Research into Bacterial Contamination of the Coolant of the Chemical Demineralization Scheme at Kazan CHPP-1

Thermal power plants are the largest consumer of natural water and the main sources of polluted wastewater discharge. Water serves as an irreplaceable resource in the organization of production cycles in the petrochemical industry. Water is used as a cooling agent for the final product, as a cooler for technological units and equipment, as a solvent for preparing reagent solutions, and as a source of steam and condensate. The production of chemically demineralized water at TPPs is a complex process, which involves several water-treatment plants. During operation, colonies of microorganisms can form in the water-treatment equipment of TPPs. Typically, the total bacterial count ranges between 1 and 100 million CFU/cm³. The composition and number of bacteria depend on the source of water supply, seasonality, and water-chemical regime. A list of bacteria that affect the operation of water-treatment equipment and the main methods for analyzing biological pollution at TPPs are given. A technological scheme with an operating water-treatment plant, on which industrial research on biological pollution has been carried out, is considered. The aim of the research is to determine the number of bacteria in water samples at chemical demineralization plants at CHPPs. The effect of bacterial contamination of ion-exchange resins, which reduces the performance of water-treatment equipment, is described. Determining the number of bacterial colonies in water samples at water-treatment plants was carried out using BART tests. As a result of the research, the values of the total microbial number determined in water samples at chemical demineralization plants were obtained. The results were processed using the BARTsoft V6 software and hardware complex and various types of risks were calculated. Additional methods for water treatment are proposed on the example of Kazan CHPP-1.