Unit 3 Track Park

5 Track Crescent
Montague Gardens
7441
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Cell: 082 601 9633

BOILER WATER TREATMENT

Presented by
Adrian Estcourt
AQUACARE
March 2009

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 SECTION 1 - PRINCIPLES OF WATER TREATMENT

1. Introduction
A boiler in basic terms is nothing more than a container in which heat can be
transferred from one media through the walls of the container to water. Because
thermal energy transport is directly related to cross-sectional area, boilers are
designed to contain the maximum amount of surface area to volume ratio which
will enable structural rigidity and reasonably controllable operation. With the
ever increasing cost of materials and fuel, design engineers are continuously
challenged to produce higher efficiency boilers and optimise the materials of
construction whilst maintaining structural rigidity.
This trend in turn challenges the Water Treatment Company to provide chemical
treatment programmes and technical back up service which will allow the boiler
plant to operate at maximum efficiency while ensuring extended equipment
operating life.

2. The Steam Circuit

A typical steam circuit is described as follows. Water which enters the boiler is
referred to as boiler feedwater. Boiler feedwater may be made up of make up
water and one or more sources of return condensate. Make up water is raw
water which may be pre-treated for use in the boiler to remove specific
impurities. Examples of pre-treatment are softener, demineraliser, reverse osmosis
and de-alkaliser plants. In most instances a softener unit is commissioned to
remove hardness from the water. Due to the high capital cost, demineraliser
and reverse osmosis plants are seldom used in low pressure industrial boiler plants.
Return condensate is steam which has been condensed back to water through
the process and is returned for further use in steam production. The impurities
present in return condensate will differ from the make up water depending on
factors such as the type of process involved and potential contaminants, plant
operating conditions, materials in use etc. Boiler water refers to the water which
is heated inside the boiler to produce steam. Due to the evaporation process
and introduction of make up water, the level of impurities increases in the boiler
water and these must be controlled at specified levels through boiler water
blowdown.
3. Water Impurities
Impurities may be classified into three types:
Dissolved solids
Dissolved gasses
Suspended solids
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 Pure water does not exist in nature and impurities vary widely. While one may
consider rain water to be pure, before the water has reached the earth's surface
it has absorbed pollutants, oxygen and carbon dioxide. Due to the high solvency
of water, additional impurities are dissolved from the land surface. A few
examples include:
Calcium Carbonate (limestone)
Magnesium Carbonate (dolomite)
Calcium Sulphate (gypsum)
Magnesium Sulphate (epsom salts)
Silica (sand)
Sodium Chloride (common salt)
Iron
If all waters carried the same impurities, treatment could zero in on a nearly standard
programme for each use. This is however not the case and water quality varies
across South Africa depending on the type of ground material. Chemical treatment
must therefore be designed to handle specific conditions and potential problems.

4. Deposit Formation in Boilers

Due to evaporation in the boiler, the concentration of dissolved impurities
increases to the point where they precipitate out of solution and adhere to the
heat transfer surfaces forming boiler scale. Certain minerals such as Calcium
Carbonate experience inverse solubility, whereby the higher the temperature,
the less soluble the material. For this reason these types of minerals will tend to
exceed their solubility at the high temperature steel surfaces and form deposits
while remaining soluble in the bulk water.
The deposits typically found in boilers include:
Calcium Carbonate
Calcium Phosphate
Silica
Iron
In most instances the ingression of hardness into the boiler is the major cause of
scale formation and highlights the importance of efficient softener plant
operation. Consider a boiler plant running continuously at 10 Tph with a
feedwater hardness of 10ppm. If one allowed this hardness to deposit in the
boiler then the scale build up would be almost one ton over a one year period.
The energy implication of scale deposits is significant as shown in the example
below.

