Siemens and Silver Bullet Water Treatment Co. have entered into an agreement that will help broaden Siemens’ offerings of non-hazardous chemical water treatment solutions. Specifically, customers will be able to lease technology to treat cooling tower water onsite.
Accounting for up to half of the average building’s water usage, cooling towers are found in office buildings, hotels, data centers and factories. They provide cooled water for air-conditioning, manufacturing and electric-power generation.
“Our customers understand the importance of maintaining the entire heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems within their facilities,” said Eric Koch, a national product manager for the Building Technologies Div. at Siemens.
According to Koch, Siemens recently ran several tests at three of its customers’ facilities to quantify the cooling tower water treatment claims made by Silver Bullet and to complement the existing tests already performed by the company. The results were outstanding.
The "green" Silver Bullet technology helps kill harmful bacteria, remove scale and control corrosion. It also reduces water, electricity and chemical usage, lowers operating costs and can help commercial and industrial buildings earn LEED credits as well as municipal and tax rebates.
In traditional systems, various chemicals such as chlorine are added to water to control bacterial growth, calcium build-up and corrosion. Transporting, handling and storing these chemicals could be hazardous to the environment and to workers. Alternatively, the Silver Bullet process uses an advanced oxidation process (AOP) disinfection method.
Silver Bullet’s patented AOP technology generates reactive hydroxyl and oxygen-free radicals which oxidize contaminants in the water and kill bacteria. Other remaining oxygen atoms keep minerals such as calcium in solution, which prevents scaling. For calcium adhered to walls and surfaces, the reactive oxygen atoms break down the buildup so the calcium chips away and remains suspended in the water.
“Silver Bullet’s approach to cooling tower maintenance offers a proven, patented technology that keeps bacteria from contaminating cooling tower water, while preventing scaling and corrosion,” said David Sunshine, president of Silver Bullet. “This makes for safer working environments and a wiser use of water and energy. We are proud to partner with Siemens, one of the biggest names in safe and sustainable building technology.”
With its small footprint, the Silver Bullet system is scalable to any tower size. It can be installed in less than a day, with no interruptions in electric or HVAC service. There are no upfront capital costs because the systems are leased within a service contract.
“By adding the Silver Bullet water treatment process to our portfolio, customers will now have an even broader range of cost-effective and environmentally-friendly solutions that help ensure safer yet efficient operation of their buildings,” said Bruce Searight, a national sales application manager for the Building Technologies Div. at Siemens.
Source: Siemens
