Zeta Rod Blog

US Marine Corps and US ARMY Engineers Deliver Potable Water to Flash Flood Victims in the Philippines.

After the flash floods of December 16th destroyed water pipelines, the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan in the Philippines, have had limited access to potable water. The US Marine Corps loaned the portable Reverse Osmosis Machines and the US ARMY with the Armed Forces of the Philippines installed the machines and begun to deliver potable water immediately.  Download Aspen Water Systems Assist Philippine Typhoon Victims Dec 2011 2

The portable RO machines are manufactured by Aspen Water Inc (www.aspenwater.com). These units are designed to withstand the most rugged environments found in the field and can be easily deployed and adapted to any type of conditions found in disaster areas or the battlefield.

Zeta Rod Systems are one of the components built into these rugged units as part of the pretreatment process to prevent membrane fouling. As described in the Aspen Water website, the Electronic Pre-treatment Module "aids in keeping the impurities from attaching to the membrane surface, greatly reducing biological growth and mineral scale."

Online Presentation on Cooling Tower Water Conservation, Sep. 13

PennWell Corporation, publisher of WaterWorld, Industrial WaterWorld, and Water & Wastewater International magazines, will once again host its completely virtual water event, Virtual H2O, on September 13, 2011, 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM (ET). 

The event combines virtual tradeshow exhibits and conference presentations to deliver attendees an innovative -- and convenient -- opportunity to network with and learn from leaders in the water and wastewater industries.

Zeta Corporation will be presenting the following presentation:

Enhanced Water Conservation, Chemistry Reduction and Water Re-Use Opportunities for Open Loop HVAC Water Treatment
Rodrigo Romo, Zeta Corp
Evaporative cooling systems represent one of the largest water using components of any facility and have traditionally been operated under chemical water treatment programs. Under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement, the US Army Corps of Engineers' Engineering Research & Development Center–Construction Engineering Research Laboratory and Zeta Corporation evaluated a water management program based on application of high voltage, capacitor-based technology on cooling towers at four different military installations. The sites selected for the project covered a wide range of make up water quality. The four-year study monitored side-by-side installations of the technology, operating without any chemicals, against the results of a standard chemical water treatment program. This presentation will highlight results from all four sites.

Mark Your Calendars: September 13, 2011 Virtual Expo

On September 13, 2011 PennWell will be holding a virual water conference. Zeta Corporation and the US Army Corps of Engineers will have a presentation with a summary of the 4 year evaluation project on water conservation for cooling towers. 

The website for the conference has a link where to register for the conference. 

The title of the Presentation will be: 

"Enhanced Water Conservation, Chemistry Reduction and Water Re-Use Opportunities for Open Loop HVAC Water Treatment".

Visit the conference site and register to attend. Check this blog regularly for updates on the presentation. 

Public Works Digest & Engineering Online Publish US Army Corps of Engineers work with Zeta.

The Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (USACE-ERDC) is part of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (USAERDC), which is the Army Corps of Engineers' integrated research and development (R&D) organization. CERL conducts research to support sustainable military installations.

Research is directed toward increasing the Army's ability to more efficiently construct, operate, and maintain its installations and ensure environmental quality and safety at a reduced life-cycle cost.

For the past four years CERL has been evaluating the Zeta Rod Water Management Systems as a means to reduce water consumption and chemical use in cooling towers. This work is being published in different publications such as:

The Public Works Digest

Engineering Knowledge Online

Zeta Corporation Continues to expand its application to Cooling Towers in Private and Federal Facilities. 

For more information, contact Zeta Corporation, or your local Zeta Corporatio Representative.

 

Zeta Rod® fouling prevention technology integral to ASPEN mobile reverse osmosis water purification systems

ZAMBOTIMES

Sunday, July 17. 2011

WESCOM fights cholera with newest water purification machine
by 6CRGAFP/RVC-PIA9 BaSulTa

ISABELA CITY, Basilan (Philippines)— The Western Command (WESCOM), has deployed its newest water purification machine to barangay Culandanum in the municipality of Bataraza in Palawan to help its residents recover from the tragic cholera outbreak that struck the village, last March that left at least 27 persons dead.

The 6th Civil Relations Group of the AFP said in a statement the project was implemented in partnership with the National Development Support Command (NADESCOM) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Marine Forces in the Pacific (MARFORPAC) of the United States of America to prevent another occurrence of the calamitous incident.

The water purification system brought by the WESCOM and NADESCOM personnel headed by 1Lt Dennis S. Martinez is being used to decontaminate water from the sources found in Bgy Culandanum so that its residents may have safe drinking water.

With the assistance of elements of the 12th Marine Battalion Landing Team (MBLT-12), WESCOM and NADESCOM have been distributing purified drinking water to the residents of the cholera-afflicted village for two weeks already.

