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Technology outreach results in effective ozone water treatment system

by Anne Straub
Brevard Technical Journal

Rich Krauss of RMK, Inc. markets the Clean Streams system as a green product based on its water and energy savings potential. Photo by Mike Giannacco, © 2005.

When environmental regulations for water quality got tougher in the 1980s, Kennedy Space Center turned to a new technology to find compliance.

The space center had been using conventional chemicals to treat water in its cooling towers near the Vehicle Assembly Building. The towers were part of the air-conditioning system for the VAB and Launch Control Center.

Chemicals worked to inhibit scale and corrosion and to control bacteriological growth. But they resulted in water that was not clean enough to discharge into the environment.

Officials thought they had their answer in ozone treatment. By applying the gas to water used as a coolant in the system, they would see all the benefits of chemical treatment, while using less water and avoiding environmental complications.

Cooling towers were modified for ozone treatment in 1992 - but the system was problematic. Ozone generator capacity was undersized and the equipment proved unreliable. "It gave us a very rocky start," recalled Dan Tierney, a senior design engineer for NASA contractor Space Gateway Support.

Convinced the technology remained valid, officials turned to a new provider. The result: an ozone treatment system that eliminates the use of chemicals, conserves 18 million gallons of water a year and reduces energy costs. The treatment system - the largest of its kind in the world - plays hosts to tours of operations managers who want to see the concept in practice. "It's technology outreach," Tierney said.

He has become an unofficial ambassador for the Zentox Clean Streams system. "I pretty much do this on a weekly basis with some-body,"said Tierney, a chemical engineer with a background in water treatment. General Motors visited before the company installed a system at a plant in New York. More recently, the Jacksonville Electric Authority made a couple trips over several years and now is installing a system.

Zentox hopes to add more companies and government bodies to that list. Systems by the Virginia-based company are being marketed locally through RMK Inc.

The company's Clean Streams system treats the water in cooling towers that support air-conditioning systems. Condensers generate heat, which is absorbed by water. The hot water is sent to the cooling towers, where fans blow as the water cascades down. Some water evaporates; the rest is reused for several cycles.

Air-conditioning systems traditionally use chemicals to maintain the system. Without treating the water, evaporation would cause minerals in the remaining water to become concentrated, potentially clogging the system. Worse, the warm water could become a breeding ground for bacteria.

Clean Streams addresses the issues using ozone instead of chemicals. The gas is a more effective biocide than chlorine, Zentox says. Ozone prevents biofilm from developing on surfaces, so scale and deposits can't accumulate. Mineral content is allowed to remain high with ozone, keeping water from becoming corrosive.

Plus, ozone is created as part of the Clean Streams system, so nothing needs to be stored on site. Since no chemicals were added to the water, it can be discharged to the environment, potentially being used for irrigation, for example.

Ozone's effectiveness allow the water to cycle through the system more times than chemically treated water, reducing the amount of water used. A typical user - one much smaller than KSC -can expect to reduce water consumption by 4.7 million gallons a year, at a savings of about $24,000. That goes a long way toward paying for the installation of a system.

"Typically, our systems pay for themselves in about 12 months," said Bob Kim, Zentox director of sales and marketing.

Payback will take longer at KSC, which paid more to build redundancy into its system and to shelter the equipment. The space center took extra steps because the air-conditioning system cools launch control computers and eliminates condensation in the VAB, making it a mission-critical system. Still, the savings in chemical and water costs amounts to $87,000 a year, Tierney said.

"It does do its job," Tierney said of the system's charge to control scale, corrosion and microbiological fouling. "To get the three requisites of water treatment all under one agent is just an outstanding story."

Clean Streams contributes to LEED credits for certification of green buildings by the U.S. Green Building Council under its Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design program. It is listed in GreenSpec, a directory of green products based on its water and energy savings potential green products based on its water and energy savings potential.

For more information, visit www.zentox.com