scope:

This standard applies to evaporative cooling systems and apparatus where water is trickled or sprayed over a surface or can otherwise come into contact with the atmosphere. It is irrelevant to this standard whether the circulating water is used as a direct cooling medium in the process or whether the process heat is transferred from a primary cooling circuit to a water cooling circuit via heat exchangers. Systems and apparatus where condensation can occur at temperatures below dewpoint, e.g. those involving water chillers, are not considered.

Neither does this standard apply to heat exchangers in which the fluid (water) is circulated in a closed circuit and the process heat is transferred directly via air heat exchangers to the air supplied for cooling (dry operation).

This standard does not apply to humidifiers in ventilating and air-conditioning systems where these humidifiers are integral parts of the air-handling sections of the ventilating and air-conditioning systems; pertinent hygiene requirements are specified in VDI 6022 and VDI 3803 Part 3.

Hygiene requirements for natural-draught cooling towers with a cooling power in excess of 200 MW do not fall in the scope of this standard; such cooling towers will be dealt with in a further standard.

This standard does not address the discharge of wastewater from evaporative cooling systems. Legal requirements pertaining to wastewater discharge shall be observed during operation (blowdown) and for emptying.