They are using the machine to decontaminate water from the water cistern located at the Barangay Hall of Culandanum. Commercial jerry cans are used to distribute the purified water to approximately 1,200 households living in the barangay.

Barangay chairman Joel Pundales said the water purification system was a big help to the crisis they are facing. According to him, tests conducted revealed that almost all of the water from the sources found in their village is contaminated.

On April 1 this year, barangay Culandanum has declared a state of calamity after 27 persons were reported to have died from cholera in under a month. Seven of the victims, according to the barangay chairman, have succumbed to the disease a few minutes after each other.

This month, the barangay health office of Culandanum has received four cholera-related cases. On July 6, another patient from Sitio Linao of Bgy Culandanum was reported to have died from the illness.

Pundales lamented the absence of a safe source, potable water in their barangay. To counter the problem, the barangay has distributed water purification tablet to the households, but this, according to the barangay chairman, is temporary and limited.

In response to the situation, WESCOM, in coordination with the NADESCOM, the Provincial Health Office (PHO) and the local government of Bataraza and its Rural Health Unit (RHU), sent trained operators of the water purification machine, known as ASPEN 2000DM, to Bgy Culandanum to provide safe drinking water to its populace.

The machine, which utilizes reverse osmosis technology, boasts of being the most compact, versatile, full-featured, computer-controlled, energy efficient, mobile reverse osmosis system available today.

It is capable of freshwater and seawater purification and can produce 2000 gallons per day of clean, potable water when using freshwater sources and 1800 gallons of the same when using salt water.

It was donated to the AFP by the United States Marine Corps Forces Pacific (MARFORPAC) at the conclusion of the most recent Balikatan Exercises between the US and the Philippine armed forces.

The machine was initially deployed to Culandanum for 30 days and or until it is needed.

Selected personnel of the MBLT-12 are also undergoing training on operating the machine so that they may be able to operate the equipment by themselves when NADESCOM personnel go back to Manila.

 

US Army Corps of Engineers Publishes Report on Cooling Tower Water Conservation Using Zeta Rod

The US Army Corps of Engineers Engineer Research & Development Center (USACE-ERDC) has been evaluating the Zeta Rod for over four years at four different military bases. 

The main purpose of the evaluation was to be able to determine whether the Zeta Rod could help reduce the amount of water used by evaporative cooling systems in order to meet the water conservation requirements set by Executive Order 13423 while maintaing proper levels of protection against scaling, corrosion and biofouling. 

The first phase to the project was done at Davis Monthan AFB and Fort Huachuca in AZ. The full report has been published by the USACE. 

The results encouraged the USACE to expand the project and include two more bases: Warner Robins AFB in Georgia, and Ft Irwin in California. These two bases were selected given the quality of their water. W-Robins water is extremely soft and corrosive by nature whereas Ft. Irwin's water is extremely hard and with a very high potential for scaling. Davis Monthan and Ft Huachuca's water fall in between these two and remained as part of the project.

The 2-year second phase is scheduled to end in August of 2011 and a final report will be available by December 2011 or January 2012. 

In the meantime, the USACE-ERDC has already been publishing the results from this project. In their website they have published a paper titled: "Electronic treatment reduces water, chemical use in evaporative cooling systems." 

The USACE-ERDC also gave a presentation in the 2011 USACE Infrastructure Systems Conference in Atlanta, GA. Download Non-Chemical Treatment of Cooling Water - Beitelman .

For more information on how can the Zeta Rod help meet water conservation targets in Federal Buildings or help with LEED credits, contact Zeta Corporation at (888) 785-9660.

 

 

Zeta Rod® Systems Receive IAPMO Green Certification

January 1, 2010

Tucson, Arizona -- Zeta Corporation is pleased to announce that its patented Zeta Rod Systems have added IAPMO Research &Testing GREEN certification to their IAPMO listing. The products will now bear the UPC™ NSF/ ANSI 61 GREEN stamp, indicating not only that they continue to conform to the standards for Drinking Water Systems Components – Health Effects and the plumbing and electrical requirements set forth in the Uniform Plumbing Code™ IGC 91-2009, but that their use is considered GREEN because it contributes to water conservation, energy reduction and chemical waste reduction in aqueous processes.

The IAPMO GREEN listing for Zeta Rod Systems is qualified in part by independent research data published in 2009 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Contruction Engineering Research Lab. The 18 month Zeta Rod demonstration/evaluation on evaporative cooling equipment on U.S. military bases documented significant overall water savings on cooling tower make-up water of 20%. By replacing standard chemical water treatment techniques, one installation saved approximately one million gallons of water over a twelve month period, contributing to water conservation and chemical reduction requirements for federal facilities by 2016 set forth by Executive Order of the President of the United States.

