Against the backdrop of the booming development of Cambodia's power industry, the stable operation of water treatment systems in power plants is directly related to the safety and efficiency of generator sets. As a key piece of equipment in the water treatment process, sodium hypochlorite generators, with their characteristics of on-site production, safety, reliability, and strong adaptability, have gradually become the core choice for water disinfection and anti-corrosion treatment in Cambodian power plants, providing an important guarantee for the sustainable development of local power production.
I. Practical Needs for Water Treatment in Cambodian Power Plants
Cambodia has a tropical monsoon climate, with high temperatures and humidity throughout the year, leading to rapid reproduction of microorganisms in water bodies. This places extremely high demands on the water quality of systems such as circulating cooling water and boiler feed water in power plants. If the circulating cooling water system is not thoroughly disinfected, algae, bacteria, and other microorganisms are prone to breeding, forming biological slime, which can cause pipeline blockages, reduce heat exchange efficiency, and increase unit energy consumption. Improper treatment of boiler feed water can lead to scaling and corrosion of the boiler due to impurities and microorganisms in the water, and in severe cases, may even cause safety accidents such as tube bursts.
Traditional chlorine disinfection methods have many drawbacks: chlorine is a highly toxic gas, and there is a risk of leakage during transportation and storage. Once a leak occurs, it poses a great threat to the surrounding environment and personnel safety. When sodium hypochlorite solution is transported as a finished product, it is prone to decomposition and failure in Cambodia's high-temperature environment, and the transportation cost is relatively high. These problems make traditional disinfection methods unable to meet the needs of long-term stable operation of Cambodian power plants, highlighting the urgent need for a safer and more efficient disinfection technology.
II. Working Principle and Technical Characteristics of Sodium Hypochlorite Generators
A sodium hypochlorite generator is a device that produces sodium hypochlorite solution on-site by electrolyzing brine. Its core working principle is to utilize electrode reactions in the electrolytic cell. Under the action of a direct current electric field, chloride ions lose electrons at the anode to generate chlorine gas, while hydrogen gas and sodium hydroxide are produced at the cathode. Chlorine gas reacts rapidly with sodium hydroxide in the solution to form sodium hypochlorite, which has strong oxidizing properties.
The technical characteristics of this equipment are quite prominent: Firstly, it realizeson-site production and immediate use, eliminating the need to store large quantities of hazardous chemicals, thus fundamentally reducing the safety risks in transportation and storage links. Secondly, it has ahigh degree of automation. It can accurately control parameters such as electrolytic current, brine concentration, and sodium hypochlorite output through a PLC control system, meeting disinfection needs under different working conditions. Thirdly,raw materials are easily available. It uses salt and water as the main raw materials. Cambodia is rich in salt resources, resulting in low procurement costs and no dependence on imports. Fourthly, it hasstrong adaptability. It can adjust the concentration of sodium hypochlorite according to water quality conditions, making it suitable for treating water bodies with different pollution levels.
III. Application Advantages of Sodium Hypochlorite Generators in Cambodian Power Plants
(I) Significantly Improved Safety
Compared with traditional chlorine disinfection, sodium hypochlorite generators produce sodium hypochlorite solution on-site, avoiding the risk of chlorine leakage. The equipment is equipped with complete safety protection devices, such as overcurrent protection, overvoltage protection, and hydrogen emission systems, to ensure safety during operation. In a coal-fired power plant in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, after using sodium hypochlorite generators, there has not been a single safety accident caused by disinfection equipment, marking a qualitative leap in safety records compared to the previous use of chlorine disinfection.
(II) Significantly Reduced Operating Costs
In terms of raw material costs, the price of local salt in Cambodia is low, and the cost per ton of salt is only about one-third of that of imported finished sodium hypochlorite solution. In terms of maintenance costs, the structure of sodium hypochlorite generators is relatively simple, with few vulnerable parts. Daily maintenance mainly involves replacing electrodes and cleaning the electrolytic cell, resulting in low maintenance costs. Data from a Cambodian power plant shows that after adopting sodium hypochlorite generators, the annual water treatment cost has been reduced by approximately 30% compared to using finished sodium hypochlorite solution.
(III) Stable and Reliable Disinfection Effect
Sodium hypochlorite generators can adjust the dosage of sodium hypochlorite in real-time according to water flow and pollution levels, ensuring that the residual chlorine concentration in water remains within the specified range. In the circulating cooling water system of a gas-fired power plant in Koh Kong Province, Cambodia, after using sodium hypochlorite generators, the total number of microorganisms in the water has been controlled below 100 per mL, and the pipeline corrosion rate has dropped to below 0.05mm/a, both meeting excellent industry standards and ensuring the stable operation of the unit.
