Happy year! Did perception 2015 will Be The Year water Treatment?

Study shows potential for Earth-friendly plastic replacement The new bioplastic and rubber blend devised by Ohio State researchers proved much more durable than the bioplastic on its own Credit: Ohio State University

The quest to keep plastic out of landfills and simultaneously satisfy the needs of the food industry is filled with obstacles.

A biodegradable replacement for petroleum-based products has to meet all sorts of standards and, so far, attempts at viable replacements from renewable sources have faced limited success due to processing and economic constraints. Among the obstacles, products to date have been too brittle for food packaging.

But new research from The Ohio State University has shown that combining natural rubber with bioplastic in a novel way results in a much stronger replacement for plastic, one that is already capturing the interest of companies looking to shrink their environmental footprints.

Almost all plastics?about 90 percent?are petroleum-based and are not biodegradable, a major environmental concern.

In a new study published in the journal Polymers, the research team reports success with a rubber-toughened product derived from microbial fermentation that they say could perform like conventional plastic. This new study highlights the greatest success in this area so far, according to the scientists.

"Previous attempts at this combination were unsuccessful because the softness of the rubber meant the product lost a lot of strength in the process," said lead author Xiaoying Zhao, a postdoctoral researcher in Ohio State's Department of Food Science and Technology.

The new study involved melting rubber into a plant-based thermoplastic called PHBV along with organic peroxide and another additive called trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA).

The end product was 75 percent tougher and 100 percent more flexible than PHBV on its own?meaning it is far easier to shape into food packaging.

Other research teams have combined rubber and PHBV, but the products have been too weak to withstand all the demands of a food package?from processing, to shipping, to handling in stores and IRO chelating homes, especially containers that are used for freezing and then microwaving, said the study's senior author, Yael Vodovotz, a professor of food science and technology at Ohio State.



Increased flexibility, without a significant loss of strength, is particularly important when it comes to plastic films commonly used to package everything from fresh produce to frozen foods, she said.

While other attempts at making this type of rubber-enhanced bioplastic have reduced the strength of the PHBV by as much as 80 percent, only 30 percent of the strength was lost in this study?a much more manageable amount, Zhao said.

Toughness, which was improved, is different from strength, explained study co-author Katrina Cornish, an expert in natural rubber and professor of horticulture and crop science at Ohio State.

"Imagine trying to pull a block of concrete apart with your hands. That's testing its strength. But karate chopping it with your hand or foot is testing its toughness?how easily it breaks," Cornish said.

"You can never pull it apart, but if you're strong enough you can break it."

Much of the researchers' current focus is on the potential use of various biodegradable?and otherwise environmentally conscious?materials they might use as fillers to further strengthen the mix. They've discussed using the "cake" left behind after a fellow researcher extracts oil from spent coffee grounds. Tomato skins are under consideration, as are eggshells.

"We want something that would otherwise go to waste that is sustainable and also relatively cheap," Vodovotz said.

They're even looking at the potential to attack two environmental problems at once, by seeing how invasive grasses that environmentalists are yanking out of waterways might play with the rubber-infused mix.

"We could dry them, grind them up and potentially use these grasses as a fibrous filler," Vodovotz said.

Beyond packaged foods, a bioplastic could potentially be used in other food-related applications such as utensils and cutting boards.

And the researchers are looking to collaborate with colleagues outside of food science to consider other applications for their product, such as to create building materials, gloves for those working in food service, or parts for cars and airplanes.

As the team works to move its technology out of the lab and into the food industry, there will be many details to work out depending on a company's individual priorities and concerns, Vodovotz said, and that may mean tinkering with the mix.

"As we get closer and closer to working with food manufacturers, there are specific questions our potential partners are asking," Vodovotz said. "We have to be very careful about what we use in this process in order to meet their needs, and they have very specific parameters."

Endress+hauser Releases Memosens Cos81d Dissolved Oxygen Sensor

3-D printing electrically assisted, nacre-inspired structures with self-sensing capabilities Schematic diagram of the electrically assisted 3D-printing platform for the construction of nacre-inspired structures. (A) Diagram of the electrically assisted 3D-printing device. (B) Illustration of the bottom-up projection-based stereolithography process. (C and D) Schematic diagrams show the alignment of GNs under the electric field and alignment mechanisms, respectively. (E) 3D-printed nacre with aGNs and SEM images showing surface and cross-section morphology: DMD, digital micromirror device; PDMS, polydimethylsiloxane. Credit: Science Advances, doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aau9490

Nacre, also known as mother of pearl is a composite, organic-inorganic material produced in nature in the inner shell layer of molluscs and the outer coating of pearls. The material is resilient and iridescent with high strength and toughness, resulting from its brick-and-mortar-like architecture. Lightweight and strong materials are of interest in materials science due to their potential in multidisciplinary applications in sports, aerospace, transportation and biomedicine. In a recent study, now published in Science Advances, Yang Yang and co-workers at the interdisciplinary departments of Systems Engineering, Chemical, Biomedical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Southern California, developed a route to build nacre-inspired hierarchical structures with complex 3-D shapes via electrically assisted 3-D printing.

