Shandong Renke Control Technology Co., Ltd., a manufacturer of environmental sensors and IoT monitoring equipment, has introduced an online water quality monitoring system for industrial cooling towers. The platform links continuous sensor data directly to automated dosing and blowdown operations, enabling facilities to reduce manual sampling while maintaining consistent control over scale, corrosion, and biological growth in recirculating water.
The system continuously tracks key cooling water parameters, including conductivity, pH, oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), residual chlorine, turbidity, and more. When conductivity rises above a set threshold, indicating the water has reached its target cycles of concentration, the system triggers a blowdown valve to release and dilute the water, reducing the risk of scale formation. When ORP or residual chlorine readings drop below a preset level, an automated dosing pump releases biocide or corrosion inhibitor to restore the target range, without requiring an operator to be on site.
Manual water testing in industrial cooling towers is typically performed on a periodic schedule, often weekly or less frequently, which can leave a gap between a change in water chemistry and a corrective response. Continuous online monitoring is intended to close that gap by detecting parameter shifts as they occur and triggering treatment actions automatically.
The system is designed to support facilities working toward compliance with water management frameworks such as ASHRAE Guideline 188, which addresses the reduction of Legionella risk in building water systems through documented monitoring and control practices, as well as jurisdictions with mandatory cooling tower registration and testing requirements. For facilities that discharge cooling tower blowdown to municipal systems or surface water under EPA National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits, continuous monitoring can also support more consistent tracking of discharge water quality.
Built around Renkeer's industrial water quality sensor portfolio, including pH sensors, conductivity sensors, dissolved oxygen sensors, COD sensors, ORP sensors, residual chlorine sensors, and turbidity sensors, the system can be integrated with existing industrial automation or SCADA systems through standard communication protocols. Continuous data logging provides facility managers with accessible monitoring records to support internal water resource management programs and external regulatory compliance reporting.
The system is structured across four layers. At the measurement layer, a set of water quality sensors installed in the cooling tower loop continuously measures parameters such as conductivity, pH, ORP, residual chlorine, and turbidity. At the acquisition layer, a monitoring host collects readings from multiple sensor points and uploads the consolidated data set on a continuous basis. At the platform layer, users access the collected data through a monitoring interface, where readings can be viewed in real time and analyzed for trends over time. At the control layer, users issue commands from the platform to linked controllers, which execute the corresponding water treatment actions, such as opening a blowdown valve or activating a dosing pump, closing the loop between measurement and treatment.
The solution supports different deployment architectures depending on the monitoring environment and required data path. Field sensors can transmit measurements through local acquisition equipment or communication gateways to centralized software or cloud-based monitoring platforms. This approach is relevant to facilities where monitoring points are geographically separated or where measurement records need to be retained for operational review. Depending on system configuration, collected data can support centralized observation, historical records, alarms and further system management, while sensor selection, installation, calibration and maintenance remain dependent on the application and water characteristics.
Renkeer said the water quality monitoring system is aimed at industrial facilities operating cooling towers as part of HVAC or process cooling infrastructure, including manufacturing plants, data centers, and commercial buildings with centralized cooling systems. Because chemical dosing and blowdown are triggered by measured thresholds rather than routine intervals, the online water quality monitoring system can effectively reduce errors and delays associated with manual sampling.
