Reduction of Antimicrobial Formation on HVAC Water Cooling Towers using Chromium Oxide (Cr2O3) Coating

Abstract

Nearly all buildings employ a cooling tower as part of their heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. Water is used in an HVAC system's heat-transfer process. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has mandated that HVAC systems must be cleaned twice a year in order to prevent pneumatic infections. In particular, photocatalytic coatings, which are hydrophobic and antibacterial, are used to meet the harsh environment requirements at the microscale. In this study, water cooling tower coating systems were employed to test their efficacy. Stainless steel made up the samples. The samples had chromium oxide (Cr2O3) as the base coating and varying thicknesses of ytterbium oxide (Yb2O3) on top. To guarantee that the samples in the model had enough water around them and the necessary airflow to keep them from always being submerged, samples were placed in a water splash zone. For six months, the samples were left alone. Also, to evaluate the various effects, some samples were left in the shade while others were left in the sun.