To create a brick-and-mortar-like structure in the work, they aligned graphene nanoplatelets (GNs) as bricks in the electric field (433 V/cm) during 3-D printing and included the polymer matrix as a mortar. The bioinspired 3-D printed nacre with aligned GNs (2 percent weight) were lightweight (1.06 g/cm3), albeit with specific toughness and strength similar to the natural nacre counterpart. The 3-D printed lightweight, smart armor aligned GNs could sense surface damage to exert resistance change during electrical applications. The study highlighted interesting possibilities for bioinspired nanomaterials with hierarchical architecture tested in a proof-of-principle, mini smart helmet. Projected applications include integrated mechanical reinforcement, electrical self-sensing capabilities in biomedicine, aerospace engineering as well as military and sports appliances.

Lightweight and strong structural materials such as multifunctional wearable sensors have attracted increasing attention in health monitoring, but most piezoelectric sensors are soft and cannot protect the surface of interest. A protective, multifunctional wearable sensor is currently in demand for military and sports applications therefore. The hierarchical structure of nacre in nature provides superior mechanical performance, notwithstanding its relatively weak constituents to protect the soft body in molluscs. The secret to its protective capability is inherent to its brick and mortar (BM) architecture that ranges from the nano- and micro- to macroscale.

This outstanding materials property formed the basis to design light and strong armor for microstructural interfaces in materials science. Although traditional, bottom-up assembly processes such as vacuum filtration, spray coating, ice templating and self-assembly were previously studied intensively to build nacre-inspired architectures, the methods only focused on two-dimensional (2-D) thin-film formation or simple bulk structures. Since it is challenging to use these techniques to develop 3-D architectures - 3-D printing (additive manufacture) is a powerful alternative. Recent studies in materials science and bioengineering have used 3-D printing with shear forces, magnetic and acoustic fields to form reinforced composites with aligned fibers.

Proof-of-principle self-sensing capability of 3D printed, nacre-inspired helmet on a mini Lego bicycle rider. 3-D printed helmet with 2 wt% aGN (aligned graphene nanoplatelets), LED light is ON. Brightness decreases with crack deflection during compressive tests and resistance increases (RC circuit). When resistance increases due to crack propagation the LED turns off. Credit: Science Advances, doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aau9490

In the present work, Yang et al. presented an electrically assisted 3-D printing method using aligned graphene nanoplatelets (GNs) in photocurable resin to build the nacre-inspired hierarchical architectures. The proposed technique took advantage of the nanoscale-to-microscale assembly induced by the electric field and microscale-to-macroscale assembly via 3-D printing. The 3-D architectures with aligned GNs (aGNs) showed reinforced mechanical properties compared to random GNs (rGNs). The 3-D printed artificial nacre displayed specific toughness and strength comparable to natural nacre, with additional anisotropic electric properties unlike the natural nacre.

The scientists propose to develop a smart helmet with inbuilt protective, self-sensing capabilities using the electrically assisted 3-D printing process. The bioinspired brick and mortar (BM) architecture can enhance mechanical strength and electrical conduction by aligning graphene nanoplatelets in each layer for maximum performance via crack deflection under loading. In total, Yang et al. aim to engineer multifunctional, lightweight yet strong and electrically self-sensing 3-D structures from the lab to industry.



To replicate the challenging hierarchical, micro-/nano-scale architecture of natural nacre, the scientists used aGNs in a photocurable polymer, grafted with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (3-APTES) to strengthen the interface and load transfer at the sandwich-like polymer matrix. For the photocurable resin, they used G+ resin from Maker Juice Labs, notated MJ, containing high tensile epoxy diacrylate, glycol diacrylate and a photoinitiator with excellent mechanical properties and low viscosity.

The 3D-printing process. (A) Nacre model by SolidWorks (from Dassault Syst?mes), sliced using the DMD-based stereolithography software to generate projection patterns. (B) rGNs are aligned by the electric field (blue dotted arrow shows the direction) to form aGNs during the 3D-printing process, the aligned composites solidify after light exposure (yellow part), the alignment of GNs is kept in the composites, after the layer is complete the building plate is peeled to print additional layers with aGNs. (C) Compression of natural nacre and SEM images of the fracture surface, showing crack deflection (yellow arrowheads) and crack branching (red arrowheads) in (D) and crack deflection between layers in (E). (F) 3D-printed nacre with 2 wt % aGNs under loading with crack deflection and branching in (G). (H) SEM image showing deflection between layers (yellow arrowheads). Credit: Science Advances, doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aau9490.

To align the GNs in the composite during layer-based 3-D printing, Yang et al. used an electric field (433 V/cm) to build nacre-inspired MJ/GN composite structures. The scientists applied DC voltages, followed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) collection, optical imaging and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images to characterize (i.e. test) the newly developed composites. The resulting parallel and closely packed GN sample layers were structurally separated by the polymer matrix in between as mortar to impart the critical structural features for mechanical performance in the 3-D synthetic nacre. The scientists saw similarities between the synthetic vs. natural nacre structure at the macro- and microscale.

