Every Day Is Earth Day In Buildings With Closed Loop Filtration
Posted by William Vander Plaats on Thu, Apr 22, 2010 @ 02:16 PM
It is April 22 and Earth Day in the U.S. This is the 40th anniversary of this special day created to focus our attention on the environment and the precious resources of our planet, and how we as stewards are responsible for using them wisely. This includes clean air, clean water, and sustainable living practices that leave the earth in better condition than when we found it.
Special events are being planned to commemorate this event, including:
- Special activities and awareness programs will be celebrated on college campuses across the country, such as battery recycling, computer and electronics recycling, and solar energy demonstrations.
- Opportunities to adopt a coral reef or donate time and money to other conservation causes.
- A Climate Rally at the National Mall in Washington D.C. on Sunday, April 25th. Organizers hope to build support for additional legislation to preserve the environment in the U.S., including changes to limits of carbon emissions.
Ongoing Commitment Is Key
While annual events like Earth Day help us focus our attention on the environment for a short time period, it is how we implement these ideas the rest of the year that really matter. Sustainability, energy savings, and wise water use should be part of our personal living practices, as well as in the buildings and businesses in which we work. Some of these practices are obvious and easy to identify, such as: reducing water usage in hvac systems, keeping all systems (computers, hvac, and others) operating at highest energy efficiency, and recycling water and minimizing other waste as much as possible. Filtration of water is an important component of each of these efforts, utilizing techniques such as cooling tower basin cleaning, submersible pump sand protection, preventing heat exhanger fouling, and many others. But some sustainable practices are not so easily recognized, such as "closed loop" filtration.
Closed Loop Filtration
"Open loop" water systems are those which are exposed to the outside air and environment, and because of this, they require continuous cleaning and filtration to operate at highest efficiency. Dirt and grime can cause reduced efficiency and water waste. "Closed loop" water systems are NOT exposed to the outside air, and theoretically SHOULD NOT need ongoing filtration. Once the system is free of dirt, grime, or other particulates, the system should remain relatively clean, but theory and reality are not always the same.
Closed loop systems often DO need a filtration system to remain clean, due to pipe rust and other suspended solids in the system. This keeps chillers, compressors, heat exchangers and other closed loop equipment operating in good working order and operating at maximum efficiency.
New White Paper
The Manager of Building Operations at a large 700-bed hospital recently authored a White Paper outlining the benefits of closed loop filtration. Stollery Children's Hospital at the University of Alberta uses a chilled water system and experienced problems until filtration was installed. Download the Hospital Closed Loop White Paper today and read how LAKOS Filtration keeps the system operating at maximum efficiency.