Combining waterborne bionutrients with scale particles and use of a waterborne particle remover to remove the combined particles from the water

Abstract

An automatic, self-regulating method of water treatment for use in water circulating towers in which water is evaporated, and make up water is added, with components which synergistically function to cut chemical, energy, water, corrosion, pollution, and maintenance costs, by passing the water through a Water Conditioning unit to prevent adhering evaporation scale deposits along with their content of concentrated biofouling nutrients from forming on the flooded surfaces of the tower and its associated water flow circuit, adding a trace level of iodine to the input make-up water to enhance the further disinfection of nutrient-deprived surfaces from any residual biofilm and chance pathogen contaminations, and adding a trace level addition of zinc ions in the water such as by an assured treatment feeder to the input make-up flow for inhibiting residual iodine-resistant algal and bacterial organisms of hazard for restoring bionutrient tower conditions, such as within sun-lit environments, and apparatus for carrying out the foregoing method.

1 . A method comprising: 
 providing water to be cleaned of an organic infecting agent;    combining the water to be cleaned with only a trace quantity of a biocide;    physically removing a significant amount of dissolved scale forming material from the water to be cleaned, such that the biocide is now present in a sufficient concentration relative to remaining dissolved scale forming material in the water to be cleaned to be substantially sufficient to disinfect the water to be cleaned of the organic infecting agent.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the water to be cleaned comprises cooling tower water.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the trace quantity of a biocide comprises a metered, low level of the biocide.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the biocide comprises, at least in part, iodate.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein combining the water to be cleaned with only a trace quantity of a biocide that comprises, at least in part, iodate comprises converting at least some iodine in the water to be cleaned into the iodate.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein converting at least some iodine in the water to be cleaned into the iodate comprises using aeration to convert the iodine in the water to be cleaned into the iodate.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein combining the water to be cleaned with only a trace quantity of a biocide comprises: 
 providing make up water to be added to the water to be cleaned;    combining the make up water with the trace quantity of the biocide.    
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the biocide comprises, at least in part, iodine.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein: 
 combining the make up water with the trace quantity of the biocide comprises combining the make up water with the iodine to yield treated make up water having less than 200 parts per billion of the iodine.    
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein combining the water to be cleaned with only a trace quantity of a biocide further comprises combining the treated make up water with the water to be cleaned.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein physically removing a significant amount of dissolved scale forming material from the water to be cleaned comprises passing the water to be cleaned through a water conditioner.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the water conditioner comprises a physical type water conditioner.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the physical type water conditioner comprises at least one of: 
 a capacitance type of water conditioner;    a magnetic type of water conditioner.    
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the physical type water conditioner comprises a water conditioner that produces large sized calcium carbonate particles in water that contains dissolved scale forming material.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the physical water conditioner further comprises a water conditioner that produces large sized calcium carbonate particles that have coagulated with organic content in the water to be cleaned.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein physically removing a significant amount of dissolved scale forming material from the water to be cleaned further comprises removing at least some of the large sized calcium carbonate particles from the water to be cleaned.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein removing at least some of the large sized calcium carbonate particles from the water to be cleaned comprises using at least one of: 
 a sump recirculation line separator;    a blow-down valve.    
     
     
         18 . An apparatus comprising: 
 a container configured and arranged to hold water to be cleaned;    a biocide conditioner containing a biocide and being operably coupled to the container to facilitate a combination of the water to be cleaned with only a trace quantity of the biocide;    a water conditioner operably coupled to the container and being configured and arranged to physically remove a significant amount of dissolved scale forming material from the water to be cleaned, such that the biocide is now present in a sufficient concentration relative to remaining dissolved scale forming material in the water to be cleaned to be substantially sufficient to disinfect the water to be cleaned.    
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the container comprises, at least in part, a cooling tower.  
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the trace quantity of a biocide comprises a metered, low level of the biocide.  
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the biocide comprises, at least in part, iodate.  
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , further comprising: 
 an input operably coupleable to a source of make up water to be added to the water to be cleaned;    and wherein the biocide conditioner is operably coupled to the input such that the trace quantity of the biocide is combined with make up water prior to adding the make up water to the water to be cleaned in the container.    
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 22 , wherein the biocide comprises, at least in part, iodine.  
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 23 , wherein the biocide conditioner is configured and arranged to combine the make up water with the trace quantity of the biocide to yield treated make up water having less than 200 parts per billion of the iodine.  
     
     
         25 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the water conditioner comprises a physical type water conditioner.  
     
     
         26 . The apparatus of  claim 25 , wherein the physical type water conditioner comprises at least one of: 
 a capacitance type of water conditioner;    a magnetic type of water conditioner.    
     
     
         27 . The apparatus of  claim 26 , wherein the physical type water conditioner comprises a water conditioner that produces large sized calcium carbonate particles in hard water.  
     
     
         28 . The apparatus of  claim 27 , wherein the physical water conditioner further comprises a water conditioner that produces large sized calcium carbonate particles that have coagulated with organic content in the water to be cleaned.  
     
     
         29 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the biocide conditioner is operably disposed on a make up water supply-side of the container.  
     
     
         30 . The apparatus of  claim 29 , wherein the water conditioner comprises: 
 a first water conditioner that is disposed on the make up water supply-side of the container;    a second water conditioner that is disposed on a recirculating water supply-side of the container.