An experimental study on the bulk precipitation mechanism of physical water treatment for the mitigation of mineral fouling

The present study investigated the mechanism of physical water treatment (PWT) using particle count analyses of water. The PWT method utilized in the present study included catalytic devices and low-voltage–high-frequency device through which water continuously recirculated. Concentrated hard water at electrical conductivity of 2300–2700 μS/cm was circulated in the study at two different flow rates (i.e., 500 l/h and 800 l/h) at the room temperature. After 66 h of operation for each test, the total number of particles in water for the PWT cases increased by 165–540% as compared with those for the no-treatment cases, depending on the flow rate used. The present particle counting results provided a support for the bulk precipitation hypothesis as the mechanism of PWT, which is essentially an electro-flocculation process.