Prior to 3-D printing, Yang et al. created the nacre model using SolidWorks software first, and then sliced it with in-house developed digital micromirror device (DMD)-based stereolithography software to generate surface patterns. They projected masked images of the computed patterns on the resin surface to construct layers in which the electrically assisted 3-D printing process aligned and selectively polymerized the programmed parts for specific reinforcement orientation, layer upon each layer of the MJ/GN composites to create the structure of interest. The scientists formed the desired gap between the GN alignment in the MJ resin, prior to photocuration using the DMD light projection system (3.16 mW/cm2) available in the setup.

LEFT: Mechanical property and microstructure study of 3D-printed nacre. (A) Comparison of compression properties of the 3D-printed nacre with different loadings and alignments. (B) Crack propagation in MJ/rGNs nacre with the breaking of rGNs. (C and F) Simulations of stress distribution of MJ/rGNs and MJ/aGNs by COMSOL Multiphysics, respectively. (D) Comparison of maximum compression load for the 3D-printed nacre with different mass ratios of GNs. (E) Crack deflection of MJ/aGNs nacre and bridging and interlocking of aGNs. RIGHT: Comparison of fracture toughness by three-point bending test. (A to C) Compression force versus resistance change for pure MJ, MJ/2 wt % rGNs, and MJ/2 wt % aGNs, respectively (with inset SEM images showing the related fracture surfaces). (D) Comparison of fracture toughness for crack initiation (KIC) and stable crack propagation (KJC) of the 3D-printed nacre with the natural nacre. (E) Comparison of specific toughness and specific strength of the 3D-printed nacre with others? work (inset shows the specific strength with density for various nacre-inspired composites). R-curves of the 3D-printed nacre (F) and the natural nacre (G). Simulations of stress distribution by COMSOL Multiphysics for the 3D-printed nacre with rGNs (H) and aGNs (I). Credit: Science Advances, doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aau9490.

They then compared the stress-strain behavior of the 3-D printed nacre with rGNs (random) and aGNs (aligned) for different ratios. Compared to natural nacre, the synthetic version showed typical brittle fractures with crack propagation at first. Yang et al. used structural simulation using COMSOL Multiphysics to show the site of stress concentration and the importance of accurate GN alignment for crack deflection and energy dissipation in the synthetic nacres. When they conducted structural simulations of optimized aGN sheets with 2 percent weight in the study (2 wt %), they showed the formation of bridges that lead to stress distribution at the joint area between the aGNs and polymer matrix to carry loads instead of promoting macroscopic crack advancement. The structures contained covalent bonding, hydrogen bonding and ?-? interaction to synergistically bridge the aGNs for enhanced biomechanical properties.

To test the mechanical properties, the scientists conducted three-point bending tests to measure the toughness of 3-D printed composites with rGNs, aGNs and a reference pure polymer sample. After adequate GN alignment they obtained stable crack arrest and deflection comparable to natural nacre, by toughening the brick-like platelets. The results indicated resistance to fracture during crack growth for aGNs. The nacre-inspired aGN composites showed bridging and interlocking that translated to an increase in dissipated energy and toughening, contributing to the outstanding crack arrest performance of the composite. The synthetic 3-D nacre was more lightweight than natural nacre, with lower density compared to the previous synthetic composites.

The 3-D synthetic version showed significantly improved electrical conductivity contrary to natural nacre, which Yang et al. tested using piezoresistive responses useful for self-sensing military and sports applications. As a proof-of-principle, the scientists designed a wearable 3-D helmet for IRO chelating a Lego bicycle rider using the technique to study its self-sensing capability. The helmet composed of aGNs showed improved impact and compression resistance compared with rGNs, verified with impact tests where the rGN helmets broke while the aGN helmets retained their shapes. Yang et al. showed that a helmet composed with aGNs (0.36 g) connected to an LED light was able to sustain the impact of an iron ball 305 times its weight (110 g), where the brightness of the LED light only decreased slightly after the impact due to crack formation, energy dissipation and increased resistance.

3D-printed smart helmet with anisotropic electrical property. (A) Anisotropic electrical property of the 3D-printed nacre. (B) Changes of electrical resistance with different GNs loadings and alignments. (C) Schematic diagram showing the layered polymer/GNs structure with anisotropic electrical resistance. (D) 3D-printing process of a self-sensing smart helmet. Demonstration of the wearable sensor on a Lego bicycle rider showing different self-sensing properties for the 3D-printed helmets with rGNs (E) and aGNs (F). (G) Circuit design for the tests. Compression force of the 3D-printed helmets with related compression displacements and resistance changes for rGNs (H) and aGNs (I), respectively. (Photo credit: Yang Yang, Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Southern California.). Credit: Science Advances, doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aau9490.

The scientists constructed a resistor-capacitor (RC) circuit to measure the changing resistance during the impact and during compression tests. In the rGN helmet the LED was always off due to the larger resistance, comparatively the smaller resistance of the aGN helmet left the LED light turned on. In this way, Yang et al. showed how the nano-laminated architecture provided extrinsic toughening and enhanced electrical conductivity due to bioinspired, aligned GNs in the nanocomposites. They propose to enable mass customization, assisted with 3-D printing capabilities to translate the lightweight smart materials ingrained with excellent mechanical and electrical properties for commercially viable applications in widespread industries.