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 For example, a 1mm deposit consisting mainly of carbonate will result in a 1.8%
increase in fuel consumption. Therefore a boiler plant running continuously at 10
Tph will consume an additional 130 tons of HFO per annum. Assuming HFO costs
R 3 000-00 per ton, this equates to energy wastage of R 390 000-00 per annum. If
the 1mm scale deposit consists mainly of iron/silica, then this increase in fuel costs
escalates to R 1 300 000-00.
Further problems caused by scale deposits are;
Failure of boiler tubes due to overheating of the metal
Corrosion of the metal surface under the deposit
Increased boiler cleaning expenses to remove the deposit

5. Corrosion
Corrosion is the loss of metal as it oxidises back to the ore form, for example iron
reverts to iron oxide. The corrosion mechanisms involved are extremely complex
electrochemical reactions and as such will not be dealt with in this paper. Of
importance, however, is that corrosion can be uniform over the metal surface or
localised, resulting in deep pits in the metal. Pitting corrosion caused mainly by
dissolved oxygen is severe and can result in premature replacement of boiler
tubes, feedwater lines and condensate return lines.
Corrosion can be experienced in four areas:

Feedwater System: Caused by low pH, dissolved oxygen and

carbon dioxide.

Operating Boilers: Caused by high or low alkalinity, dissolved

Standby Boilers:
oxygen and deposits in the boiler. The corrosion
process is accelerated by high temperatures
and stresses in the boiler.
Corrosion of boilers during out of service periods
can be severe when correct lay up procedures
are not followed. The major causes of corrosion
are oxygen pitting and low alkalinity.

Steam / Condensate System: Caused by carbon dioxide / carbonic acid,

oxygen and process contaminants.

The cost of corrosion is immense, resulting in production downtime and high costs
for equipment replacement. To retube a boiler can cost between R 300 000-00
and R 500 000-00. A further problem associated with corrosion is the deposition
of corrosion products (iron, copper) on the boiler tubes which results in increased
fuel costs and further underdeposit corrosion.

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 The secret for preventing high corrosion rates in the boiler is through the
formation and maintenance of a magnetite layer (Fe3O4) on the metal surface.
The ability to use inexpensive carbon steel material for boiler construction, where
the metal surface is in contact with water at high temperatures and pressures, is
due to the reaction that takes place between iron an oxygen-free alkaline water
to form magnetite. The maintenance of this corrosion resistant layer is the
difference between success and failure.
With this in mind, effective corrosion prevention can be achieved by:
Removing dissolved oxygen from the feedwater
Maintaining correct alkalinity levels in the boiler
Keeping metal surfaces clean and deposit free
Protecting boilers during standby periods
Chemically treating corrosive gasses in the steam / condensate system.

6. Steam Quality
Poor steam quality results from a combination of poor boiler water quality and
poor boiler operation. The steam produced from the boiler should always be as
dry as possible and contain minimal dissolved solids. Boiler water carryover results
in poor quality steam and is caused through two problem areas:

Foaming: Bubbles form on the boiler water surface and

leave with the steam. Foaming is caused by
high TDS, high suspended solids and
contaminants such as oils, greases, fats and
certain organics.
Oil, in particular, can cause major problems due
to the saponification process where it reacts
with caustic in the boiler water to form soaps.

Priming: This is a more severe form of carryover where a

sudden surge of boiler water is drawn into the
steam line. Priming can be caused by
operating the boiler above its rating, sudden
changes in steam demand and finally by
operating the water level in the boiler too high.

Carryover results in dissolved solids entering the steam / condensate system and
forming deposits. The deposits will have a negative effect on heat transfer and
will increase corrosion in the system. Where live steam is used, carryover will result
in process contamination and production losses eg. food industry.

