Monitoring the performance of Merus Ring water treatment

Depending on the problem, different performance indicators can be used for a before-and-after comparison, such as temperature difference or pressure difference. As shown in the videos, the temperature before the heat exchanger is compared with the temperature after it. The difference between the two values provides an indication of the condition of the system. You can use this data to decide how to proceed after a trial phase or to monitor your system over the long term.

If you are interested in performance monitoring for your project, please mention this in your inquiry. We will be happy to advise and assist you.

In many cases, performance monitoring is already installed. This makes it easy to compare data before and after installation, or to compare a treated and an untreated system. The method used to obtain the data depends on the customer and access to the data. For example, if you have recorded flow rates in the past, this would be a simple way to measure the effect of the Merus Ring in your system.

To compare the values, data from either the preceding period or a structurally identical piping system is required.

The graph shows the values for two identical systems within one company. Both systems are supplied with the same water and experienced the same fouling problems. The trend line in the first chart shows a decreasing flow rate. This is caused by the reduced pipe diameter resulting from deposits on the pipe walls.

The second chart shows a stable trend with a slightly increasing flow rate.

A system's energy consumption can indicate the effect of the Merus Ring. This can be important for heat exchangers, but also for other applications. As with flow rates, data from before and after installation must be compared to interpret the values.

The table compares two heating circuits over two different periods. We use data from the 7 months before installation as the baseline. After installation, measurements were taken for another seven months. One heating circuit was treated with Merus and the other was not. The untreated heating circuit shows lower efficiency, while the treated circuit actually shows improved efficiency.

More than 30,000 m3 of natural gas was saved during these seven months.

Water analysis is a very simple and efficient way to check the condition of a water system. Where possible, we use this method as an indicator of developments in the system after installation. In closed cooling circuits, these values reliably indicate the processes taking place in the water. In large, open systems, the data is more complex and must be analyzed more carefully. Relative to the total volume in the circuit, changes in calcium or iron content may be minimal in this case, but they are visible.

The chart shows the values for a closed circuit. The values without Merus were recorded before installation and eight weeks afterward. No fresh water was added during this period. The rising values are desirable: they indicate that existing deposits are dissolving in the water and being flushed out of the system.

In these cases, we measure the heat exchanger's actual volume before installation, when its volume is reduced by deposits. We compare this with the theoretical volume specified by the manufacturer. The difference is assumed to be the volume of the deposits.

The table shows that the original volume could be restored in the first entry. The measurement was taken two weeks after the Merus Rings were installed. On the secondary side, the usable volume increased significantly.

When fouling and deposits in an open system are advanced, obtaining reliable monitoring data can be difficult. One solution may be long-term monitoring of, for example, TDS (Total Dissolved Solids: the amount of substances dissolved in the water). Immediately after installation of the Merus Ring, this value will rise significantly as encrusted deposits dissolve in the water and are flushed out. Over time, the value falls again until, ideally, it reaches the feedwater level and stabilizes there.

Despite all the available performance-monitoring methods, a visual inspection can often provide the best view of developments after installation. “Seeing is believing.” For most customers, a visual inspection is the most convincing evidence.

It is often impossible simply to open the system or pipes. In that case, we install the Merus Ring during a regular, short plant shutdown, when we can also take photographs.