in, is the assumed volume of the scale.

As can be seen in the table, especially on the secondary side, the difference in between
theoretical and real volume was rather drastic. More then 10 liter of fouling could be found
inside the heat exchanger.

The heat exchanger was mounted again and operated for 2 weeks. Then we repeated the same
procedure. We found the primary side reached the theoretical volume again and was totally
clean. The secondary side, where for more scaling was found, the majority of the scale was
gone after these 2 weeks.

Measure the total dissolved solids (TGS) in an open water loop

Doing the cleaning of an already serious
fouled system, either by rust and corrosion,
scale or even biomass, is more difficult to
monitor. What can be seen is short after the
installation the TDS or other monitored
values are increasing. The reason the
Pursanova Disks are removing existing
incrustations. It can be seen in the graph to
the right, it will take a short time, and then
values are increasing a lot, and going then
continues down. This is not linear as there in a fouled system sometimes bigger chunks are
solved, what explain the increase of the value now and then. The trend is clear going down all
the time, until reaching a stable level far lower then before.

In such open loops a blow down - bleed off is regularly done. During this always some of the
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solved calcium, iron, and incrustations are flushed out together with the water. So it is possible
to get in the end of the cleaning process this stable low value.

Visual inspection

Despite all the measuring possibilities
a lot of customer still prefer the visual
inspection.

As it is told: "seeing is believing". We
easily agree as pictures or seeing with
own eyes, is confirming the values
given by the more sophisticated ways
of monitoring.

It is of course not possible in all kind of equipment just opening the machine to check. A lot of
processes to stop even for only a few hours are impossible, as the production has to be stopped
as well. So visual inspection can be done only during a planned shut down.

Pursanova Ltd., Inc.

423 Broadway, Suite 125 | Millbrae, CA 94030
info@pursanova.com | www.pursanova.com
(650) 703-1265

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