Prevent Contamination and Corrosion in Demineralized Water Storage Tanks Using Nitro...

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Prevent Contamination and Corrosion in Demineralized Water Storage Tanks Using Nitrogen
Sparging and Blanketing

Prevent Contamination and Corrosion in

Demineralized Water Storage Tanks Using
Nitrogen Sparging and Blanketing
07/01/2015 | David J. Connaughton

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More Jobs
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The electric power generation industry relies heavily on demineralized and deionized water
Territory Sales Manager - Exacter, Inc. -
during process operations. Managing the water supply is critical not only under normal San Francisco, Northwest US Region
operating conditions, but also during outages. (http://jobs.powermag.com/jobseeker/job/22441284/)

When scheduled or unscheduled outages occur, many boiler and pre-boiler systems are T&D Transmission Superintendent - City
drained. After the outage, they are refilled with water that has been held in large storage of Garland - Anderson, TX
(http://jobs.powermag.com/jobseeker/job/24448990/)
tanks and is therefore aerated, typically with high concentrations of dissolved carbon dioxide,
carbonates, and oxygen. When aerated water is introduced at startup, components can get
Service Manager - Nixon Power Services
corroded, thereby harming the boiler system. Many demineralized water storage tanks are - Lawrenceville, GA
dosed with ammonia and hydrazine to reduce the oxygen content. These mitigation practices, (http://jobs.powermag.com/jobseeker/job/24440669/)
however, increase by about 10 times the concentration of carbonate due to the formation of
ammonium carbonate.

Dynamic Duo: Sparging and Blanketing Post a Job

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Post a Resume
To prevent corrosion in boiler feedwater tanks, nitrogen sparging and blanketing practices (http://jobs.powermag.com/r/jobs/post/post.cfm?
site_id=2669)
should be considered. Sparging and blanketing practices, when combined, introduce near-
pure nitrogen into the water tanks and maintain a protective layer of nitrogen. In other words,
nitrogen sparges the water to remove any dissolved oxygen and CO2, and humid air in the
headspace of the tankcontaminated with oxygen and CO2is replaced by pure, inert
nitrogen. This may be maintained by a precise valve-control system that automatically adjusts
the nitrogen content to maintain the protective blanket as the tank is filled or emptied, or by
simply having a continuous purge of low-pressure nitrogen.

Typically, when a water tank is sparged, sintered stainless steel plates or rods, called sparging
elements, are used to purge the water on a continuous basis. Advantages of nitrogen
sparging and blanketing are many. First and foremost, by filling the boiler and feedwater
system with deaerated water with low concentrations of oxygen and carbon dioxide,
corrosion and iron and copper oxide scale are minimized. Furthermore, faster startups are
possible because of less iron and copper. These practices also reduce energy costs because
they eliminate auxiliary steam for deaerators, and they eliminate storage tank contamination.
Most Read () Most Commented ()

Nitrogen: Delivered or Produced on Demand?

Most Shared ()

There are four ways industrial plants may obtain nitrogen. The nitrogen can be received from
a supplier as a gas in high-pressure cylinders, received as a liquid in microbulk tanks (dewars), Most Read
received as a liquid delivered to bulk liquid tanks, or produced on demand at the facility. Coal Ash Bill Clears U.S.
House (http://www.powermag.com/coal
High-pressure cylinders typically do not contain enough nitrogen for sparging and would -ash-bill-clears-u-s-house/)
need to be replaced often. Microbulk tanks may contain enough nitrogen for sparging, but 25 Differences Between Private Sector

they continuously evaporate nitrogen and would need to be regularly replaced. Bulk delivered and Government
Managers (http://www.powermag.com/25
nitrogen is transported by tanker truck and stored in a large insulated vessel mounted to a
-differences-between-private-sector-and-
poured concrete slab and protected by a fence. The generating company would typically need government-managers/)
to pay for the slab and fence, but the gas company usually owns the tank. Expert: 90% of U.S. Population Could Die
if a Pulse Event Hits the Power
Delivered nitrogen requires very little maintenance and creates the perception that there is an Grid (http://www.powermag.com/expect

endless supply. Gas companies offer five-year delivery contracts, ensuring a steady source of -death-if-pulse-event-hits-power-grid/)
Understanding Coal Power Plant Heat
nitrogen. However, these contracts do not guarantee price, and cancellations are often
Rate and
required one year in advance. Efficiency (http://www.powermag.com/understanding
-coal-power-plant-heat-rate-and-
Alternatively, nitrogen can be created by pressure swing adsorption nitrogen generators for efficiency/)
an electrical cost of about $0.15/ccf (hundred cubic feet) versus delivered nitrogens cost of at Europes Largest Energy Storage Project

least $0.70/ccf (prices vary depending on servicecylinders or dewarsand distance from Begins
Construction (http://www.powermag.com/europes
-largest-energy-storage-project-begins-
construction/)

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Prevent Contamination and Corrosion in Demineralized Water Storage Tanks Using Nitro... Page 3 of 7

supply). One thing to consider in cold climates is that an on-site nitrogen generator must
usually be installed in a weather-protected area and may take up indoor space, so site
planning is a must.

