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| MY MIOX EXPERIENCE: One of the largest and most well-respected teaching hospitals in Illinois is also home to a central plant with 7,000-tons of cooling tower capacity and a 100,000-gallon central chilled water loop. When new corporate responsibility guidelines were released, encouraging sustainability and green practices in facilities, the hospital turned to Earthwise for advice. The discovery of positive Legionella counts in the hospital’s cooling tower system required immediate intervention.Committed to providing our clients with the safest, most environmentally beneficial technologies, we installed a MIOX AE-4 on-site mixed oxidant disinfection system in July 2011, replacing a 12.5% bulk liquid sodium hypochlorite for the 3,000 ton cooling tower in the hospital’s neurosurgery center. Located near both a diesel generator and kitchen exhaust fan, the cooling tower was experiencing excessive biofouling from fats, oils, and greases. A common regimen required several biocides including bleach, DBNPA, and a specific algaecide, along with frequent manual brushing of the outer fill and upper distribution decks by hospital personnel. Legionella testing was routinely conducted by hospital staff and positive readings were noted on several occasions in 2010.
Since MIOX was installed in July, no positive results have been noted. The operating engineer noted that the cooling tower is visibly cleaner this year and the slime and live green algae is gone from the hot distribution decks. Storage and handling of hazardous chemical bleach have been eliminated and the hospital’s biocide program is more effective and efficient. |
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Tags: cooling towers, Legionella
