Small leaks in chemical plant circulating water systems may seem trivial, but they represent a significant hidden energy cost. A single 3 mm leak can discharge hundreds of tons of water per year. More seriously, leaks often allow process materials to enter the circulating water, causing COD and turbidity to spike. Once water quality is out of control, system scaling and corrosion accelerate, heat transfer efficiency drops sharply, and circulating pumps must run at higher frequency to maintain cooling performance, leading to an exponential increase in energy consumption. Manual inspection can hardly detect minor leaks at an early stage.
Shandong Dongrun Instrument’s automatic circulating water monitoring system for chemical plants can quickly identify leak events and issue early warnings by online monitoring of sudden changes in COD, turbidity, and conductivity. Built-in intelligent algorithms automatically lock suspected leak areas when certain parameters show abnormal jumps within a short period, and remind operators to investigate promptly. Leak detection time is reduced from hours in traditional modes to minutes, significantly reducing material loss and impact on the circulating water system.
After a coal chemical enterprise applied Dongrun Instrument’s system, three minor heat exchanger leak incidents were successfully warned in advance, and timely response prevented heat transfer efficiency decline caused by water quality deterioration. According to estimates, if each leak were detected 24 hours later, circulating pump power consumption would increase by 8%–12%. Combined with material loss and subsequent wastewater treatment costs, the total loss per incident could exceed 100,000 RMB. Within one year of operation, the system recovered losses of nearly 300,000 RMB for the enterprise through leak warning alone.
In addition, the system monitors the difference between make-up water flow and return water flow in real time, accurately identifying pipeline leaks and preventing continuous energy waste caused by “hidden water loss.” Shandong Dongrun Instrument’s automatic circulating water monitoring system makes every leak point traceable and blocks energy loss at the source. Investing in this system saves not only water, but also the hidden energy black hole.