Abb Launches Collaborative Operations For the Pressure Generation And Water Industries

This past summer New York City experienced the worst Legionnaires? disease outbreak in its recorded history. In what is now being referred to as the NYC Legionella Outbreak of 2015, more than 130 people were sickened and 16 people tragically died. In an effort to keep the public safe, both the City and State of New York passed emergency legislation designed to regulate the operation and maintenance of cooling towers. Today, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) seeks to make those emergency provisions stronger and lasting; and will hold a public hearing to discuss and pass their newly proposed rules. The hearing will take place from 10AM to 12PM on January 4, 2016 at DOHMH headquarters in Long Island City. Once the hearing is over, the DOHMH will modify the rules based on the public?s feedback, if necessary, and then draft a final version. A copy is then published in the City Record and submitted to the City Council where it will be voted on to become law. This legislation will have an effect on the operation procedures of any building that operates a cooling, as well as the water treatment companies and environmental consulting firms that service them.

CURRENT NYC COOLING TOWER LAW TO COMBAT LEGIONELLA

To deal with the serious issue of legionella in cooling towers, on August 18th, 2015 in New York City, the City Council and Mayor de Blasio enacted Local Law 77 of 2015. Legionnaires? disease is said to have a case fatality rate of 5-30%. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that there were between 8,000 and 18,000 cases of LD in the United States annually, and that more than 10% of cases are fatal. (Learn more here: What is legionella?)



Local Law 77 added a new Article 317 to Title 28 of the Administrative Code that required owners of cooling towers to register them with the Department of Buildings (DOB) by September 17, 2015. Towers must be inspected, tested, cleaned and disinfected in accordance with new Administrative Code ?17-194.1 and rules adopted by the DOB. Owners and operators of cooling towers must annually certify to the Department that their cooling towers have been inspected, tested, cleaned and disinfected and that a management and maintenance program has been developed and implemented in accordance with Administrative Code ?17-194.1 which includes maintaining a proper cooling tower water treatment program. Statewide, including in New York City, owners of all cooling towers must also comply with New York State Sanitary Code (SSC) Part 4, which includes registration with and reporting requirements to the New York State Department of Health.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH PROPOSED UPDATES TO TITLE 24

Today, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) is proposing to add a new Chapter 8 (Cooling Towers) to Title 24 of the Rules of the City of New York to establish rules for maintenance of cooling towers to minimize potential contamination by Legionella bacteria to prevent outbreaks of Legionnaires? disease. This new Chapter 8 will further the work of Local Law 77, and require building owners to provide cooling tower maintenance and testing records to the NYC Department of Health.

Chapter 8?s provisions that are equivalent to the State Sanitary Code Part 4. This proposed Chapter is organized differently than the State Sanitary Code requirements; more terms are defined in this Chapter and more detailed instructions for management and maintenance are provided than those contained in SSC Part 4 to facilitate compliance with both the City and State rules and requirements.

To ratify these changes, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has issued their Notice of Public Hearing and Opportunity to Comment on Proposed Amendments to Title 24 of the Rules of the City of New York. (You can find a link to the DOHMH Notice at the end of this post.)

According to the NYC Rules website, here are the proposed changes to Title 24 of the Rules of the City of New York. It adds a new Chapter 8, which includes the following sections:

8-01 Scope and applicability: applicable to all owners and operators of buildings and other premises that are equipped with cooling towers.

8-02 Definitions: to facilitate compliance with and enforcement of these rules, more terms are defined in this Chapter than in the corresponding sections of either Administrative Code or SSC Part 4.

8-03 Maintenance program and plan: the requirements of this section exceed those of SSC Part 4, including specific routine maintenance tasks; identification of persons responsible for various functions; identifying system components; and establishing a system risk management assessment to identify areas that may create problems and lead to proliferation of Legionella bacteria.

8-04 Process control measures: this section establishes requirements for routine monitoring, to be conducted at least weekly by a ?responsible person?? under the supervision ? remote or on-site -- of the ?qualified person?? identified in SSC Part 4, and for compliance inspections, to be conducted at least every 90 days, by the qualified person. It specifies standards for maintenance, cleaning, and parts replacement; and requires installation of high efficiency drift eliminators in all new and retrofitted cooling tower systems and in existing ones, where practicable.

8-05 Water treatment: this section specifies requirements for automatic treatments, use of chemicals and biocides, and monitoring water quality characteristics/parameters, and establishes a schedule for sampling for Legionella and other bacteria including requiring additional sampling when certain events occur. This section also mandates the use of certain qualified laboratories for analysis and requires reporting levels of Legionella at a certain magnitude to the Department within 24 hours of obtaining test results; and specifies corrective actions for various levels of bacteria. Although the 2014 New York City Plumbing Code Appendix C authorizes use of rainwater or recycled water as makeup water for cooling towers, it does not require disinfection for Legionella bacteria before use. These rules prohibit such use unless owners use additional control measures approved by the Department that protect against cooling tower system contamination since the Department believes that this water may not meet public health standards and may tend to support microbial growth.

