Diagnostic Cascade

Definition

A chain of linked consequences in which one root failure triggers several pillar problems in sequence.

Examples include lost blowdown control leading to climbing cycles, rising LSI, scale, and falling chiller efficiency, and a biocide pump failure leading to planktonic bloom, biofilm, insulated heat transfer, and persistent oxidant demand. Mass balance and the free body diagram reveal whether simultaneous symptoms share a single root cause. Recognizing the cascade lets the analyst intervene at the source rather than at each downstream symptom.

Related concepts

Mass Balance · Signal versus Source · Biocide Efficacy

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Part of The Blueprint of Water · 🛠️ operations