The present invention relates to water treatment. In one example, there is provided a method of treating an aqueous system to inhibit growth of one or more micro-organisms therein and/or to reduce the number of live micro-organisms therein. The method includes adding treatment agents to an aqueous system wherein said treatment agents include: (a) a phosphonium compound; and (b) a compound having formula:

M(XO.sub.2).sub.n wherein: M is a Group I or Group II metal; X is a halogen; and n is 1 or 2.

A system for reducing evaporative cooling water losses using an electric and magnetic field inducing device is disclosed. The device influences a liquid's properties including evaporation rate, diffusion, vapor, heat transfer rate, and/or fluid properties. The device comprises a malleable core with notches and electrically conductive windings wrapped around the flexible core around the notches. An insulative coating isolates the windings from the core. The device is pliable and is wrapped and/or attached around a conduit (e.g., a makeup line or pipe or a recirculating line or pipe of an evaporative cooling tower) with flowing fluid and current is passed through the windings to treat the fluid.

A composition and method of inhibiting corrosion, white rust, and scale formation on components in a water system. The composition preferably comprises an amino-acid based polymer (most preferably a polyaspartic acid or a salt thereof), hydroxyphosphonoacetic acid, and a second phosphonic acid (preferably a phosphonocarboxylic acid), and does not require the use of regulated metals. The composition is effective even in the presence of biocides. A preferred method of inhibiting white rust comprises adding an amino-acid based polymer or hydroxyphosphonoacetic acid or both to the water system. A preferred method of inhibiting corrosion, white rust, and scale formation comprises adding an amino-acid based polymer, hydroxyphosphonoacetic acid, and a phosphonocarboxylic acid to the water system. Preferably the active concentrations are at least 3 ppm each of the amino-acid based polymer and hydroxyphosphonoacetic acid when added to a volume of water in the water system.

A method for providing magnetic fluid treatment in which at least one electrical conductor comprising at least one length of an electrical conducting material having a first conductor lead and a second conductor lead is energized. The electrical conductor is coiled with at least one turn to form at least one uninterrupted coil of electrical conductor encircling at least a section of an outer surface of a conduit. Energizing the at least one electrical conductor establishes a magnetic field having lines of flux directed along the flow path and concentrated in a non-magnetically conductive region located between two magnetically conductive regions. A fluid is directed through the conduit past the non-magnetically conductive region to provide magnetic fluid treatment to the fluid.

An ion filter installed in a cooling water circulation line of a fuel cell system of a vehicle includes a filter housing disposed on a flow path through which a fluid flows, a filtering element accommodated in the filter housing and configured to filter the fluid introduced into the filter housing, and an inlet communication element provided on an inlet portion of the filter housing and configured to selectively block a flow of fluid introduced into the filter housing from the flow path when the filter housing detached from the flow path.

A composition and method of inhibiting corrosion and white rust on metal components in a water system. The composition preferably comprises an amino-acid based polymer (most preferably a polyaspartic acid or a salt thereof), hydroxyphosphonoacetic acid, and a second phosphonic acid (preferably a phosphonocarboxylic acid), and does not require the use of regulated metals. The composition is effective even in the presence of biocides. A preferred method of inhibiting white rust comprises adding an amino-acid based polymer or hydroxyphosphonoacetic acid or both to the water system. A preferred method of inhibiting corrosion or white rust comprises adding an amino-acid based polymer, hydroxyphosphonoacetic acid, and a phosphonocarboxylic acid to the water system. Preferably the active concentrations are at least 3 ppm each of the amino-acid based polymer and hydroxyphosphonoacetic acid when added to a volume of water in the water system.

Provided is a method for producing a one-liquid stabilized hypobromous acid composition which contains substantially no bromate ions, has excellent sterilization performance, exhibits almost no corrosiveness relative to metals, and displays excellent storage stability. This method for producing the stabilized hypobromous acid composition includes a step in which a reaction is induced by adding, under an inert gas atmosphere, bromine to a mixed solution including water, an alkali hydroxide, and sulfamic acid, wherein the proportion of bromine added is not more than 25 wt % relative to the total weight of the composition.

A method of controlling cooling water treatment may involve measuring operating data of one or more downstream heat exchangers that receive cooling water from the cooling tower. For example, the inlet and outlet temperatures of both the hot and cold streams of a downstream heat exchanger may be measured. Data from the streams passing through the heat exchanger may be used to determine a heat transfer efficiency for the heat exchanger. The heat transfer efficiency can be trended over a period of time and changes in the trend detected to identify cooling waterfouling issues. Multiple potential causes of the perceived fouling issues can be evaluated to determine a predicted cause. A chemical additive selected to reduce, eliminate, or otherwise control the cooling water fouling can be controlled based on the predicted cause of the fouling.

The invention in at least one embodiment includes a system for treating water having an intake module, a vortex module, a disk-pack module, and a motor module. In a further embodiment, a housing is provided over at least the intake module and the vortex module and sits above the disk-pack module. In at least one further embodiment, the disk-pack module includes a disk-pack turbine having a plurality of disks having at least one waveform present on at least one of the disks.

An apparatus, system and method to remove purified vapor from a contaminated fluid including a modified heat exchanger. The heat exchanger comprising an inlet wherein contaminated fluid flows in the heat exchanger through the inlet; at least two outlets wherein a first outlet exits purified vapor and a second outlet wherein contaminated fluid with a portion removed as purified vapor exits the apparatus; an energy source that causes the contaminated fluid to heat to a temperature wherein at least a portion of the contaminated fluid is converted to purified vapor; at least two different flow paths from at least one inlet to the first outlet and second outlet, the first and second flow paths flow through at least a portion of the apparatus wherein differences causes the lighter purified vapor to take a different path than the heavier contaminated with the purified vapor exiting the first outlet and the contaminated fluid exiting the second outlet.