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7. Chemical Treatment Programmes
Having discussed the potential problems existing in the boiler plant we can now
look at prevention of these problems through the application and control of a
chemical treatment programme. It follows that the objectives of the programme
would be to:
Prevent scale deposits in the boiler system
Minimise corrosion in the boiler system
Assist in producing good quality steam

In order to achieve these objectives, the composition of the chemical

programme must be able to perform the functions listed below.
React in some manner with the feedwater hardness and prevent it from
forming scale in the boilers
Disperse any suspended solids or sludge in the boiler and prevent deposits
of this material
Remove dissolved oxygen from the feedwater thereby preventing pitting
corrosion
Provide sufficient alkalinity to minimise boiler corrosion
Provide antifoam to minimise boiler water carryover
Protect the steam / condensate system against corrosion
Boiler water treatment technology has advanced significantly over the past
century. Antiscalants can be divided into two categories, namely stoichiometric
reactants which chemically react with feedwater impurities to change their
chemical structure and then nonstoichiometric reactions which alter the
behaviour of impurities.
Some examples are shown below:

Stoichiometric Reactants Nonstoichiometric Reactants

Carbonate Natural Organics – Lignins
Phosphates - Tannins
Chelants - Starches
Synthetic - Polyacrylates
Polymers - Polymethacrylates
- Styrene/Maleic
Phosphonates

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Phosphate based programmes are termed precipitating programmes whereby
impurities such as calcium are brought out of solution to form a loose sludge in
the boiler water. The ability to use this type of programme effectively is based on
the addition of organic polymers in the treatment, which condition and disperse
the suspended solids and allow them to be removed through blowdown without
depositing on the boiler tubes. With correct application and control this
programme is used with excellent results.
Solubilising programmes include chelants (NTA, EDTA), polymers, metal
dispersants and organic sludge conditioners. The use of chelants (NTA, EDTA) is
often avoided because of the potential corrosiveness, particularly when they are
incorrectly applied. Polymer type solubilising programmes prevent scale
formation by distorting crystalline growth of the scale and dispersing the small
particles as colloids.
Chemicals used for oxygen scavenging are almost exclusively sulphite and
hydrazine which can both be catalysed to increase their rate of oxygen removal.
Each product has its merits and selection is generally based on boiler operating
conditions and food grade approval. Some characteristics of the two products
are shown below:
Sulphite has food grade approval while hydrazine does not
Both are catalysed, however sulphite will remove oxygen more rapidly at
low temperatures
Sulphite increases boiler water TDS while hydrazine does not
Sulphite reacts with oxygen at an 8 : 1 ratio while hydrazine reacts at a 1 : 1
ratio. Generally, hydrazine is more cost effective
Hydrazine will actively promote metal passivation while sulphite will not
Hydrazine is volatile and will provide condensate line protection. Being
non-volatile, sulphite does not provide this function
Both products are suitable for offline lay-up of boilers
Condensate line protection is achieved by using either neutralising amines,
filming amines or a combination. Neutralising amines will neutralise carbonic
acid formed in the steam / condensate system and raise the ph to non-corrosive
levels. Filming amines coat the metal surfaces and provide a physical barrier
against the corrosive condensate. This is particularly effective when oxygen
corrosion is a problem.

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 SECTION 2 – MANAGING YOUR WATER TREATMENT PROGRAMME

With the advanced technology available to the water treatment industry and the
proven effectiveness of the products in use, one would expect to find deposit and
corrosion free conditions existing in all boilers. This is however not the case as many
boilers under treatment are opened for inspection and found to be either heavily
scaled or severely corroded. The question is obviously raised at this point as to why
poor results are being experienced. It must be understood that the chemicals being
used are not magical and therefore cannot do the job alone. Achieving an
excellent result is probably 30% due to product performance and 70% due to the
application and the control of the programme and boiler operation. Poor results are
therefore almost always due to poor management.
When selecting the correct water treatment for a plant, there are basically three
areas which the engineer must consider;
Results
Costs
Service
Engineers may vary in their opinion as to which factor is the most important to them.
However, it has been proven over and over that all three areas are strongly
interdependent and must be correctly managed to achieve effective results. Let us
look at each aspect more closely.

