In this episode of Chemical Processing's Distilled podcast, Editor-in-Chief Traci Purdum talks with water treatment expert Brad Buecker about the hidden risks of remote cooling systems scattered around large plants. Buecker explains how scale formation and microbiological fouling quietly degrade heat transfer, why cooling towers concentrate impurities and complicate chemistry, and why monthly vendor visits often aren't enough. He stresses online instrumentation, reliable biocide feed and trained staff who act on data. Buecker also shares cautionary tales, including a boiler kept online to earn $30,000 that required more than $2 million in repairs, and his family's connection to Legionnaires' disease.

In this episode of Chemical Processing's Distilled podcast, Editor-in-Chief Traci Purdum talks with water treatment expert Brad Buecker about the hidden risks of remote cooling systems scattered around large plants. Buecker explains how scale formation and microbiological fouling quietly degrade heat transfer, why cooling towers concentrate impurities and complicate chemistry, and why monthly vendor visits often aren't enough. He stresses online instrumentation, reliable biocide feed and trained staff who act on data. Buecker also shares cautionary tales, including a boiler kept online to earn $30,000 that required more than $2 million in repairs, and his family's connection to Legionnaires' disease.

Remote Cooling System Failures Are Rarely Sudden

In a chemical facility, choosing the person who feels safest is understandable. These are high-risk environments where poor decisions can affect production, people and plant. Nobody wants to experiment with leadership when the consequences of getting it wrong can be dire.
The problem is that competence is not the same as readiness, and familiarity is not the same as low risk. When succession decisions repeatedly favor the people who already look, sound and operate like current leaders, organizations may believe they are reducing risk. In reality, they may be reproducing it.
Listen to this In Case You Missed It episode of Lauren Neal's workforce column. <a href='https://www.chemicalprocessing.com/voices/workforce-matters/article/55407842/the-safe-pair-of-hands-problem-in-succession-planning'>You can read the column here.</a>

In a chemical facility, choosing the person who feels safest is understandable. These are high-risk environments where poor decisions can affect production, people and plant. Nobody wants to experiment with leadership when the consequences of getting it wrong can be dire. The problem is that competence is not the same as readiness, and familiarity is not the same as low risk. When succession decisions repeatedly favor the people who already look, sound and operate like current leaders, organizations may believe they are reducing risk. In reality, they may be reproducing it. Listen to this In Case You Missed It episode of Lauren Neal's workforce column. You can read the column here.

In a chemical facility, choosing the person who feels safest is understandable. These are high-risk environments where poor decisions can affect production, people and plant. Nobody wants to experiment with leadership when the consequences of getting it wrong can be dire.
The problem is that competence is not the same as readiness, and familiarity is not the same as low risk. When succession decisions repeatedly favor the people who already look, sound and operate like current leaders, organizations may believe they are reducing risk. In reality, they may be reproducing it.
Listen to this In Case You Missed It episode of Lauren Neal's workforce column. <a href="https://www.chemicalprocessing.com/voices/workforce-matters/article/55407842/the-safe-pair-of-hands-problem-in-succession-planning" rel="noopener noreferrer">You can read the column here.</a>

The ‘Safe Pair of Hands’ Problem in Succession Planning

In this Minute Clinic, we tackle font size requirements in regard to alarm management.

In this Minute Clinic, we tackle font size requirements in regard to alarm management.

Minute Clinic -- Operator Performance: Font Size Matters

This Minute Clinic episode offers straight-forward solutions to help operators make better decisions.

This Minute Clinic episode offers straight-forward solutions to help operators make better decisions.

This Minute Clinic episode offers straight-forward solutions to help operators make better decisions.&nbsp;

Minute Clinic -- Easy Solution to Improve Operator Performance

Diagrams and line labeling could save thousands of dollars when it comes to operator performance.

Diagrams and line labeling could save thousands of dollars when it comes to operator performance.

Minute Clinic -- Operator Performance: Diagrams and Line Labelling

In this Minute Clinic, we learn how to calculate total operators required to cover a post position.

In this Minute Clinic, we learn how to calculate total operators required to cover a post position.

In this Minute Clinic, we learn how to calculate total operators required to cover a post position.&nbsp;

Minute Clinic -- Operator Performance: Calculate Total Operators Required

Many companies use targets to drive design and that can lead to negative consequences.

Many companies use targets to drive design and that can lead to negative consequences.

Minute Clinic -- Operator Performance: Alarm Targets

In today’s Minute Clinic, we learn about alarm redundancy without alarm duplication.

In today’s Minute Clinic, we learn about alarm redundancy without alarm duplication.

In today’s Minute Clinic, we learn about alarm redundancy without alarm duplication.&nbsp;

Minute Clinic -- Operator Performance: Alarm Redundancy

<div class="podcast-description">The Chemical Processing Distilled podcast extracts essential elements to serve engineers designing and operating plants in the chemical industry.</div>

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The Chemical Processing Distilled podcast extracts essential elements to serve engineers designing and operating plants in the chemical industry.

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