Maintaining polymeric inhibitor/dispersant levels in cooling water is critical to the success of cooling water treatment programs to control deposition and corrosion. A colorimetric method has been developed for the quantification of polymer concentrations in cooling waters. Cationic dye solutions, stabilized in mixed solvent systems, are employed to interact with negatively charged polyelectrolytes and produce new species that are detectable by visible spectroscopy. This simple analytical method overcomes interferences and is ideal for on-site testing. This paper presents the methodology and case studies.
Keywords" cooling water, scale, fouling, polymer, inert, active, monitor, tag, spectroscopy, metachromasy, solvent effects, calibration