Many industrial processes release mist or vapor into the environment. Although water is not harmful in itself, droplets can be carried by drift that contains chemicals and other undesirable elements.
A drift eliminator is an important cooling tower component that eliminates the water droplets from entering the atmosphere during industrial processing. When purchasing a cooling tower drift eliminator, there are several important factors to take into consideration.
Manufacturer
Choose a trustworthy drift eliminator manufacturer that provides clear specifications. You want a cooling tower that will require minimal maintenance and repairs.
Drift eliminators can become clogged, and they can get damaged after years of use. However, poor installation and lack of constant maintenance will accelerate the wear and tear of your cooling tower.
Material
A drift eliminator can come in a variety of materials, with the most common being polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and steel. The material you choose depends on your needs.
PP and PVC are durable, cost-effective, and compatible with most cooling tower parts. However, they tend to cause water to accumulate on their hydrophobic surfaces. This is an issue as many eliminators work best when the water is spread evenly across the surface.
On the other hand, Steel is tough and resistant to the high temperatures of cooling towers but is susceptible to corrosion caused by water if uncoated.
Comparability
Your cooling tower drift eliminator needs to be made of a material that is compatible with your tower. It’s also good to look for a material that can be cut in the field to fit into confined spaces. Note that the structural integrity of some eliminators gets compromised once cut, so it’s better to get an eliminator that is the exact size to fit into your cooling tower.
Fit
You might need multiple eliminators in one cooling tower. This requires the drift eliminator parts to fit well together. Expert engineers will be able to guide you through the process of finding eliminators of the correct size and shape.
Velocity
Cooling towers use varying velocities, so you need to find an eliminator that is suitable for the specific velocity of your tower. The best eliminator will be one with a low-pressure drop as it will be able to handle higher velocities. If your eliminator is unable to withstand the velocities within the tower, it will not stay in the correct place, reducing its function and efficiency.
Malfunction
Always look out for signs that something is wrong with your eliminator. There should be no visible water droplets escaping from the tower, and the gaps between the blades of the eliminator should be small. If the blades become brittle due to UV exposure, this can also cause an increased release of water droplets.
Contact Kimre today for your drift eliminator parts.