For industrial cooling and process water treatment applications, the Zeta Rod particle dispersion technology acheives measurable water conservation because cooling systems are able to operate under higher ratios of concentration without forming scale, biofouling or corrosion, and are able to do so without the addition of chemical additives, leaving the waste water available for irrigation or other gray water uses. In potable water applications, the Zeta Rod, which requires no backflush, is used as an alternative to salt-based water softening devices that require water wasting brine regeneration.

IAPMO, the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, promotes safe and efficient plumbing and mechanical practices and is the organization that develops and maintains the Uniform Plumbing Code. The NSF Part 61 listing as granted by UPC is recognized by NSF, the National Sanitation Foundation, and ANSI, the American National Standards Institute, who develop the standards for drinking water system additives and components. NSF/ANSI Standard 61 is the American National Standard that ensures pipes, tubes, storage tanks and other products that come in contact with drinking water do not contribute levels of contaminants that could cause serious health problems.  Forty-five U.S. states and two Canadian provinces require drinking water system components to comply with NSF/ANSI Standard 61 requirements. 

Zeta Rod systems work by creating a capacitor within the piping that prevents deposition of hard water and mineral scale. Additionally, the system performs to eliminate bacteria-harboring bio-films that adhere to pipe and vessel walls, thereby improving water taste, reducing piping and fixture corrosion, and enhancing overall water quality satisfaction.

Contact:
Zeta Corporation
Rodrigo F.V. Romo, Vice President
rromo@zetacorp.com

US Army Corps of Engineers' Engineer Research & Development Center Reports 20% Water Savings in Cooling Towers with Zeta Rod

From July 2007 to September 2008 the US Army Corps of Engineers' Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC)conducted an independent and thorough comparative study between the Zeta Rod and a conventional chemical water treatment program for cooling towers. Two sites were chosen for the study, Davis Monthan AFB in Tucson, and Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista, AZ.

The study looked at corrosion, scale and biofouling control as the parameters to be used as the metric to evaluate both programs, however, the ERDC had a special interest in water saving capabilities in order to meet requirements set by Executive Order 13423 regarding water conservation. 

This study was also the launching platform for the Zeta Water Management System, which allows remote control, data logging and monitoring of a cooling tower.

The Abstract of the report reads:

 The United States Department of Defense (DoD) has a specific legislative mandate to increase its conservation of water and energy. It also is interested in improving the effectiveness of open-loop, cooling water treatment processes at its installations worldwide, for purposes of extending the useful life of evaporative cooling equipment and reducing energy use/costs. A Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) was approved to demonstrate that, without using chemical additives, a capacitor-based water treatment system is capable of (1)providing equivalent protection to a chemical treatment program in preventing scale, corrosion, and bio-fouling; (2) allowing cooling systems to be operated in an enhanced water conservation mode; (3) delivering measurable reductions in water usage over conventional methods; and (4)providing control, monitoring, and wireless data transfer via the Internet.

Results documented in the subsequent demonstration and evaluation project showed the technology was able to meet every objective and also was able to deliver a 20% reduction in cooling water use over standard chemical treatment methods.

Application of this technology would allow the DoD to (1) reduce chemical usage, exposure, and disposal expenses; (2) conserve water and energy; (3) facilitate water re-use; and (4) meet new goals for conservation of resources.

The complete report can be read and downloaded by going to the following link.

 

Another Satisfied Customer

We received the following unsolicited email from a residential customer in Scottsdale, AZ:

Dear Zeta,

I wanted to write to you and thank you for your wonderful product!  After using it for several months now, I noticed that my pipes were beginning to clear out.  I discovered this because the screens in my faucets started collecting debris and had to be cleaned out repeatedly for a short period of time.  I’ve also noticed that I’m not getting the hard water buildup in my showers like before.  The water here in Scottsdale is extremely hard, and I struggled with it for years.  Now, while I still get some white spotting, none of it sticks!  I’m able to clean the glass and faucets right off with no trouble at all.  Also, it’s nice to be saving the considerable amount of time and money I was spending for the lease and maintenance of my old salt water softener.    

I would highly recommend this product for anyone’s home.  Thank you Zeta!

Regards,

Heidi Bryant

Scottsdale, AZ

The internet has many web forums in which people ask for opinions on several topics. The Zeta Rod has been questioned in several of these forum. Usually negative opinions are given by "trade experts" who have not used, or tested a Zeta Rod. Their opinions are based on their "previous experiences". However, those who have used the Zeta Rod have positive comments about the technology, such as the following entry that was made in one of those forums:

