Unmetered losses

Definition

Drift and leaks that leave the system carrying the full tower concentration and therefore act as uncontrolled blowdown.

Because these losses remove water at full tower concentration rather than as pure vapor, they reduce the achievable cycles and distort the mass balance. Leaks are unpredictable but must be accounted for. This is the third key idea of the tower mass balance.

Related concepts

Cooling tower mass balance · Cycles of Concentration · Drift

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Part of The Blueprint of Water · 🛠️ operations