(IV) Environmental Performance Meets Requirements
The main reaction products of sodium hypochlorite generators are sodium hypochlorite, hydrogen gas, and a small amount of sodium hydroxide. Hydrogen gas can be safely discharged or utilized after collection, without generating toxic and harmful waste. This is in line with Cambodia's increasingly strict environmental protection policies, avoiding the risk of penalties due to pollution caused during disinfection.
IV. Analysis of Practical Application Cases
(I) Sihanoukville 2×350MW Coal-Fired Power Station
This power station is one of the larger installed capacity coal-fired power stations in Cambodia. Its circulating cooling water system processes a large amount of water and has high requirements for disinfection effect. The power station has adopted two large sodium hypochlorite generators, each capable of producing 500L of sodium hypochlorite solution with an effective chlorine content of 10g/L per hour. Since the equipment was put into operation, algae and bacteria in the circulating cooling water system have been effectively controlled, the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger has remained above 90%, and there have been no shutdown accidents caused by biological slime. At the same time, the automatic control system of the equipment has achieved seamless integration with the power station's DCS system, enabling remote monitoring of the equipment's operation status and greatly reducing manual operations.
(II) A Small Hydropower Station in Siem Reap
Due to the hydropower station's location in a remote area with inconvenient transportation, the cost of transporting finished sodium hypochlorite solution is high and the supply is difficult to guarantee. Therefore, the power station has selected a small sodium hypochlorite generator, which uses local salt as raw material to meet the disinfection needs of boiler feed water and domestic water. The equipment covers a small area, is easy to install, and only requires one operator for daily maintenance, making it very suitable for application scenarios in small power stations. After more than a year of operation, all water quality indicators have met the standards, and the equipment failure rate is below 5%, providing strong support for the stable operation of the power station.
V. Challenges Faced in Application and Solutions
(I) Challenges Faced
- Unstable Power Supply: Power supply in some areas of Cambodia is fluctuating. Sodium hypochlorite generators have high requirements for voltage stability. Excessive voltage fluctuations may cause abnormal operation of the equipment, affecting the output and quality of sodium hypochlorite.
- Water Quality Differences Affect Equipment Lifespan: There are significant differences in water quality from different water sources in Cambodia. Some water sources have high hardness and turbidity, which easily form scale in the electrolytic cell, shortening the service life of electrodes and increasing maintenance frequency.
- Lack of Professional and Technical Personnel: The commissioning and maintenance of sodium hypochlorite generators require professional knowledge. However, there are few local personnel in Cambodia who master relevant technologies. When equipment fails, it often relies on external technical support, affecting maintenance efficiency.
(II) Solutions
- Equipping Voltage Stabilizing Equipment: When installing sodium hypochlorite generators, supporting voltage stabilizing power supplies should be installed to ensure that the equipment can operate normally during voltage fluctuations. For power stations in remote areas, small generators can be considered as backup power sources.
- Strengthening Water Pretreatment: Add a pretreatment system, such as a sedimentation tank and filter, at the front end of the sodium hypochlorite generator to reduce the hardness and turbidity of the water, and reduce scaling in the electrolytic cell. At the same time, regularly perform acid cleaning and maintenance on the electrolytic cell to extend the service life of the electrodes.
- Carrying Out Localized Training: Equipment suppliers should cooperate with local vocational colleges in Cambodia to carry out training on the operation and maintenance of sodium hypochlorite generators, cultivating local professional and technical personnel. Establish equipment maintenance service centers to improve the speed of fault response.
VI. Prospects for Development
With the continuous development of Cambodia's power industry, new power plant construction and renovation projects of existing power plants will continue to increase, and the demand for water treatment equipment will also grow. Sodium hypochlorite generators, with their characteristics of safety, efficiency, economy, and environmental protection, have broad application prospects in Cambodian power plants.
Chlory has been committed to the research, development, and production of sodium hypochlorite generators. In the future, sodium hypochlorite generators will develop towards intelligence and energy conservation. By introducing Internet of Things technology, remote diagnosis and predictive maintenance of equipment will be realized. New electrode materials will be adopted to improve electrolysis efficiency and reduce energy consumption. At the same time, with the improvement of localized production and service systems, the cost of sodium hypochlorite generators will be further reduced, and their application range will continue to expand, contributing more to the green and sustainable development of Cambodia's power industry.
The sodium hypochlorite generators independently developed by Chlory have been successfully deployed in key fields such as power plants, waterworks, and seawater desalination plants in Southeast Asian countries including Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos. With their excellent stability, efficient processing capacity, and comprehensive high-quality service system, the equipment not only ensures the safety and efficiency of water treatment but also has won wide recognition and high praise from end-users with its outstanding practical application effects.