• Posted by dtrimmer (My Page) on

  Tue, Jul 14, 09 at 20:27

I think a lot of the criticism of the Zeta Rod system on this forum has been a bit unfair. First, I have no association of any kind with Zeta Rod. I don't sell or install water conditioning equipment. I do have a degree in chemistry. First, Zeta Rod DOES NOT claim to remove calcium and other dissolved minerals from your water. In fact, they have been very clear that they DO NOT remove anything. Therefore, and chemical test of water that has been conditioned with a Zeta Rod system will have exactly the same chemical composition as the water prior to the test. If you collect some Zeta Rod conditioned water and let it dry, you will get a deposit -- again, exactly what Zeta Rod states. What Zeta Rod DOES claim to do is to keep minerals dissolved in the water, so that they do not precipitate on (coat for the non-chemists) pipes, dishes, sinks, etc. (at least prior to the water evaporating). Zeta Rod also claims that any scale present due to evaporation will be easier to remove than normal scale. I have been using a Zeta Rod system for almost two years and my experience is that both of Zeta Rod's claims are true. Here are the trade-offs between a Zeta Rod and a traditional water softener; at least as I see them: 1. A Zeta Rod system may have a higher installation cost, but a lower operating cost. 2. In municipalities where traditional water softeners are not allowed, the Zeta Rod is a LOT better than nothing. 3. A traditional water softener will remove metals from your water -- the Zeta Rod will not. However, the Zeta Rod does appear to prevent the metals from depositing on pipes and other surfaces (as long as the water is not allowed to evaporate). During the first few months of use, the Zeta Rod also appears to remove any existing scale that has built up on pipes. Based on my personal experience, the Zeta Rod appears to be MORE effective than a salt based water softener at preventing scale buildup on pipes. 4. While the Zeta Rod does not remove anything from the water, it also does not add anything to the water. A traditional water softener replaces metals (usually calcium and magnesium) with sodium and/or potassium, depending on the kind of salt used with the water softener. 5. A traditional water softener should prevent water spots. A Zeta Rod will not prevent water spots. 6. The Zeta Rod system is MUCH smaller than a salt based water softener. If I had to install a new system and salt based water softeners were legal in my area, it would be a pretty close call for me. I would probably opt for the Zeta Rod system because of lower operating costs, smaller size and not lower maintenance (don't have to mess with bags of salt). Cheers, Don

 

Zeta Rod and Tankless Water Heaters

One of the most frequently asked questions we receive from potential residential Zeta Rod customers is whether the Zeta Rod will help protect their Tankless Water Heater from scaling. The answer is: "Yes, the Zeta Rod will prevent scale deposits from forming on the tankless water heater pipes".

The following is a brief description on how tankless water heaters work and why are they susceptible to scale deposits forming on their pipes.

Tankless water heaters are gaining popularity over the older tank water heater model. Some of the advantages that tankless water heaters offer over the older tank design include: reduced floor space, lower energy consumption and endless hot water available on demand .

Tankless water heaters work by rapidly heating the water in a heat exchanger to the desired temperature as the water flows through the heater. The burner of the unit only turns on when there is demand for hot water, this is how it is able to use less energy while providing endless hot water. Older model hot water heaters store water in a tank and heat it up with a burner (or electric heating elements) when the water drops below a certain temperature. This has the inconvenience that the burner may turn on even when there is no demand for hot water.  The following diagram shows a simplified version of a tankless water heater.

Because of the design of the tankless heaters, the water is heated at a very fast rate, forcing the water to come in contact with very hot surfaces on the pipes as it goes through the heat exchanger. This provides conditions that favor minerals in the water to precipitate and form scale deposits on the tube  walls. In places with hard water the problem is exacerbated and precautions must be taken to prevent scaling of the heat exchanger tubes.

Mineral scale is primarily composed of calcium carbonate (hardness in the water) which precipitates from the water under certain conditions (such as high temperature, high pH or high concentrations). Scale has a very low heat transfer coefficient, or thermal conductivity. The thermal conductivity of copper is 384 W/(m*K) and the thermal conductivity of scale is 2.6 W/(m*K). This means that scale is about 140 times less efficient in transferring heat than the copper which is used in the tankless heater pipes. The following graph shows the amount of energy increase that would be required to overcome a layer of scale.

The lower thermal conductivity  of scale has a direct negative effect on the performance of the tankless water heater. Since the amount of heat transfered to the water is reduced, the unit would have to operate at a higher rate in order to try to get the water to the design temperature, which in turn would result in higher energy consumption. If the scale is thick enough, the unit may not be able to heat the water to the desired temperature at all. And if scaling is very aggressive, water flow can be restricted through the unit and it eventually could lead to tube failure.

The Zeta Rod is an ideal low cost and environmentally friendly option to prevent scale formation in tankless water heaters. A Zeta Rod installed in the main water line entering a home will protect the tankless water heater as well as all the fixtures in the house. The following pictures are courtesy of R&G Sales and show a Zeta Rod displayed with a Noritz Tankless Water Heater at Central Arizona Supply. At this show room's display the Zeta Rod protects the tankless heater and the shower fixtures. This picture shows the small floor space that both the tankless heater and the Zeta Rod take.