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HOW SFS WORKS
The Scale Free System prevents and reverses the formation of scale without the use of chemicals. The Scale Free System accomplishes this by treating your equipment, not by attempting to change the water characteristics. SFS applies the science of physics, rather than water chemistry to eliminate scale, corrosion, and other harmful effects of hard water in heat exchange equipment.
How much can scale really affect your operation? Cooling towers for example do just one job... they cool the heated water that goes through the chiller to remove the heat from the refrigerant that is cooling the building. By an overwhelming margin, the biggest problem associated with the efficient and cost-effective operation of your equipment is scaling.
 Scale Free Systems offers a chemical free solution to scaling as well as corrosion and bacterial control.
For an in-depth look at the science behind the Scale Free System, please browse our Articles & Archives link to the left or Contact Us for a no-obligation consultation.
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SCALE CONTROL
When water is subjected to temperature change (delta T), pressure change (delta P), friction and turbulence, dissolved minerals, primarily calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and magnesium carbonate (MgCO3), will precipitate out of solution and deposit on heat transfer surfaces of plumbing systems and equipment in the form of a rock-like buildup, commonly called lime/scale. At the molecular level, the positively charged ions of these minerals are attracted to the negatively charges surfaces of the pipes and equipment. The attraction of the charged ions causes them to bond tightly together with one another, thus forming the lime/scale deposit known as calcite. These minerals deposits act as a great insulator and require more energy to produce the heat exchange processes required from the equipment.
In its simplest terms, the Scale Free System neutralizes the pipes and equipment to the same polarity as the ions in the water. The Scale Free System provides an engineered application to pull the dynamic electrical energy out of the water, through a control panel that regulates and controls the energy flow and ultimately out to and independent grounding system.
Without the attraction to move and plate to the negative surface of the equipment, the dissolved mineral molecules remain in a physical state of suspension which then will flow through a plumbing system or drop to a low area within the equipment. With regular conductivity control, the suspended minerals will be disposed of through automatic blow down. Since chemicals are unnecessary in this type of treatment, the purity of the water is not affected in any way, and can be safely and legally discharged to a sanitary sewer or even to the environment, where allowed.
For a detailed look at the science behind SCALE CONTROL with the Scale Free System, please click on the Articles & Archives link to the left or Contact Us to find out how Scale Free Systems works for you.
MICROBIOLOGICAL CONTROL
The second biggest concern with your system after scale control is controlling the bacterial growth. We call this process MICROBIOLOGICAL CONTROL. Cooling towers are great breeding grounds for bacteria. Inside the tower you have a warm, moist, sunlit environment that bacteria of all sorts love to thrive in. The inside of chillers also provides a great environment for other types of bacteria to grow. These bacteria can produce a material that can act as an insulating slime barrier to reduce the efficiency of the chillers in much the same way that calcium carbonate (scale) creates a thick solid barrier. In addition, certain types of bacteria that thrive in the absence of oxygen, called anaerobic bacteria, can grow and produce acids as part of their metabolism that can attack the steel components of the chillers.
The Scale Free System regulates the time and release of copper-silver ions in the water. The Cu-Ag system has received recognition from the engineering community as well as the US EPA for biological treatment of domestic water supplies. This process is effective on Legionella, Pseudomonas, M. Avium, E. Coli, Salmonella and a host of other microbes as well.
 Just as we measure calcium minerals in parts per million, we measure quantities of bacteria in CFUs (Colony Forming Units) per milliliter, abbreviated CFU/ml. The higher the count is, the more bacteria you have. It is generally accepted that cooling tower water is only required to have less than 10,000 CFUs. Safe drinking water is required to have less than 500 CFUs. We had cooling tower water from a Scale Free System installation tested by an independent testing facility (St. Louis Testing Laboratories). The test results show SFS cooling tower water had 329 CFUs.
For a detailed look at the science behind MICROBIOLOGICAL CONTROL with the Scale Free System, please click on the Articles & Archives link to the left or Contact Us to learn how SFS can solve your microbiological problem with no EPA requirements.
CORROSION CONTROL
The third item that can affect your equipment is CORROSION CONTROL. It is important to the performance and life of your system to keep corrosion rates at the lowest rates possible. We measure corrosion rates in mils per year, abbreviated mpy. A mil is 1/1000 of an inch so a pipe that is 1 inch thick with a corrosion rate of 2 mpy will last 500 years before it finally is destroyed. The Scale Free System eliminates the electrical bridge that starts the corrosion process. Because the Scale Free System neutralizes all electrical activity, the chemical decomposition necessary to produce free oxygen and free hydrogen in solution (the agents responsible for pitting and corrosion) is eliminated.
For a detailed look at the science behind CORROSION CONTROL with the Scale Free System, please click on the Articles & Archives link to the left or Contact Us for a solution to your specific equipment.
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