Managing and maintaining Cooling Towers systems is no small feat. With the amount of effort exerted by these tremendous machines, the need for maintenance and repairs is inevitable, but without proper testing methods, figuring out where and when those repairs are needed can feel like it requires a crystal ball to be anything more than targeted guessing. 

However, the right diagnostic testing method can completely transform how you maintain your equipment, and for Cooling Towers, ultrasonic testing is the tool you need. Using the power of sound to produce precise information on faults and wear to allow you to plan your maintenance schedule, ultrasonic testing like the kind provided by Discovery Sound Technology can reduce your downtime, limit or eliminate unexpected failures, and save you money! Here are some of the common problems that DST can help to detect in Cooling Towers

Friction / Alignment

Unnecessary friction in Cooling Towers, due to misalignment is a common source of faults and malfunctions, causing wear and tear, excess heat, and other issues. The bearings in the motor and gearbox are a frequent culprit for friction in these systems. When there’s any misalignment between the motor, coupling, input/output shafts and the gearbox that condition will produce problems that wear out bearing, gearboxes, belts and/or pulleys. Ultrasonic testing, by picking up the sound of this increased friction even in early stages, can alert you to the need for adjustments and lubrication to help prevent failures down the line. With DST Remote Monitoring, you can detect this type of issue from ground level, while the Cooling Tower is under load without having to shut the unit down and climbing inside.

Impacting / Cavitation

Pump Cavitation can also be the cause of issues in a Cooling Towers and associated pumps. Cavitation and debris in the water/cooling loop can cause a premature failure of the bearings and couplings. This leads to the system either performing poorly with greatly reduced efficiency or breaking down entirely. However, these issues are easily detected by the remote sensors of DST’s ultrasonic testing systems, and you can be alerted to an impact / cavitation problem in your Cooling Tower or Pumps to allow you to plan for repairs and recalibrations at a convenient time verses when you have a major failure of a component & the Cooling Tower goes offline.

From alignment, input/output shaft bearing problems, and pump cavitation, the list of potential problems that your Cooling Tower and associated pump systems can run into might seem endless, but it doesn’t have to be a constant source of stress for you when you use Discovery Sound Technology’s ultrasonic testing to guide your preventive maintenance schedule. If you’re interested in learning more about this powerful tech, and how your own HVACR technicians can detect these issues without having to use a 3rd party vibration company, and the associated expense, we can help you! Contact us today with any questions you may have.