{"en":"Automatic Side-stream Filtration System + Intelligent Backwash: AFS Series Self-Cleaner Significantly Reduces Cleaning Frequency of Cooling Tower Basin","zh-cn":"全自动旁流过滤系统+智能反冲：AFS自净过滤让冷却塔底盆清洗频次大幅降低"}

Automatic Side-stream Filtration System + Intelligent Backwash: AFS Series Self-Cleaner Significantly Reduces Cleaning Frequency of Cooling Tower Basin

Technology Corner 2026-04-15 10:59:03

Common lssues During Cooling Tower Operation

During long-term cooling tower operation, suspended solids in circulating water — such as dust, silt, and microbial slime — gradually settle in the bottom basin. Due to low flow velocity and insufficient hydraulic disturbance, these impurities easily accumulate, forming sediment that thickens and hardens over time. If not removed promptly, this buildup directly reduces heat dissipation efficiency and increases energy consumption. Therefore, regular basin cleaning is a key maintenance measure to ensure stable operation of your cooling tower system.

 


140x140

During actual cooling tower cleaning, the following extreme situations are frequently observed:

  • Sludge buildup several centimeters deep — sometimes completely covering the drain outlet, severely compromising drainage.

  • Hardened scale formation — after prolonged drying, sediments harden into solid scale that cannot be removed by conventional flushing; mechanical scraping is required.

  • Frequent drain piping blockages — sludge and grime accumulate at pipe elbows and valves, rendering the drainage system ineffective and preventing proper wastewater discharge.

 


140x140

The main reasons are: there aren't enough staff on site, the cooling tower can't be shut down for long, and cleaning inside the tower is difficult. As a result, most cooling tower basins are cleaned much less often than they should be—some have never been cleaned at all. This directly worsens water quality and increases energy consumption for the cooling system.

These problems are quietly increasing cooling tower equipment wear and electricity costs. Sediment buildup causes gradual wear that continuously affects the cooling tower's operating efficiency.

►The AFS Series Self-Cleaner: A Proactive Filtration Solution for Cooling Towers

The water-saving, labor-saving, and highly efficient cooling tower purification solution provided by NEWIN regarding above problems is the AFS series self-cleaner — a Cooling Tower Automatic Filtration System that uses Active Side-Stream Filtration + Intelligent Backwash to continuously purify water without interfering with the main loop, reducing blowdown, chemical dosing, and downtime, while cutting O&M costs and maintaining cooling efficiency.
 

300x200
300x200
 

Key Advantages Over Traditional Solutions

 

Traditional Approach

Intelligent Changes Brought by the AFS Series

 Success Stories

  • High labor costs – regular inspections and multiple cleaning steps required.

  • Difficult cleaning – sludge hardens, sediment thickens, dead corners make cleaning harder.

  • Many management blind spots – When multiple cooling towers are scattered across the site, there is no centralized monitoring, making it difficult to detect problems in time.

  • Fully automatic operation, no manual intervention needed – Equipped with a Siemens PLC controller, the system automatically initiates backwash based on differential pressure monitoring or preset time intervals, greatly reducing manual operation frequency.

  • Remote centralized control and management – Supports remote monitoring and control of multiple cooling tower units; operating status and alarm information are clearly displayed on the monitoring screen.

 

Actual Results: Significantly Reduced Cleaning Frequency of the Bottom Basin

Based on NEWIN's operating data collected from various working conditions:

Site conditions 

Base pan cleaning frequency without AFS

Base pan cleaning frequency with AFS

 General indoor environment
(e.g., office buildings, shopping malls)

Every 3 to 6 months

A check every 1 to 2 years is sufficient, and most require no cleaning

Dusty environment
(e.g., factories, roadside)

Every 1 to 2 months

A quick rinse every 6 to 12 months is all that is required


AFS filtration system parameters specify basin cleaning area (see data sheet). Match nozzle coverage with basin dimensions for consistent anti-sedimentation performance.

Model

AFS-25

AFS-40

AFS-50

AFS-65

AFS-80

AFS-100

AFS-125

AFS-150

AFS-200

AFS-250

AFS-300

Filtration Flow Rate
m3/h

4-6

11-16

18-25

30-42

45-63

71-99

110-155

157-223

283-396

442-618

636-890

Pump
kw

0.75

1.5

2.2

3

5.5

7.5

11

15

22

30

55

Dimension
(mm)

L

1500

1650

1750

2100

2200

2850

3340

3550

4300

5200

6000

W

600

600

700

700

800

1100

1280

1420

1600

1880

2250

H

1200

1500

1600

1800

2000

2400

2700

3060

3900

4050

4400

Dry weight(kg)

220

240

270

310

450

540

820

980

1430

1890

2550

Operating  weight
(kg)

230

270

310

380

570

780

1260

1730

2880

4860

8550

Recommended Basin Cleaning Area（m2）

2.4 

6.4 

10.0 

16.8 

25.2 

39.6 

62.0 

89.2 

158.4 

247.2 

356.0 

For users needing to reduce manual basin cleaning and improve operational stability, the AFS side-stream filter offers proven technical and economic value. Contact us at sales@newinmachine.co for a customized solution to improve cooling tower efficiency, prolong service life, and increase production benefits.

> For more about NEWIN AFS series Cooling Tower Automatic Filtration System
> Relatived Project