Prevent biofouling growth
Algae can grow in the cooling tower itself and on the grids from the tower. This could lead to enormous disadvantages of biofilm in cooling towers. Therefore, water used in cooling towers needs frequent treatment and chemical shocks to keep levels of micro-organisms to a minimum.
The LG Sonic Industrial Line allows for reducing chemical dosage and offers local treatment where biofouling growth can’t be prevented with chemicals.
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What is a cooling tower?
A cooling tower is a heat-rejection system that removes waste heat from industrial processes and HVAC systems by circulating water and exposing it to air. Warm water from the process is pumped over the tower’s fill, where a portion evaporates and carries the heat away, and the cooled water is then recirculated. Power plants, manufacturing sites, data centres, and large buildings all rely on them to keep equipment within safe operating temperatures.
That constant recirculation of warm, oxygen-rich, sunlight-exposed water makes cooling towers an ideal environment for algae and bacteria. Growth takes hold inside the tower itself and on the grids and fill, forming biofilm that reduces heat-transfer efficiency, drives up chemical demand, and accelerates corrosion. Because the water is in a closed loop rather than an open reservoir, the problem is one of biofilm control on surfaces, not surface blooms, which is why cooling towers need localised, in-system treatment.
What defines a cooling tower system?
Cooling towers differ from open water bodies in ways that shape how fouling must be handled:
- Recirculating loop: the same water cycles continuously rather than sitting in an open body.
- Warm and aerated: evaporative cooling keeps water warm and oxygen-rich, ideal for microbial growth.
- Surface biofilm risk: fouling forms on grids, fill, and internal surfaces, not as a floating bloom.
- Efficiency-critical: biofilm directly reduces heat transfer and raises energy and chemical costs.
Why cooling towers need localised, in-system algae control
Cooling towers differ from open water bodies because the issue isn’t a bloom on a surface; it’s biofilm forming inside a recirculating system. In a cooling loop, billions of bacteria bind together in a slimy matrix (EPS); once they settle and stop moving, they become a biofilm, and algae, weeds, parasites, and other organisms attach to that layer. The consequences are directly operational: higher chemical consumption, corrosion of system components, and increased power demand as fouling degrades heat-transfer efficiency. Conventional management relies on frequent chemical shocks to hold microorganism levels down, an ongoing cost that still leaves areas where chemicals cannot reach.
The LG Sonic Industrial Line addresses this at the source, applying low-power ultrasound directly within the system to suppress biofilm formation where chemical dosing falls short. It works without cavitation and releases no algal toxins, reducing chemical consumption, protecting components from corrosion, and keeping heat-transfer surfaces clear so the tower runs at designed efficiency.
Tips for cooling ponds
Benefits of ultrasonic algae treatment
Lower chemical expenses
Improve operations of filters and pipes
Prevent toxic algal blooms
Biofilm formation in cooling towers
- Low-power ultrasound, no cavitation
- No release of algal toxins
- 100% safe for the environment
Biofouling in cooling tower systems
In a cooling system there are billions of bacteria which are held together by a slimy substance (EPS). The formation of a biofilm, or biofouling comes into existence when the bacteria stops moving, settles down and becomes part of a biofilm. To this layer, other organisms such as algae, weeds, parasites, muscles or even barnacles may attach.
Due to biofouling- negative effects may occur such as increased chemical consumption, corrosion and increases in power requirements of the system.
Industry guidance on cooling tower operation describes how cooling towers function as heat rejection systems that rely on continuous water circulation and exposure to environmental conditions.
MPC-Buoy
All-in-one solution for controlling algae in drinking water reservoirs.
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Frequently asked questions
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What is the impact of LG Sonic ultrasound on zooplankton?
Recent studies commissioned by the Dutch water board and conducted by research agency Ecofide have concluded that the LG Sonic ultrasound is safe for fish, plants, zooplankton, and other aquatic organisms.
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Why control the algae if nutrients are the problem?
Reducing nutrients is, of course, also necessary but difficult to achieve, even in the long-term. The majority of nutrient management methods are costly and require frequent dosing with unknown side-effects for the aquatic ecosystem. Besides, the duration and intensity of algal bloom events is strongly depended not only on nutrients but also on a combination of environmental factors, such as climate change, weather patterns, and an unbalanced ecosystem.
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What kind of water does your ultrasound work in?
The MPC-Buoy technology can be installed in freshwater, salt water, and brackish water.
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What’s the largest water body that has LG Sonic implemented? Any issues linking many buoys?
We have multiple projects with large numbers of MPC-Buoy units installed. For example, in Dominican Republic, 50 MPC-Buoys are in operation in a 7km2 reservoir. The buoys communicate with each other for optimal treatment.
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What's the minimum depth of water required for LG Sonic treatment?
We recommend a minimum water depth of 3 feet / 1 meter.