Nitrogen generators are capable of producing up to 99.999% pure compressed nitrogen at

dew points to 70F from nearly any compressed air supply. The generators are designed to
continually transform standard compressed air into nitrogen at safe, regulated pressures
without operator attention, thereby eliminating unexpected shutdowns due to bad or
empty cylinders. It should also be noted that in order to comply with the American Society of
Mechanical Engineers (ASME) corrosion prevention specification CRTD-66, systems must
generate nitrogen of at least 99.6% purity.

Ensure a Safe Environment

Tweets Follow

There are safety issues to keep in mind wherever nitrogen is being used. Although 78% of the POWER magazine 13h
air we breathe is nitrogen gas, it is only safe to breathe when mixed with the appropriate @POWERmagazine

amount of oxygen. The two gases cannot be detected by smell, so a nitrogen-enriched Public Power and IOUs: The Same Yet Different
powermag.com/public-power-a
environment, which depletes oxygen, must be detected with special instruments. If the
concentration of nitrogen is too high (and oxygen too low), the human body becomes oxygen
POWER magazine 25 Jul
deprived, resulting in asphyxiation. @POWERmagazine
Wave Energy: Size Matters
Nitrogen generators, such as those from Parker, feature a built-in oxygen analyzer that powermag.com/wave-energy-si
Expand
measures the oxygen concentration of the nitrogen stream. The system requires a nominal
feed pressure of 110 psig and can operate at pressures up to 140 psig. The resulting nitrogen POWER magazine 24 Jul
@POWERmagazine
has a dew point as low as 58F.
South Africa Outlines Plans to Tackle Power
Crisis powermag.com/south-africa-o
Such generators also use high-efficiency pre-filtration to remove all contaminants down to Expand
0.01 micron from the compressed air stream. The filters are followed by dual-pressure vessels
POWER magazine 23 Jul
filled with carbon molecular sieve (CMS). In one vessel at operating pressure, the CMS Tweet to @POWERmagazine
adsorbs oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water vapor. The other vessel, operating at low pressure,
releases the captured oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water.

Cycling the pressures in the CMS vessels causes all contaminants to be captured while letting
the nitrogen pass through the online vessel and contaminants to be released to regenerate
the CMS in the standby vessel. A final sterile-grade filter ensures removal of any microbial
contamination, which is important to prevent microbial growth in the boiler feedwater.
Nitrogen purities can be set with a flow control valve. Reducing the flow increases purity,
while increasing flow decreases purity.

On-site nitrogen generators are typically freestanding, housed in a cabinet, or skid-mounted.

They come as complete packages with pre-filters, final filters, and a nitrogen buffer tank. They
are also simple to install, maintain, and operate. The plant only needs to connect a standard
compressed air line to the inlet of the generator (after ensuring that a sufficient supply of VIDEOS & INFOGRAPHICS
compressed air is available) and attach the outlet to a nitrogen line.

Nitrogen may also be used for boiler layup during outages. Proper layup of the boiler is
critical, because a boiler can be laid up for an indefinite period (see Layup Practices for Fossil
Plants (http://www.powermag.com/layup-practices-for-fossil-plants/) in the February 2013
issue). If the boiler is cool, then air can infiltrate and cause corrosion and pitting, maintenance
issues, startup delays, and water chemistry problems. Its the near-pure nitrogen that serves
as the primary weapon and technology for eliminating such issues because it doesnt (http://powermag.com/long-form-stories/bw-
introduce foreign chemicals into the boiler. power/)

A U.S. Power Industry Regulatory Update

Installation (http://powermag.com/long-form-stories/bw-
power/)

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Prevent Contamination and Corrosion in Demineralized Water Storage Tanks Using Nitro... Page 4 of 7

When connecting a generator to a large tank of water, it is important to prevent backflow of An interactive overview of where all the major
federal industry regulations stand as of Labor
the water into the generator in the event compressed air is lost. A check valve may be used,
day. Presented by: B&W
but a more reliable method is to run a vertical leg above the level of the water overflow pipe
(the highest water level in the tank) and then back down again into the nitrogen generator. Visit our video archive (/power-video-
With this plumbing configuration, if the compressor goes down, water in the line would only archive/)
rise as high as the level of the water in the tank. Therefore, water would not flow back into the
generator and cause damage to the generator (Figure 3).
July 24, 2015

Power-to-gas brings a new focus to

the issue of energy storage from
renewable sources

Source: U.S. Department of Energy National Renewable Energy Laboratory

INDUSTRY NEWS

(http://cdn.powermag.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/PWR_070115_FOM_Fig3.jpg)
Nuclear plant safety report concerns
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north
-west-wales-33655038)
3. Typical sparging system. Extending the vertical riser above the highest possible liquid level in the tank

prevents backflow into the nitrogen generator. Source: Parker Hannifin Corp. Gas Production Triples in Two Years
(http://www.theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/638518.ht

