Anti-foams and Defoamers
Anti-foams and defoamers are essentially the same chemical
made for the same purpose. The only difference is that defoamers are used to
treat an existing foam issue, where as anti-foams are used to prevent it. Foam
can cause defects on surface coatings, bacterial growth, deposit formation, and
downtime and added costs for cleaning.
There are a number of reasons foaming can occur in cooling
towers. Chemical overfeed, over cycling, high alkalinity, and excessive
suspended solids from a nearby dirt road for example, are just a few examples
of catalysts for foaming.
There are several different classifications of defoamers and
anti-foams:
- Silicone
- Level of Concentration
- Water Based
- Oil Based
- Non-EBS Oil Based
- Ester - PEG