MONTREAL & PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Evoqua today announced its Vortisand® water filtration system
is helping to keep the Dubai Mercato shopping center cool and
comfortable for the thousands of shoppers who visit the mall.
Evoqua was selected to supply a 150 gallon per minute (gpm) Vortisand
cross-flow microsand media filtration system to filter the water
circulating in the shopping mall’s cooling system. The location of
Mercato poses a unique challenge--being located near the beach makes the
rooftop cooling tower susceptible to strong winds along with debris and
sand. The water used in the cooling
towers continuously contacts these airborne particulate
contaminants. Typically, more than 85 percent of suspended solids in
condenser cooling tower water are smaller than 5 microns, which are too
small to be effectively removed using conventional media filtration.
Studies have shown that these fine particles are the adherent
contaminants that foul the entire water loop system (including
downstream equipment). Removal of the fine particles ensures the cooling
system operates as designed and at peak efficiency, reducing energy
consumption and maintenance costs. It is important to note that these
wet environments aid in promoting various forms of bacteria growth, such
as Legionella.
Both filtration and disinfection
methods can help in reducing bacteria growth.
Mercato’s water treatment system previously included over-sized side
stream filtration pumps with a centrifugal separator. The routine
maintenance activities were made up of cleaning of the cooling towers
every month and cleaning of the chiller tubes every 12 months. Mercato
required a high
efficiency media filter that has the capabilities of removing fine
solids, yielding decreased total operating and maintenance costs.
The Vortisand system is unique in its high efficiency capabilities and
reduced footprint, making it the perfect solution for the Dubai Mercato
shopping mall. The natural outdoor environment posed a challenge; over
time, the cooling tower acted as an air scrubber, absorbing mainly sand
and dust. As discussed above, such debris will decrease the cooling
systems efficiencies, while increasing both maintenance and operational
costs. Most importantly, Mercato requires a cooling system that is
working at peak performance 24/7, making it comfortable for guests and
employees. The cross-flow technology coupled with microsand media
expands the system’s filtration capabilities, enabling the system to
deliver submicron filtration performance. Being sized to 1/3rd of the
original system’s footprint allowed for reduced pump and energy costs.
The system’s configuration and design is unique in that it uses filtered
water for backwash, resulting in a more sustainable and green solution,
while offering further savings in water consumption.
Due to its individual and unequalled ambience, Mercato is one of Dubai’s
most charismatic and best-loved shopping malls. Although Mercato is
essentially a community mall, serving the needs of residents in Jumeirah
and surrounding areas, it also attracts tens of thousands of tourists
from all over the world every year. Spanning 643,067 square feet,
Mercato is home to over 140 shops and outlets. The mall prides itself in
offering customers a superb variety of international fashion and
lifestyle brands, while serving a comprehensive selection of
mouth-watering cafes and restaurants.
“Among all the technologies being evaluated, the Vortisand
®
system was the one that made the strongest case for increased efficiency
and reduced operational cost. They have not only demonstrated deep
application knowledge, but also backed their claim by delivering a
high-quality and easy-to-retrofit product.” – Edwin D’souza, Head
of Engineering & Maintenance
Lean more at www.vortisand.com,
www.evoqua.com
About Vortisand Systems:
Vortisand, an Evoqua brand, is synonymous with water filtration, serving
the industrial water markets since 1986. The award-winning Vortisand
High Efficiency Microsand Filtration System is a high capacity media
filter that combines cross-flow dynamics with microsand media to achieve
submicron filtration performance. This technology allows the unit to
operate at filtration rates of up to 5 times greater than those of
traditional media filters, while filtering 10-50 times finer. With over
2,500 installations worldwide, Vortisand systems are a leader in high
efficiency filtration systems.
Evoqua Water Technologies
Evoqua Water Technologies (NYSE: AQUA) is a leading provider of mission
critical water treatment solutions, offering services, systems and
technologies to support its customers’ full water lifecycle needs.
Evoqua Water Technologies has worked to protect water, the environment
and its employees for more than 100 years, earning a reputation for
quality, safety and reliability around the world. Headquartered in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Evoqua operates 160 locations in eight
countries and, with over 200,000 installations and 87 service branches,
holds leading positions in the North American industrial, commercial and
municipal water treatment markets, serving more than 38,000 customers
worldwide. Visit www.evoqua.com