1. Results
The boiler water treatment programme used on the plant must able to
produce the desired results in terms of a deposit free boiler, minimal corrosion
and good steam quality. Without this prime objective in mind we are truly
wasting our time and money.
Results are directly dependent on the following basic factors;
a. Select the right type of treatment for your plant.
For example, don’t use uncatalysed sulphite when your feedwater
temperature is very low, don’t select non food grade approved
products if your factory requires this approval, don’t use acidic products
when your feed alkalinity is low etc.
b. Dose the chemical treatment correctly.
This is probably the most commonly found area of mismanagement and
leads directly to poor results. The basic rules for dosing the treatment
should be closely followed.
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 Wherever possible avoid the dilution of the chemicals with water (apart
from sulphite powder)
Dose scale inhibitor and oxygen scavenger products separately
Use sufficiently sized holding tanks
Never hand dose the chemicals
Inject the oxygen scavenger as far from the boiler as possible to allow
reaction time
Use a proportional to feed dosing system. This can be effected by an
electrical interlock between the boiler feedwater pump and the
chemical dosing pumps in situations where the boiler water level is
controlled by on/off operation of the feedwater pump. A modulating
feed valve system will not suit this arrangement. The most effective
proportional system consists of a feedwater meter with pulse generator
which drives the chemical dosing pumps. This system ensures the correct
concentration of chemicals under all conditions of load, and will also
give an indication of the boiler plant steaming rate. It also allows for
dosing of more than one boiler and can be used to calculate your
treatment cost per m3 feedwater. To ensure reliable and uninterrupted
dosing, select good quality chemical pumps with readily available
spares and back up service.
c. Ensure continuous soft water supply.
Softener operation is critical to achieve results. The majority of scale
deposits found in boilers are directly connected to hard water entering
the boiler. Some chemical treatment programmes are designed to
handle intermittent hardness ingression but extended high levels of
hardness will lead to scale deposition.
Once again the basic rules must be followed to ensure soft water supply.
Select the right size unit for your plant
It is preferable to install a duplex system which will supply soft
water at all times
Make sure the regeneration is automated and set to the correct
frequency
Service and maintain the unit regularly
Add the correct quantity of salt to the brine tank
Test water at least once a day

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 d. Protect the standby boilers against corrosion.
Corrosion in boilers is in most instances caused during offline or standby
conditions. Oxygen pitting is most commonly found and results in
devastating localised metal loss leading to costly re-tubing of the boiler.
Correct treatment of standby boilers under wet conditions is therefore
essential and the following guidelines should be followed.
Boilers which are shut down for short periods (2 – 3 days) should have a
sulphite residual control of 100ppm at all times. The slightly higher
sulphite residual does not have a major impact on chemical costs
For longer storage periods the boiler must be slug dosed with correct
quantity of oxygen scavenger and alkalinity builder
Ensure that the chemicals added are completely mixed in the boiler by
either heating or recirculating the boiler water.
Fill the boiler completely with water to protect the steam space. A small
header drum can be connected to the top of the boiler.
Sample and test the standby boiler regularly
e. Monitor the conditions of your plant regularly.
Your chemical supplier will offer an onsite service which will vary in
frequency between once a month and once a week. Whatever the
frequency, it is imperative that daily tests be conducted by either your
laboratory or boiler house personnel. The purpose of regular testing is to
identify problems before damage has taken place requiring expensive
rectification. The testing methods can be simple and will take minimal
time to complete.
Softener: TDS, Hardness
Feedwater: TDS, Hardness, pH
Condensate: TDS, Hardness, pH
Boiler: TDS, OH Alkalinity, Sulphite

2. Costs
This aspect appears to be foremost on the minds of many engineers, and is
often the deciding factor when selecting a water treatment programme. The
"penny-wise pound foolish" principle can often apply in these cases with the
cheapest option turning out to be the most costly. Treatment costs must
therefore be carefully considered together with the factors of service and
results. The simple part of the decision appears to be selecting the most cost
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 effective treatment for your plant, thereafter the hardest part is maintaining
actual costs close to that predicted. Actual costs must be closely monitored
on a regular basis as part of the management system and related back to the
expected figures.
Chemical treatment costs will depend on:

Scale Inhibitor: Dosage rate and unit price.

