Abstract
The future industrial use of water will continue its current trend toward recycling of poorer quality waters particularly for cooling system makeup and boiler feedwater. Most of our water sources will continue to degrade to higher salinity, higher suspended solids, organics, and phosphates. We will be discharging less waste-water because treatment and recycling will be more economical than the fees for noncompliance. New technology in equipment and chemicals will enable much greater recycling in cooling and boiler water systems, with energy conservation continuing to be fine-tuned.
The next 100 years will also include greatly improved water system monitoring tied to computer-controlled chemical feed, thus reducing manpower requirements but enabling more efficient use of chemicals. Results will provide longer equipment life, less cleaning, more efficiency in heat transfer, more efficient steam production, and greater effluent reduction.
