Zebra Mussel Control
Zebra Mussel Control
(OP)
We have a cooling water system at one of our compressor stations that use cooling water from a local pond (that contains zebra mussels) to cool down natural gas discharge from compressors through heat exchangers. We are having issues with the mussels plugging off the exchangers and having to clean them often. I was wondering if there are any other solutions out there than just power washing the exchangers. Maybe some kind of filters or separator that can be installed upstream of the coolers? I've looked around in the forum but found very little information.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thank You
Any help would be appreciated.
Thank You





RE: Zebra Mussel Control
RE: Zebra Mussel Control
Zebra mussels are dormant when the water temperature is below 50 degrees Farenheit, so a system would operate only when conditions would trigger the mussels to become active.
Chemical treatment is considered to be more attractive. There are several chemicals that are attractive. See the reference.
http://www.che.cemr.wvu.edu/publications/projects/...
RE: Zebra Mussel Control
RE: Zebra Mussel Control
I don't believe that chlorine gas is the preferred method for control of zebra mussels as you suggest.
Personnel exposure concerns, insurance requirements, community safety issues and regulations have caused the majority of utilities to eliminate chlorine gas in ton cylinders and replace the gas with sodium hypochlorite bleach even though bleach is roughly 3 times the cost.
The ability of the Alkylbenzyldimethylammonium chlorides to control zebra mussels using only short exposures gives rise to a number of advantages over chlorine. These include:
- Less chemicals released to the environment.
- Product concentrations can be monitored and verified during the entire application.
- Permanent installation of tankage, dikes, and feed equipment is generally not required.
- Reduced impact on entrained plankton.
- Costs are lower since far less chemical is required.
http://www.gewater.com/pdf/tp494.pdfIn general, I prefer to reference sources of factual information rather than just throwing out opinions. The reader is capable of reviewing the information and developing their own conclusions.
I am just a messenger. If you disagree with the papers, I suggest you contact the University of West Virginia and/or GE. I doubt that either of these organizations are selling Alkylbenzyldimethylammonium chlorides.