8-06 System shutdown and start-up; commissioning new cooling towers: this section sets forth requirements for pre-seasonal cleaning and disinfection and for new cooling towers being placed into use.

8-07 Records: this requires the maintenance of records of all activities and that such records be made available for immediate inspection by the Department at the premises where the cooling tower is installed.

8-08 Modification: authorizes the Commissioner to modify the application of a provision of these rules where compliance imposes an undue hardship and would not otherwise be required by law, provided that the modification does not compromise public health concerns.

8-09 Penalties: establishes a schedule of penalties for initial and subsequent violations within the limits set forth in Administrative Code ?17-194.1.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH PUBLIC HEARING ON COOLING TOWER LEGISLATION

The NYC DOHMH will hold a public hearing on these proposed rules. The hearing will take place from 10AM to 12PM on January 4, 2016 at:

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Gotham Center

42-09 28th Street, 14th Floor, Room 14-43

Long Island City, NY 11101-4132

Anyone is permitted to attend the hearing and/or comment on the proposal. The DOHMH has given the following ways to communicate public commentary:

Website: You can submit comments to the Department through the NYC rules Web site at http://rules.cityofnewyork.us

Email: You can email written comments to resolutioncomments@health.nyc.gov

Mail: You can mail written comments to:

New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Office of General Counsel

Attn: Svetlana Burdeynik

42-09 28th Street, 14th Floor

Long Island City, NY 11101-4132

Fax: You can fax written comments to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene at 347-396-6087.

Speaking at the hearing: Anyone who wants to comment on the proposal at the public hearing must sign up to speak. You can sign up before the hearing by calling at 347-396-6078. You can also sign up in the hearing room before or during the hearing on January 4, 2016. You can speak for up to five minutes.

GET YOUR FREE COPY OF THE FULL NOTICE

If you would like to read the full copy of the DOH?s notice, please fill out the form below for an instant link. This document fully outlines all of the sections of the newly proposed Chapter 8 including the full requirements for maintenance, operation, and ongoing water treatment of cooling towers in New York City. There is no charge for this information and it is freely available online.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene?s Notice of Public Hearing and Opportunity to Comment on Proposed Amendments to Title 24 of the Rules of the City of New York here:

About Clarity Water Technologies

Clarity Water Technologies is known throughout the east coast as an innovative industrial/commercial water treatment company and the innovators of 360 Degree Legionella Management Service. To put it simply: As New York City's Top Environmental Consultants, we make commercial HVAC and industrial process machinery last longer and run more efficiently, with less fuel and less downtime, by chemically treating the water that runs through it. Typical systems that we treat include steam boilers, chillers and cooling towers; however, we also offer advanced wastewater, glycol services, odor control and fuel treatment services. We are one of Northeast?s most trusted Legionella remediation companies and are widely accepted as one of the best consulting firms to establish best practices for the implementation of ASHRAE Standard 188 - Legionellosis: Risk Management for Building Water Systems.

As environmental consultants specializing in water treatment, we know that chemistry is only one part of what makes a cooling tower system operate at peak performance. The other part of the equation is proper physical cleaning, disinfection and maintenance. Today, Clarity offers one of the most reliable and effective cooling tower disinfection services available throughout NY, NJ, CT, DE, MD and PA. Clarity is a NADCA Certified HVAC Cleaning Service Company. Our team also offers on-line cleanings, chlorine dioxide disinfection, Legionella remediation and installation of the EcoSAFE Solid Feed System?one of the most advanced water treatment systems for Cooling Towers in the world! Please contact us today for a free estimate on your next project.

New York City Water Treatment Expert and Environmental Consultant, Greg Frazier has a vast knowledge of Industrial Boiler Water Treatment and is currently the Managing Partner of Clarity Water Technologies, one of the top Environmental Consulting firms in New York. Mr. Frazier has over 19 years of Industrial Water Treatment experience and holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tennessee. Clarity Water Technologies specializes in comprehensive water treatment services. Clarity's service goes far beyond administering Cooling Tower Water Treatment chemicals - it also includes Cooling Tower Maintenance and HVAC Cleaning Services.

Dow increase Prices For Versene Chelating Agents In Europe

Source: ABB Inc. Contact The Supplier Click Here To Download:

ABB Ability? Collaborative Operations For Power Generation and Water Brochure

ABB Ability Collaborative Operations For Power Generation And Water Video

ABB expands its global network of Collaborative Operations Centers to broaden its digital reach and IRO chelating expand its portfolio of digital services. The new center is located at ABB's German headquarters in Mannheim and went into operation in April 2018.

At the heart of ABB?s digital portfolio is ABB Ability Collaborative Operations, a service delivery model which connects people in production facilities, headquarters and ABB to deliver objective data insights that ultimately increase customers? profitability by improving plant efficiency, increasing safety, reducing risk and lowering costs. The new model bundles industry knowledge, cloud-based solutions and services into a 24/7 service delivery concept.

