EWK HELPS COMPLY WITH THE NEW REGULATIONS ON LEGIONELLOSIS PREVENTION IN FACILITIES
On January 2, 2023, the new Royal Decree 487/2022 came into effect, establishing the health requirements for the prevention and control of Legionnaires’ disease.
LEGIONELLA PREVENTION IN FACILITIES
The health requirements for Legionellosis Prevention are established, with Article 6 describing the “Requirements for facilities and water quality,” and Annex III providing the following details:
The design and materials used in the facilities and equipment will prevent the formation of scale, microbial growth, and biofilm. The materials used in the hydraulic system will also withstand the aggressive action of water and chemical disinfectants or, if applicable, thermal treatment.
EWK EQUIPOS DE REFRIGERACION S.A, aware of the problem of bacterial proliferation on the surfaces of water storage areas, has been offering SANIPACKING® materials for some time. While these materials have been used for years in the manufacture of filling and droplet separators, they are now also offered in the tower casing itself, providing better protection for its surfaces.
SANIPACKING® materials are manufactured using additives that are embedded in the material itself (not a later impregnation that can be easily removed by cleaning and/or disinfection), ensuring their effect lasts throughout their lifetime. This material helps prevent bacteria from proliferating on its surface. EWK cooling towers equipped with SANIPACKING® anti-legionella casing, filling, and droplet separators offer enhanced protection in all areas susceptible to water accumulation and, consequently, legionella proliferation.
LEGIONELLA PREVENTION IN COOLING TOWERS
LOCATION
In Part B of Annex III, specifically referring to cooling towers and evaporative condensers, it states:
Location: “…they shall be located in a way that minimizes the risk of exposure to aerosols. To this effect, they shall always be placed as far away as possible from people and from air conditioning or ventilation intakes, both their own and those of adjacent buildings.”
In this regard, EWK advises all its clients during the project phase to find the best location within their facilities. Thanks to their compact and lightweight design, EWK cooling towers can be installed on terraces, patios, or even in inaccessible or small spaces.
ACCESSIBILITY
The installations and their components shall be accessible to ensure that interventions such as inspections, maintenance, cleaning, disinfection, sampling, and inspections can be properly carried out.
EWK provides access doors and windows for both the filling and droplet separator, facilitating all these inspection or maintenance tasks. Additionally, it facilitates the installation of stairs and platforms for cases where access to a certain height is required.
SAMPLING POINTS
Sampling points: The installations must have accessible points for taking samples for physicochemical and microbiological analysis, as well as for measuring disinfectant levels. These points shall be located as far away as possible from the water supply and from the injection or dosing of the disinfectant. In addition to having an accessible point in the basin, sampling points should also be available in the return pipe. It is recommended that the installation have a sampling device in the water return circuit to the tower.
EWK manufactures towers in a personalized manner, ensuring that the connection points and drains are located in the most suitable places for each installation, according to the client’s instructions.
DROPLET SEPARATORS
Droplet separators: They must have highly efficient droplet separation systems, with the water carryover rate being less than 0.002 percent of the circulating water flow rate.
All EWK refrigeration equipment is supplied with droplet separators that guarantee a loss percentage between 0.000