If a chemical treatment is temporarily unavailable, what adjustment can be made to the cooling tower?

When a chemical treatment is temporarily unavailable, increasing the bleeding or blowdown setting in a cooling tower is a practical adjustment. This approach helps to manage water quality by reducing the concentration of contaminants in the circulating water. By allowing more water to be discharged, it effectively dilutes and removes impurities that could negatively affect the efficiency and operational reliability of the cooling system.

Changing the bleeding setting to allow for more bleeding helps in maintaining the overall performance of the cooling tower, ensuring that the system continues to operate effectively even in the absence of the standard chemical treatments. This is particularly important for preventing issues such as scaling or biological growth, which can hamper heat exchange efficiency.

Other options may not help maintain the system under limited treatment conditions. Increasing the water temperature could lead to reduced efficiency and potential operational problems. Shutting down the cooling tower would halt operations, which is not an ideal solution if cooling is still needed. While using alternative chemicals could be effective, it may not always be feasible or safe depending on the situation; thus, adjusting the bleeding setting becomes the most practical measure.