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Water in the residences and businesses where your customers live and work touches the pipes, plumbing fixtures, and hot water heaters, as well as dishwashers and washing machines. Something as basic as elevated hardness could easily cause problems for your customers, especially if they have high-efficiency appliances and low-flow fixtures in their household.
Problem water can create issues that lead to unwanted, additional service calls for your business. But, when you take the mysteries out of the water and gain an understanding of the science behind how to treat it, you’ll become a much better contractor — and your customers will benefit from having a local water quality expert.
Arming yourself with knowledge is the first step in becoming familiar with the best practices of water treatment. Here’s a high-level explanation of two of the most common factors in water quality: hardness and corrosion.
Water is considered “hard” when it contains metal ions, or minerals, which are dissolved in groundwater. That includes calcium, magnesium and iron. Although hardness levels vary greatly by region, most homes with private wells have hard water, and many homes on municipal water do, too. In fact, more than 80% of households in the U.S. have hard water.
The biggest issue with hard water is the deposit it leaves behind. This causes excessive soap scum, clogs pipes and fixtures, wears down appliances, and creates many other headaches for homeowners.
Water softeners remove hard minerals through an ion exchange process. Water softening resin is charged with sodium, which is exchanged for the calcium and magnesium that is retained inside the softener. This creates the soft water that is ideal for cleaning and bathing.
When it comes to iron, typical softening may not do the trick. In some cases, ferrous iron, which is dissolved and colorless in the water, needs to be oxidized so it turns into a particle (ferric) and can be filtered out of the water.
“We increasingly see owners with second thoughts about other UV solutions, even after those systems have been ordered,” says Anders Lindmark, Head of Alfa Laval PureBallast. “Customers want the peace of mind that PureBallast 3 offers, especially if they sail in United States waters.”
Systems on four vessels changed to PureBallast 3
Recently, two cruise ship owners took steps to exchange their procured UV ballast water treatment systems for PureBallast 3, which is type approved by both IMO and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). In both cases, the original system’s lack of USCG type approval was a decisive factor.
In an order for two newbuild vessels, MSC Cruises switched to PureBallast 3 Compact systems, which are delivered ready-assembled as skid-mounted modules. Each system will handle a flow of 170 m3/h. “After a retrofit project and installation on board our managed vessels, we have positive feedback from our crew about the simplicity of the installation and the very user-friendly system,” says Raffaele Pollio, Vice President Engine Operations at MSC Cruise Management Limited. “In addition, the USCG certification is what we really need, considering our vessels’ trading areas.”
Regent Seven Seas Cruises also modified orders for two newbuilds. The company will now install PureBallast 3 Compact Flex systems for 500 m3/h each, delivered as loose components. “USCG type approval is an important part of the technical specification,” says Paolo Mele, SVP Technical Operations at Regent Seven Seas Cruises. “We have positive experience with Alfa Laval from retrofits in previous years, and Alfa Laval’s offer was competitive for the shipyard.”
Numerous reasons for turning to Alfa Laval
According to Anders Lindmark, USCG type approval is one of many reasons why customers are moving to PureBallast 3 from other UV treatment solutions. “If a system lacks USCG type approval, it limits the vessel’s freedom of movement,” he says. “But the same is true if it has poor filter performance, which can handicap the vessel in muddier waters. Many ship owners have experienced clogging with other systems, so they see an advantage in PureBallast 3, which has a high-end filter with enhanced cleaning capabilities.”
Switching to PureBallast 3 from other UV systems is generally easy, he adds, because its optimized design simplifies integration and installation. “The flexibility of PureBallast 3 minimizes the need for vessel modifications, and even maintenance space is well accounted for,” he explains. “That ensures both installation ease and later accessibility.”
Even more important for many customers is the access to service resources, which Alfa Laval provides through its own network – rather than through agents. “When customers choose PureBallast 3, they can rely on a complete global service organization, staffed by trained Alfa Laval service personnel,” says Lindmark. “They don’t have to turn to third parties, who may lack the insight, experience or reach to secure compliance. As the importance of long-term partnership grows more evident, that in itself can be a reason for switching to Alfa Laval.”