Oxygen Scavenger: Dosage rate and unit price (feed temperature
has a direct impact on dosage rate).
Condensate Treatment: Dosage rate and unit price

The most efficient method of evaluating cost is related to feedwater usage.

And example would be as follows;

Product Dosage on Feed Unit Price Cost per m3 feed

Scale Inhibitor 50ppm R 20-00/kg R 1-00
Oxygen Scavenger 80ppm R 20-00/kg R 1-60
Condensate 10ppm R 30-00/kg R 0-30
Treatment
Total Treatment Cost = R 2-90/m3 feed

Therefore, a plant with an annual feedwater usage of 50 000m3 will expect to

spend R 145 000-00 on water treatment. Underdosing the programme will give
lower cost and poor results, while overdosing will not improve the result in
proportion to cost and is therefore money wasted. Assuming no major
changes in plant operating conditions, a well managed water treatment
programme will give actual costs close to that expected.

3. Service
Customers are strongly dependent on the technical service and expertise of
their supplier. This service must go further than merely analysing boiler water
samples once or twice a month and should consist of a package which is
geared to complete management of the water treatment programme. The
technical representative responsible for your account is therefore the most
important person as he/she must ensure that all facets of the service package
are in place.
These services include;
Ensuring correct treatment programme is used
Ensuring correct dosing procedures and equipment are used

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Ensuring good softener operation
Site visits, analysis and recommendations
Establishing in-house monitoring with feedback system
Training
Monitoring of feedwater usage, softener usage and condensate return
percentage
Check consumption of products against that expected
Calculate the cost per m3 feedwater and report back on a regular basis
Carry out boiler inspections and keep photographic record
Problem solving

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 SECTION 3 – OTHER ENERGY CONSIDERATIONS
1. Boiler Blowdown
Boiler blowdown represents an area of energy loss in the boiler plant which can
be optimised to ensure good control of impurities, steam quality and efficient
boiler operation.
Blowdown is generally controlled on the basis of boiler water TDS between the
ranges of 2 000 – 3 500ppm for a 10 Bar boiler. A more applicable blowdown
control in terms of energy is to consider the cycles of concentration in the boiler.
If we consider the relationship between fuel required (kg/ton steam) and the
boiler cycles of concentration, the optimum cost effective operation is reached in
the range of 25 – 30 cycles. Increasing above this does not result in any significant
fuel saving and could lead to poor quality steam due to the increased potential
for boiler water carryover. In addition, operating the boiler at unnecessarily high
cycles will concentrate any contaminants or suspended solids entering the boiler
to problematic levels.
For example, a boiler plant with a feedwater TDS of 200ppm operated at 10
cycles will result in a boiler water TDS of 2000ppm and a blowdown fuel
requirement of 2.2kg HFO/ton steam.
If this boiler were to operate at 15 cycles or a TDS of 3000ppm, then the blowdown
fuel requirement would be 1.4kg HFO/ton steam. The fuel saving would then be
0.8kg HFO/ton steam. Once again using a 10Tph boiler in continuous operation,
the fuel saving would be R 210 000-00 per annum.

2. Feedwater Temperature
Increasing the feedwater temperature will reduce the chemical oxygen
scavenger requirements and more significantly decrease the boiler plant fuel
consumption. It must be noted, however, that increasing the feedwater
temperature through deaerator operation or a silent steam heater in hotwell will
not reduce overall fuel usage.
In order to gain this saving, the feedwater temperature must be increased via
some means of waste energy recovery such as:
Economiser operation to recover flue gas waste heat
Lagging of condensate return lines and hotwell
Increasing the quantity of condensate return
Heat recovery from the blowdown water
If we consider the relationship between fuel required (kg/ton feedwater) and the
feedwater temperature, the potential savings are significant. For example, raising

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the feedwater temperature from 400C to 600C for a boiler operating continuously
at 10Tph, will result in a HFO saving of approximately R 630 000-00 per annum.

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