Shandong Renke Control Technology Co., Ltd., a manufacturer of environmental sensors and IoT monitoring equipment, has introduced an online water quality monitoring system designed for industrial cooling towers. The platform links continuous sensor data directly to automated dosing and blowdown operations, targeting facilities that aim to reduce manual sampling while maintaining consistent control over scale, corrosion, and biological growth in recirculating water.
The system tracks key cooling water parameters, including conductivity, pH, oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), residual chlorine, and turbidity. When conductivity exceeds a set threshold—indicating that the water has reached its target cycles of concentration—the system triggers a blowdown valve to release and dilute the water, thereby reducing the risk of scale formation. Conversely, when ORP or residual chlorine levels drop below preset values, an automated dosing pump releases biocide or corrosion inhibitor to restore the target range, all without requiring operator intervention.
Traditional manual water testing in cooling towers is often performed on a weekly or less frequent basis, which can leave a gap between changes in water chemistry and corrective action. Continuous online monitoring aims to close that gap by detecting parameter shifts as they occur and triggering treatment actions automatically.
The system also supports compliance with water management frameworks such as ASHRAE Guideline 188, which addresses the reduction of Legionella risk in building water systems, as well as jurisdictions with mandatory cooling tower registration and testing requirements. For facilities discharging blowdown to municipal systems or surface water under EPA National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits, continuous monitoring can help maintain consistent tracking of discharge water quality.
Built around Renkeer’s industrial sensor portfolio—including pH sensors, conductivity sensors, dissolved oxygen sensors, COD sensors, ORP sensors, residual chlorine sensors, and turbidity sensors—the system can integrate with existing industrial automation or SCADA systems via standard communication protocols. Continuous data logging provides facility managers with accessible records for internal water resource management and external regulatory compliance reporting.
The architecture is structured across four layers: measurement, acquisition, platform, and control. In the measurement layer, water quality sensors in the cooling tower loop continuously measure parameters. The acquisition layer uses a monitoring host to collect readings from multiple points and upload consolidated data. The platform layer offers a user interface for real-time viewing and trend analysis. The control layer enables users to issue commands to linked controllers, executing actions like opening a blowdown valve or activating a dosing pump, effectively closing the loop between measurement and treatment.
Depending on the monitoring environment, the solution supports various deployment architectures. Field sensors can transmit measurements through local acquisition equipment or communication gateways to centralized software or cloud-based platforms, which is useful for facilities with geographically separated monitoring points or where records must be retained for operational review. Sensor selection, installation, calibration, and maintenance remain dependent on the application and water characteristics.
Renkeer targets industrial facilities operating cooling towers as part of HVAC or process cooling infrastructure, including manufacturing plants, data centers, and commercial buildings. By triggering chemical dosing and blowdown based on measured thresholds rather than routine intervals, the system can reduce errors and delays associated with manual sampling.