Deposition is a fact of life for water treatment plants. Water purity determines the likelihood of deposits left within the boilers and other portions of the feed lines. When feedwater contains even the slightest amount of impurity, the possibility of buildup along any metal surface is almost guaranteed.
Contaminants common in feedwater include metals (magnesium, copper, iron, aluminum), nonmetals (calcium and silica), silt, and oil. These categories are identified as either scale or sludge. Scale is formed by salt crystals that adhere to surfaces while sludge precipitates outside the water treatment system and is transported to the metal surface of the treatment system by means of incoming water.
Scale formations are soluble until they concentrate due to the high heat transfer rates that drive evaporation. Because the crystalline structure of scale is homogeneous, different areas of scale may have completely different chemical compositions and require varied methods of removal. Both metals (magnesium, aluminum, and iron) and nonmetals (calcium, silica, and occasionally sodium) can create scale. Scale forms extremely slowly, which causes the buildup to be hard, dense, and well defined, giving scale the ability to withstand most mechanical and chemical cleaning.
Sludge deposits may also prove to be dense, hard, and difficult to remove, especially after exposure to extreme heat levels, which bakes the sludge onto the surface of the water treatment equipment. Baked sludge is similar to scale in its tenaciousness.
Once either sludge or scale forms inside a facility, the chemical contaminants attract like chemicals. This results in larger and larger patches of affected metal. These accumulations inside pipes can significantly increase water pressure because the diameter of the pipes diminishes, causing overheating and, especially with salts, corrosion. Removing scale and sludge results in facility downtime.
Coagulants and flocculants: HEDP acid used to clarify water by causing the coalescence of dissolved impurities. Upon coalescence into large agglomerates, the impurities can be removed mechanically.
Anti-foamants and defoamers: Chemical suppression of foam by prevention or destruction
Corrosion and scale inhibitors: Chemicals reducing and/or preventing corrosion and scale formation by softening, demineralization, precipitation, sequestration and/or de-aeration of the water.
Activated carbon
pH adjustors, water softeners, and other inorganic commodities
Biocides: Chemicals which eliminate and/or control micro-organism growth
Strategic Market Analysis
Constant deterioration of water resources has created growth potential for water treatment chemicals. Regions where potable water supply is scarcest are expected to experience the highest growth during the forecast period due to a widespread population shift. These include coastal regions such as Texas, which will be rebuilding from recent damage following Hurricane Ike.
Industry Challenges
General aversion to chemical treatment technologies – There's a trend in the water treatment industry to move away from chemical treatment, and toward physical treatment technology such as membranes and UV disinfection. This is due in part to the general aversion of chemicals in water treatment, and in part to regulatory pressures that try to reduce or even eliminate chemical use. Advanced technologies that allow industries to minimize chemical use are favored, which will inevitably enhance expansion of the advanced water treatment market.
Alternative technologies substituting chemicals – Non-chemical methods such as membrane filtration, UV treatment, and other biological treatment are slowly expanding in the North American market. These alternative technologies are likely to substitute chemical products, and processes are expected to shift from predominantly chemical to biological as larger and more technologically advanced water treatment plants are built. Increasing environmental awareness also pushes for a "greener", non-chemical way to treat wastewater.
American was blunt about the reason for discontinuing a route the world’s largest airline had flown since 2010. The carrier simply said the route wasn’t profitable.
In fact, AA conceded the only year the carrier made significant money on ORD-PEK was the first year it flew the route. AA, however, will continue to fly nonstop to Beijing from Dallas and Los Angeles.
American’s exit from the ORD-PEK route leaves United Airlines and Hainan Airlines as the only two carriers flying nonstop from Chicago to the Chinese capital, where the 2022 Winter Olympics are slated to be held.