New competencies through shared knowledge and ABB expertise

Collaborative Operations combines the strengths from cross-functional teams with industry and expert knowledge from ABB, and plant insights from the customer to deliver greater value in the shortest possible time through information analysis. "As a result, our customers benefit from knowing more ? doing more ? achieving more ? and working together," says Christian Kohlmeyer, Digital Lead Central and Eastern Europe for ABB?s Power Generation & Water. "With our digital services, we turn data into information that our customers can use directly. We create the optimal basis to take decisions and increase cost efficiency and thus optimize plant and fleet performance. Our goal is to create new value together."

Digitization not only improves operational efficiency, but also the availability of resources. Asset and operational information is collected, correlated and analyzed around the clock in Collaborative Operations Centers to identify, categorize and prioritize performance improvement actions. ABB Ability Collaborative Operations includes performance optimization, remote monitoring and preventive analysis technologies. Foresighted analyses and key performance indicator (KPI) evaluations are visualized in dashboards to enable faster and more concrete business decisions.

Collaborative Operations at the Mannheim location

The newly opened Collaborative Operations Center in Mannheim provides services from the board level to the management level of corporations. The services range from complex optimization solutions to increase productivity, to forward-looking condition monitoring and energy optimization, to cyber security modules and measures. ABB experts analyze and monitor the plant data according to various criteria and support the following industries: power generation, water plants and networks, process industries, oil & gas, petrochemicals, mining as well as pulp, paper and metals. Customers in other industries can benefit from cross-industry benchmarks.

ABB will present Collaborative Operations at the Hanover Fair from April 23 to 27, 2018 in hall 1, booth A 35. For more information on ABB Ability? Collaborative Operations and its applications, please visit the ABB website.

About ABB

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a pioneering technology leader in electrification products, robotics and motion, industrial automation and power grids, serving customers in utilities, industry and transport & infrastructure globally. Continuing a history of innovation spanning more than 130 years, ABB today is writing the future of industrial digitalization with two clear value propositions: bringing electricity from any power plant to any plug and automating industries from natural resources to finished products. As title partner of Formula E, the fully electric international FIA motorsport class, ABB is pushing the boundaries of e-mobility to contribute to a sustainable future. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 135,000 employees. www.abb.com

Toyobo's Hollow Fiber Forward Osmosis Membrane Adopted At Danish Osmotic Power Plant

If you are just catching up on your New York Cooling Tower laws, there has been a lot going on lately! Building owners, water treatment companies, and environmental consultants have all been struggling to keep up with the evolving regulations. The current ?law of the land?? that governs what must be done in order to properly operate a cooling tower in New York City was established in Local Law 77 of 2015 which was passed by NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio on August 18th, 2015.

In New York State, the Public Health and Health Planning Council (PHHPC) is authorized to establish sanitary regulations known as the State Sanitary Code (SSC) subject to the approval of the Commissioner of Health. With the encouragement of Governor Andrew Cuomo there were emergency rules passed by and inserted as Part 4 to Title 10 (Health) of the Official Compilation of Codes, Rules and Regulations of the State of New York that now provide requirements to all building owners that operate cooling towers in the State of New York.

Both the New York City and New York State regulations are very similar, but not exactly the same. In fact, if you operate a cooling tower in NYC, you must register that cooling tower on both the New York City and State Cooling Tower Registration website.

So now that both the New York City and State cooling tower laws are public, you should just follow them and get on with your life, right? Well, yes that?s true? HOWEVER the City requirements might be getting a bit tougher than you may have originally anticipated. New York City?s Local Law 77 of 2015 was passed in an emergency environment. People were getting sick and dying from legionella related illnesses in the Bronx. The Commissioner of Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) and the Mayor had to do something immediately, so they passed emergency orders and regulations designed to address the immediate threat. Local Law 77 had some open ended parts to it that called for the DOHMH to further define and promulgate their ongoing requirements for cooling tower maintenance and operation.

Enter Chapter 8 to Title 24 of the Rules of the City of New York!

What is the newly proposed Chapter 8 to Title 24 of the Rules of the City of New York?

On November 20th, 2015, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene filed their proposed resolution to add a new Chapter 8 to Title 24 of the Rules of the City of New York which would establish ongoing rules for the maintenance of cooling towers to prevent contamination from legionella bacteria. A public hearing to discuss the terms of this resolution was held on January 4th, 2016.

The DOHMH?s resolution is a 19 page document that further establishes the specific requirements to comply with the rules set forth in Local Law 77 of 2015. Sections of the New Title 24 Chapter 8 include more detailed requirements for creating and maintaining a Cooling Tower Maintenance Program and Plan, Process Control Measures, and Water Treatment and Testing Requirements. Here are just some of the highlights of the New Chapter 8 as proposed by the DOHMH:

Cooling Tower Maintenance Program and Plan



Must include a contact list and qualifications of a Cooling Tower Management and Maintenance Team that has been clearly define and designated by the Building Owner

Must include clear identification, specifications and description of each cooling tower system and proof of registration, cleanings, testing, etc

Must include a Risk Management Assessment that identifies risk factors for Legionella proliferation and specifies Legionella risk management procedures

Must describe the full details of cooling tower operation for each system including control measures, corrective actions, and documentation.