However, theres more to installation than simply running a nitrogen line to the overflow. To ENGIE signs liquefied natural gas deal with
Kansai Electric
get the real benefit, the water would have to be purged with nitrogenrequiring a
(http://transportationandstorage.energy-
distribution grid and spargers at the bottom of the tank. business-review.com/news/engie-signs-
liquefied-natural-gas-deal-with-kansai-

Put Nitrogen Safety Training into the Mix electric-220715-4631126)

Sagemcom to deliver electricity and natural

Besides following strict confined space procedures where nitrogen is concerned, part of the gas smart metering system
(http://utilitiesretail.energy-business-
lockout/tagout procedure for any confined space should be to physically isolate the source of
review.com/news/sagemcom-to-deliver-
nitrogen from all downstream piping. This is typically accomplished using a spool piece in the electricity-and-natural-gas-smart-metering-
piping that can be easily removed prior to maintenance and reinstalled following completion. system-230715-4631114)

Nitrogen should never be added to a confined space that will later be entered by plant
Duke Energy acquires 20MW Shawboro solar
power plant in Carolina (http://solar.energy-
personnel during an outage. Nitrogen should only be used where the equipment is left full of business-review.com/news/duke-energy-
water and no one will be entering the equipment. acquires-20mw-shawboro-solar-power-plant
-in-carolina-220715-4631119)
Handling and working around nitrogen requires several precautions to ensure safety. The
Yingli plans to build 50MW solar power plant
following come courtesy of the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board: in China (http://solar.energy-business-
review.com/news/yingli-plans-to-build-
Use ventilation systems, retrieval systems, and atmospheric monitoring equipment, and 50mw-solar-power-plant-in-china-220715-
train workers how to use them and how to determine when they are not working properly. 4631125)

SunEdison builds solar power plant in

Inform workers of the dangers of nitrogen-enriched atmospheres and provide systems to Massachusetts (http://solar.energy-business
prevent interchanging breathing air and nitrogen. -review.com/news/sunedison-build-solar-
power-plant-in-massachusetts-220715-
4631118)
Implement good hazard communication, including information on safe handling of air and
nitrogen delivery systems. Plummeting natural gas prices slash
revenue of Marcellus shale producers
(http://triblive.com/business/headlines/8748211
-74/gas-prices-companies)

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Prevent Contamination and Corrosion in Demineralized Water Storage Tanks Using Nitro... Page 5 of 7

Establish mandatory safety practices and procedures for entry into confined spaces, such as Implications of Natural Gas Pooling on
Natural Gas Infrastructure & Market in India
requiring permits, providing an attendant, monitoring spaces periodically, ventilating
(http://prsync.com/market-reports-on-
continuously, establishing rescue teams, and ensuring adequate contractor oversight.
india/implications-of-natural-gas-pooling-on
-natural-gas-infrastructure--market-in-india-
Ensure workers take precautions when working around equipment that may contain 727143/)
elevated levels of nitrogen.
Earth to Environmentalists: Celebrate
Florida's Turn to Natural Gas
Clarify the reason for special fittings on compressed gas cylinders.
(http://www.forbes.com/sites/judeclemente/2015/07/26/earth
-to-environmentalists-celebrate-floridas-turn
Train on the proper use of air supply equipment. -to-natural-gas/)

Training should cover new and revised procedures for confined space entry and should INDUSTRY PRESS

establish measurements for employee proficiency. Contractors, as well as employees, should

Ansaldo Energia awarded three major
be trained.
contracts in Egypt worth over EUR 240
million (http://www.powermag.com/press-
With proper safeguards in place, nitrogen sparging and blanketing practices offer a method releases/ansaldo-energia-awarded-three-
to ensure high-purity demineralized water is maintained at power plants. The choice between major-contracts-in-egypt-worth-over-eur-
on-site nitrogen generation and relying on a gas supplier should be investigated based on the 240-million/)
advantages and disadvantages presented in this article. Whatever the choice, only safe system Below-The-Hook And Material Handling
Equipment
implementation can assure a proper return on investment.
(http://www.powermag.com/press-
releases/below-the-hook-and-material-
David J. Connaughtonis product manager for the Filtration and Separation Division of Parker handling-equipment/)
Hannifin Corp. ADA Carbon Solutions Focuses on
Leadership in MATS Compliance with Key
Promotions within its Research and
Development Department
PRINT MODE : ON (http://www.powermag.com/press-
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More Stories You Might Like promotions-within-its-research-and-
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Supreme Court Strikes Down EPAs MATS A Brief History of In-Stack PM Measurement Solvay and Enirgi Chemicals join forces to
Rule (http://www.powermag.com/supreme- (http://www.powermag.com/a-brief-history-of market SOLVAir solutions
court-strikes-down-epas-mats-rule/) -in-stack-pm-measurement/) (http://www.powermag.com/press-
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