AA’s move to end Beijing service also raises the question of how much international traffic a market like Chicago can support, even as Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel moves forward with plans to build out a massive new international terminal as part of a $8.5 billion, multi-year redevelopment of O’Hare.
In announcing the move to end the ORD-PEK route, American said it is petitioning the United States Department of Transportation for a dormancy waiver that, if granted, would give American the chance to possibly resume the route at a later date.
Beijing will debut a new international airport next year. AA is keeping an eye on that development, which might give the world’s largest carrier a reason to resume the service.
American’s move to end ORD-PEK service comes on the eve of the launch of the carrier’s new nonstop service starting this week between ORD and Venice, Italy and Vancouver, Canada, new destinations the carrier hopes will prove more profitable than ORD-PEK.
Last year, AA introduced nonstop service from Chicago to Barcelona, another popular tourist destination. That route has worked well for AA so far.
Hainan, China’s largest independent airline, will fly the route four times a week using an Airbus A330-300 aircraft, it says.成田から鹿児島
Not all of the flights are direct. While two services per week are non-stop, the other two will operate with a stopover in Edinburgh.
The route had been flagged for some time, but was formally announced at the Irish Embassy in Beijing at a reception attended by Tánaiste Simon Coveney and representatives from Dublin Airport, Hainan, Beijing Airport and Tourism Ireland.
An Tánaiste described the route as "a major achievement, which will prove transformational to the bilateral relationship between China and Ireland."
It follows the announcement of direct flights with Cathay Pacific from Dublin to Hong Kong - a four-times weekly service set for take-off on June 2.
Tickets for the service will go on sale shortly. Prices have not been announced, but a similar route from Manchester starts from around £382/€430 each-way in June.Direct flights to China, with the enormous business and tourism potential they bring, have been in the works for years. Government departments, State agencies, daa, Tourism Ireland and others have worked in tandem to get them over the line.
Two-way trade between Ireland and China is estimated to be worth more than €14.9 billion per year, according to a statement by daa, with about 120,000 Irish passengers estimated to have travelled between the counties last year.
“We look forward to welcoming many more Chinese visitors to Ireland with this new service in the months and years to come,” said Dublin Airport's Managing Director, Vincent Harrison.
China is also the world's largest outbound tourism market, with Tourism Ireland estimating some 70,000 Chinese visitors to Ireland last year.
“Today’s announcement is excellent news for Irish tourism in 2018 and beyond," said Niall Gibbons, its CEO. The marketing organisation has been seeking to diversify inbound visitor markets in the wake of Brexit.
The flights will be "a major game-changer" for Chinese visitors, Gibbons said.
He added that the British-Irish Visa Scheme allows Chinese travellers to visit both Ireland and the UK on a single visa of either country.
An intoxicated airline baggage handler fell asleep on the job in a plane’s cargo hold and ended up flying from Kansas City to Chicago. Veuer’s Mercer Morrison has the story. Buzz60.机票价格
An admittedly intoxicated American Airlines baggage handler fell asleep on the job and ended up flying from Kansas City to Chicago in the belly of a Boeing 737.
The employee, who works for American subsidiary Piedmont Airlines at Kansas City International Airport, was working on the ramp for American Flight 363 on Saturday Oct. 27, when he apparently took a nap inside the cargo hold before the flight.
No one noticed him missing, and the plane took off at 5:52 a.m. local time with the worker in the forward cargo hold, airline and law enforcement officials confirmed.
The baggage handler, who has not been identified, wasn’t discovered until the plane landed at O’Hare International Airport and parked at the gate just before 7:30 a.m. local time.
The employeewas interviewed by the Chicago Police Department, FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office, standard policy in matters involving aviation security.
He told law enforcement officials he was intoxicated and fell asleep, according to Chicago Police Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.
Traveling to and from Chicago could be tricky Monday morning as a storm is predicted to dump up to two inches of snow in the region.Shenzhen to Shanghai flights
Four flights from Cincinnati to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport have already been canceled Monday morning. Another four departures have been delayed.
Four flights destined for Cincinnati from Chicago have also been canceled and another three arrivals have been delayed.
