WHERE DOES THE SCALE GO?
Some of the dissolved solids are precipitated to form large random shaped crystals which when wet will settle out as sludge or when dry become amorphous powder. This sludge will settle to the bottom of boilers or in the basin of cooling towers where they are removed by blow down or flushing. Side stream solids separation equipment can be effective in removing these solids from some systems. A portion of the existing scale will return to solution and be carried away in the bleed off. The rest of the scale may fall off in softened pieces and have to be physically removed from the system several times during the clean up period. It is a slow but safe way to remove scale.
