Biofilm Reduction Boosts Power Output At A Cost 50% Lower Than Bulk Hypo

In 2010, one of the Power Plants of Puerto Rico Power Authority (PREPA) faced a crisis due to biological growth in their power plant’s cooling tower. The plant was using straight hypochlorite, which was not effective at controlling biological growth. Consequently, plant heat exchangers were plugged and temperature rose above manufacturers specifications due to biofouling of the condenser tube sheets which inhibited effective heat transfer. Due to the biofouling, the units were operating above the manufacturer’s temperature specification limit even with the valves fully open. The heat exchangers were incapable of removing all the heat, which resulted in a drop in the p|ant’s energy output.