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for the Chicago area Monday. It is set to expire at 9 a.m.
Snow in the Chicago area is expected to stop by 11 a.m.
All flights between Chicago and Cincinnati scheduled after noon have not yet been affected by the weather. At 8:30 a.m., those flights were scheduled to proceed normally.
american Airlines is cutting back on flights from Chicago to China and Japan this fall, saying it couldn’t keep flying money-losing routes at a time when fuel costs are high.
American’s daily nonstop flights from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to Shanghai will end in late October, the airline said Tuesday. Daily flights between Chicago and Tokyo will be cut back to three days per week in December.spring airlines baggage allowance
Fort Worth, Texas-based American previously had announced plans to end nonstop flights between Chicago and Beijing in late October, saying it plans to seek permission to fly to Beijing’s new international airport, expected to open next year.
American remains enthusiastic about both Chicago and Asia, but “the two China routes, and to a lesser degree Tokyo, have been colossal loss leaders for us,” Vasu Raja, vice president of network and schedule planning, said in an interview on the airline’s podcast.
Chicago is a “very profitable hub,” Raja said. The airline has been carrying more passengers through the city and does not plan to reduce overall capacity there, he said.
But there isn’t enough demand to sustain the China routes, American said. Neither the Chicago-to-Shanghai nor the Chicago-to-Beijing route has been profitable since launching in 2006 and 2010, respectively, airline spokeswoman Leslie Scott said.
Scott said American also was at a disadvantage in Chicago because it had to continue operating daily nonstop flights to Shanghai and Beijing or risk losing the right to offer those flights. U.S. carriers must seek government approval to operate flights to certain countries, including China. American, which got approval for its flights between Chicago and China after some of its rivals, had less flexibility to scale back flights when demand slowed, she said.
American has asked the U.S. Department of Transportation for a waiver that would allow the airline to resume flying between Chicago and Shanghai and Beijing when economic conditions improve.
In the meantime, the airline wants to focus on its Asia flights from hubs in Dallas, where travelers can connect to destinations in Latin America, and Los Angeles, which attracts passengers throughout the West Coast, Scott said.
American and partner carrier Japan Airlines collectively will still have nonstop flights between Chicago and Tokyo 10 times per week, and during the peak season between June and August next summer, Japan Airlines will add flights so the carriers will together offer twice-daily flights, American said.
Chemifloc the largest producer of water treatment chemicals in Ireland, DTPMP has become the first chemical manufacturer on the island of Ireland to achieve the Irish Standard Mark in relation to three chemicals it supplies to local authorities for purifying drinking water. Mr. Maurice Buckley, CEO of the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) presented the Company with their certificates at Chemifloc’s headquarters in Shannon today.
Chemifloc has achieved the Irish Standard Mark in relation to the processes it uses in the production of aluminium sulfate, iron sulfate and aluminium iron sulfate. These comply with the equivalent EN standards in each case and guarantee that Chemifloc produces these chemicals to the highest, internationally-recognised standards.
“At a time when the quality of drinking water is foremost in many people’s minds, following recent flooding incidents, we can provide drinking water producers – and ultimately the wider public – with complete confidence in the quality of the water treatment chemicals we produce. As the largest supplier in the land, we can also guarantee a continuity of supply for many weeks, made possible by our independent production facility in Shannon and immediate availability of up to 25,000 tonnes of liquid and solid raw materials from our dedicated storage facility at the nearby port of Foynes,” said Ed Storey, Managing Director, Chemifloc.
Speaking at the presentation, Maurice Buckley, CEO, NSAI said: “It is great, particularly in these difficult times, to see an Irish-owned company reach for and achieve such high standards. The fact that Chemifloc is the first company in Ireland to be awarded with the Irish Standard Mark for these chemicals is indicative of the company’s pioneering spirit since its establishment almost 30 years ago. Its commitment to continuing this spirit into the future is evidenced by its ongoing investment in the business, representing some €5m in recent years.”