May-2025

Revolutionising water treatment: case studies in industrial innovation

Water treatment refers to the process of improving the quality of water by either removing contaminants and undesirable components or reducing their concentrations in order to avoid potential health issues and environmental degradation.

Andreina Graham
Solenis

Article Summary

In industrial operations, clean water must be used to ensure asset protection; efficient, optimal water usage; and optimal plant performance. For more than 100 years, water-intensive industries have relied on specialty chemical suppliers to provide solutions for water treatment.

The global hydrogen industry is projected to experience substantial growth because of increased demand concentrated in the refining and chemical industries. As these industries continue to grow and expand, more water will be needed for processes such as heating and cooling; therefore, wastewater treatment will become essential. However, it is not only the amount of water used but also the quality of the water that is important.

In the refining and chemical processing industries, water quality must be very high to minimise problems such as corrosion, scale, microbiological activity, and wastewater toxicity. Corrosion allows for the degradation of metals and can lead to leaks. Scale is the precipitation of mineral salts that form solid deposits that can create an insulating layer on metal surfaces.

This layer can significantly affect heat transfer and reduce available pipe diameters, thus decreasing efficiency and increasing the energy required to pump water through the system. Microorganisms can cause numerous problems such as slime deposits, microbiologically induced corrosion, unpleasant odors and hazardous gases.

Wastewater treatment operations are essential to converting harmful or environmentally unfriendly wastewater streams into effluent that can be either reused or safely returned to the environment. As a leading specialty chemical supplier and water treatment company, Solenis has developed new solutions to support our customers through their operational challenges and to help them achieve their sustainability goals.

The following case studies explore water treatment technology innovations used in the refining and chemical processing industries that aim to maximise production, increase time between turnarounds, increase asset life, improve sustainability, and reduce environmental impact. Each case study highlights how modern innovations are driving efficiency and environmentally friendly practices in water-intensive industries.

Case Study 1: Using a new biofilm detection and control programme to improve cooling water flow and extend asset life
Optimal performance of cooling water systems is critical for refining operations. Equipment failures within a cooling tower can be costly to repair; can potentially lead to expensive, unplanned downtime; and may create an unsafe environment for plant personnel.

A refinery in the southeastern United States was experiencing inadequate cooling and high corrosion rates throughout its cooling water system. Several heat exchangers were experiencing reduced cooling water flow that also limited throughput in the unit.

Biofilm formation was suspected because of initial findings from a plant audit. Solenis personnel proposed the implementation of all three components of the ClearPointSM Biofilm Detection & Control Programme and HexEval™ Heat Exchanger Performance Monitoring Programme. The Clearpoint programme encompass the OnGuard 3B Analyzer, real time biofilm detection equipment; Biosperse™ Chlorine Stabilizer, an innovative chemistry; and a team of service experts.

The implementation of the biofilm detection and control programme over a 40-day trial period required the refinery personnel and the specialty chemical team to closely monitor cooling water key performance indicators (KPIs) such as oxidation reduction potential (ORP), free and total chlorine, active adenosine triphosphate (ATP), corrosion inhibitor concentration, iron concentration, and more. These KPIs were monitored to measure the success of the new chemical programmeme and operating conditions were adjusted as needed to ensure optimal performance. After all the trial data was evaluated, a review of the trends for free and total chlorine, ORP, ATP, and biofilm results from the analyser (See Figure 1) demonstrated that the system had been cleaned and results could be maintained with the addition of the chlorine stabiliser chemistry.

Flow studies were conducted, prior to the commencement of the trial, to populate baseline datapoints of the cooling water circuit in the HexEval programme. After implementation of the biofilm detection and control programme, the specialty chemical team documented an increase, compared to the baseline, of 27% of total flow through the cooling water loop. Critical exchangers saw larger uptakes in flow including substantial increases of up to 49%. Simultaneously, overall heat transfer increased by 95%, and the number of heat exchangers requiring cleaning during the upcoming turnaround was reduced to 25%. This improvement in heat exchanger performance allowed the site to optimise maintenance and financial resources during the scheduled turnaround, which led to savings of approximately $125,000.

The refinery’s implementation of innovative technologies allowed this production unit to increase throughput, reduce biofilm related costs, and reduce energy consumption, which increased income from the unit for the year by approximately $240,0000. The monitoring of water quality and biofilm growth also allowed for an expected heat exchanger life extension of five years for each cooling tower application, saving approximately $60,000 annually. Increasing productivity is one of the primary goals of any industrial operation. However, achieving this requires innovative approaches and advanced chemical solutions.

Case Study 2: Cutting-edge scale inhibitors to optimise cooling water cycles of concentration and reduce water consumption
Sustainability is becoming increasingly important in the chemical processing industry. Consumers, now more than ever, are demanding sustainably produced products that do not harm the environment. This has placed more focus on managing available natural resources and investing in new technologies that can optimise operations while reducing contaminants and energy requirements.

A large petrochemical plant in South America wanted to improve water management throughout its facility. Upon partnering with Solenis, an opportunity to increase cooling water cycles of concentration was discovered. Initial testing suggested that calcium and magnesium hardness concentration was limiting the ability to improve cycles, which increased demand for cooling tower make-up water. The water treatment team of seasoned experts collected a cooling water sample and ran laboratory tests using a new line of chemical solutions. A cutting-edge scale inhibitor was proposed for implementation to prevent formation of mineral deposits by interfering with the crystal growth process even at higher mineral concentrations.