Must include a written checklist for routine monitoring, reporting, sampling results and other actions taken to maintain the cooling tower system

Process Control Measures

Must include weekly written cooling tower inspections, by someone on the designated Cooling Tower Management and Maintenance Team, to look for the presence of organic material, biofilm, algae, scale, sediment and silt/dust deposits, organics (oil and grease), and other visible contaminants

On a weekly basis a responsible person must observe and note the condition of chemical dosing and control equipment and the bleed-off system, and determine if there is sufficient storage and delivery of treatment chemicals

A routine maintenance plan must be administered so that the cooling tower systems are maintained and operated in accordance with the Maintenance Program and Plan and must address general system cleanliness, drift eliminator and fill material condition, overall distribution operation, water treatment system, basin/remote sump cleaning, and purging of stagnant and low-flow zones

The cooling tower system must be cleaned whenever routine monitoring indicates a need for cleaning, but no less than twice a year, as specified in the Maintenance Program and Plan.

All cooling towers must minimize the formation and release of aerosols and mist, therefore, if not already present, owners must install and maintain drift eliminators in accordance with the manufacturer?s specifications and New York City Construction Codes

A qualified person, like an environmental consultant, must conduct a compliance inspection at least once every ninety (90) days while a cooling tower system is in operation

Water Treatment and Testing Requirements

Water in a cooling tower system must be treated at least once a day, when the system is in operation and such treatment must be automated (unless the Maintenance Program and Plan explicitly states how manual or less frequent biocide additions will provide effective control of Legionella growth)

Cooling towers must be operated and programmed to continually recirculate their water irrespective of the building?s cooling demand of the system

Proper cooling tower water treatment chemicals and biocides must be used in quantities and combinations sufficient to control the presence of Legionella, minimize biofilms, and prevent scaling and corrosion that may facilitate microbial growth. Biocides must be registered with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and only applied under the supervision of a Certified and Licensed New York Commercial Pesticide Applicator

Records must be kept for all chemicals and biocides added noting: purpose of their use; manufacturer?s name; brand name; safety data sheet; and date time and amount added

Non-chemical water treatment devices that employ alternative technologies to control biological growth may not be used in lieu of chemical biocide

Owners using water derived from rainwater capture or recycling water systems as a source of cooling tower system makeup water must install a drift eliminator and test and treat water in accordance with a specific alternative source water plan that is approved by the DOHMH. (This is in addition to their Cooling Tower Maintenance Program and IRO chelating Plan.)

Water Quality Testing Requirements

Daily Testing: Water quality measurements, including pH, temperature, conductivity and biocide residual (free and total) must be measured and recorded at least once each day when the cooling tower system is operating

Weekly Testing: A bacteriological indicator to estimate microbial content of recirculating water must be collected and interpreted at least once each week while the cooling tower system is operating

Quarterly Testing: Legionella culture testing must be conducted no less frequently than every 90 days during cooling tower system operation. Legionella samples must be analyzed by a laboratory approved by the DOHMH.

If you are a building owner operating a cooling tower in the City of New York, you may be reading this and thinking to yourself that it is going to be very challenging to comply with these new regulations, but before you do, you may want to take a look at the proposed Fine and Penalties that you run the risk of having levied against you for non-compliance. You can download our copy of them here:

During the public hearing and via online submission, many industry experts and building associations voiced their opinions and concerns about the level of management needed to comply with the DOHMH?s newly proposed Chapter 8. While some building owners may find the proposal manageable, surely many will find it overly burdensome and will need to make a concerted effort to establish protocols within their daily operations in order to comply. As with so many things, these new requirements must be handled with either time or money; and for some owners, one or both may be in short supply.

As far as we can determine, this level of mandatory management and maintenance processes to run a cooling tower has never been required in any other city or state in the United States before now; however, in many countries throughout Europe there has been legislation in place that requires as much (and more) for years. There are no federal standards or regulations pertaining to registration, maintenance, operation, testing, inspections or water treatment for cooling towers that we are aware of.

At the time of this post, the proposed resolution to Title 24 of the Rules of the City of New York was still ?in review.??

As always - thank you for reading! Please let us know your thoughts on the matter in the comment section below.

IMPORTANT: If you own a cooling tower in New York and need to have the required Maintenance Program and Plan in place by March 1st, 2016, we can help you! Please use the link below to request your FREE quote:

About Clarity Water Technologies

Clarity Water Technologies is known throughout the east coast as an innovative industrial/commercial water treatment company and the innovators of 360 Degree Legionella Management Service. To put it simply: As New York City's Top Environmental Consultants, we make commercial HVAC and industrial process machinery last longer and run more efficiently, with less fuel and less downtime, by chemically treating the water that runs through it. Typical systems that we treat include steam boilers, chillers and cooling towers; however, we also offer advanced wastewater, glycol services, odor control and fuel treatment services. We are one of Northeast?s most trusted Legionella remediation companies and are widely accepted as one of the best consulting firms to establish best practices for the implementation of ASHRAE Standard 188 - Legionellosis: Risk Management for Building Water Systems.

