Chemistry

Boiler Water Treatment

Industrial boilers and steam raising plant are used extensively in many commercial, manufacturing and industrial processes. The control of boiler water pH and alkalinity levels are important issue affecting the operation and maintenance of industrial boiler systems and steam raising plant. The treatment and conditioning of boiler feed water must satisfy three main objectives:

1. Continuous heat exchange

2. Corrosion protection

3. Production of high quality steam

External treatment is the reduction or removal of impurities from water outside the boiler. In general, external treatment is used when the amount of one or more of the feed water impurities is too high to be tolerated by the boiler system.

Internal treatment can constitute the unique treatment when boilers operate at low or moderate pressure, when large amounts of condensed steam are used for feed water, or when good quality raw water is available.

At the elevated temperatures and pressures within a boiler, water exhibits different physical and chemical properties than those observed at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Chemicals may be added to maintain pH levels minimizing water solubility of boiler materials while allowing efficient action of other chemicals added to prevent foaming, to consume oxygen before it corrodes the boiler, to precipitate dissolved solids before they form scale on steam-generating surfaces, and to remove those precipitates from the vicinity of the steam-generating surfaces.