scope:

These consensus guidelines provide Basic Practice and State of the Art (SOTA) performance targets for open evaporative cooling water systems in a broad range of industry applications.

There is no universal "one size fits all" set of guidelines because cooling systems vary widely in the materials of construction, equipment, operation and water quality. Users should apply these guidelines as part of the decision-making process, in conjunction with recommendations from their equipment suppliers, water treatment chemistry providers, and consultants. The scope of this document does not include specification limits for water quality parameters or chemical treatment products and concentrations.

Purpose

The purpose of this document is to provide consensus guidelines on cooling water system program performance to plant owners and operators and their suppliers and consultants. The guidelines facilitate a thorough assessment of the performance of their current cooling water treatment programs and provide a basis for contract performance specifications.