As environmental consultants specializing in water treatment, we know that chemistry is only one part of what makes a cooling tower system operate at peak performance. The other part of the equation is proper physical cleaning, disinfection and maintenance. Today, Clarity offers one of the most reliable and effective cooling tower disinfection services available throughout NY, NJ, CT, DE, MD and PA. Clarity is a NADCA Certified HVAC Cleaning Service Company. Our team also offers on-line cleanings, chlorine dioxide disinfection, Legionella remediation and installation of the EcoSAFE Solid Feed System?one of the most advanced water treatment systems for Cooling Towers in the world! Please contact us today for a free estimate on your next project.

New York City Water Treatment Expert and Environmental Consultant, Greg Frazier has a vast knowledge of Industrial Boiler Water Treatment and is currently the Managing Partner of Clarity Water Technologies, one of the top Environmental Consulting firms in New York. Mr. Frazier has over 19 years of Industrial Water Treatment experience and holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tennessee. Clarity Water Technologies specializes in comprehensive water treatment services. Clarity's service goes far beyond administering Cooling Tower Water Treatment chemicals - it also includes Cooling Tower Maintenance and HVAC Cleaning Services.

Akzo Nobel Plans set Up Chemicals Multi-site In China

Older power plants with once-through cooling systems generate about a third of all U.S. electricity, but their future generating capacity will be undercut by droughts and IRO chelating rising water temperatures linked to climate change. These impacts would be exacerbated by environmental regulations that limit water use.



The solution is not to scrap the regulations, a new Duke University study shows. It?s to scrap the old cooling systems.

?If we want to have reliable electricity and, at the same time, protect the lakes and rivers that provide cooling water to the plants, we need to retrofit the plants with recirculating cooling systems,?? said Lincoln F. Pratson, Gendell Family Professor of Energy and the Environment at Duke?s Nicholas School of the Environment.

The new study shows that if surface waters warm 3 degrees Centigrade and river flows drop 20 percent -- both of which are probable by the end of the century -- drought-related impacts will account for about 20 percent of all capacity reductions at thermoelectric power plants with once-through, or open-loop, cooling systems. These reductions include capacity curtailments or shutdowns that could occur when local surface water levels drop below a plant?s intake structures.

Environmental regulations that govern a plant?s water use and the maximum temperature of used cooling water it can discharge back into rivers or lakes will account for much of the remaining 80 percent of future shutdowns and capacity cuts, Pratson said.

?It?s surprising that the impacts of drought will be so much larger than those of warmer temperatures, which we estimate will account for little more than 2 percent of reductions,?? said Candise L. Henry, a 2018 PhD graduate of Duke?s Nicholas School, who led the study as part of her doctoral dissertation. ?But it?s also surprising that drought impacts will be so much smaller than regulatory impacts.??

??Fortunately, nearly all of these impacts could be mitigated by switching to recirculating cooling systems,?? Henry said.

Thermoelectric power plants use steam-driven turbines to generate their energy. Once the steam has passed through the turbines it must be cooled down. Once-through systems do this by drawing in cold water from nearby rivers or lakes, circulating it through pipes to absorb the steam?s heat, and discharging the heated water back into the river or lake.

In recirculating systems, water from a cooling tower is used to absorb the steam?s heat and then routed back to the tower where the heat is released through evaporation. Plants with this type of system don?t discharge heated water to surface waters and only have to replace the portion of their cooling water supply that is lost through evaporation, making them less vulnerable to drought impacts and environmental regulations.

?Right now, it?s fairly common for plants to be granted provisional exemptions from rules governing the maximum allowable temperature of discharged water, but if regulations become more stringent under future administrations, we could see more curtailments or shutdowns of once-through power plants,?? said Henry, who is now a postdoctoral researcher at the Carnegie Institution for Science at Stanford University.

She and Pratson published their peer-reviewed findings March 8 in Environmental Science & Technology.

To conduct their study, they analyzed seven years of operational and meteorological data for 52 eastern U.S. power plants with once-through cooling systems. Using an electricity generation model, they combed the data -- which spanned the years 2007 to 2014, when severe droughts affected much of the Southeast -- to track how hourly changes in local water temperatures and flow rates affected each plant?s maximum power output.

By running the model under seven different water-availability and temperature scenarios, they were able to tease apart what percentage of the total changes in generating capacity was caused by rising water temperatures, what portion stemmed from decreased water flow, and how much was linked to regulatory compliance. Using projected warming and water flow trends for the coming century, they estimated the likely future impacts of each factor.

?Past studies bundled the impacts of drought, water temperatures and environmental regulation together,?? Pratson noted. ?By pulling them apart, we gain a much clearer picture of what the big threats will be and what we can do to mitigate them.??

The fact that drought impacts will be so much larger than those caused by warmer water underscores the need to prioritize mitigation strategies that focus on water flow, he said. In addition to installing recirculating cooling systems, these strategies include installing ponds to hold cooling water reserves; locating new plants on larger bodies of water; and implementing more stringent watershed management plans to regulate water use by all users located on a river or lake.