About Boiler Feed Water Systems

Purpose and Scope 2

About Deaeration 2
Deaeration Principles 2
Deaeration System Description 2
Deaeration Operation 3
Types of Deaerators 4
Tray Deaerator 4
Spray Deaerator 4
Deaeration System Equipment 5
Vent 5
Storage Section 5
Boiler Feed Water Pumps 5
Deaeration System Process Water and Gases 6
Boiler Feed Water 6
Make-Up Water 6
Process Condensate 6
Boiler Feed Water Treatment 7
Corrosion and Corrosion Control 8
Corrosion 8
Removal of Dissolved Gases 8
Removal of Suspended Solids/ Dissolved Solids 9

Author: Trish Tintinaglia Quality Reviewer: Trish Tintinaglia Approver: John Blyth
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Purpose and Scope

Purpose This chapter provides information on the deaeration of boiler feed water in hydrogen plants. The topics
include the principles of deaeration, deaerator operations, BFW contaminants and treatment and boiler
feed water pumps.

Scope This chapter applies across The Linde Group worldwide.

About Deaeration

Deaeration Principles

Purpose of The major function of deaeration is to remove the non-condensible gases from boiler feed water. The
deaeration deaerator is a pressure vessel in which the process condensate and make-up water are vigorously
stripped by steam as they travel through the stripping column.
Stripping is a physical separation of dissolved gases from liquid. Steam serves as a stripping agent as
well as heating medium for the condensate loaded with gases. The effluent water from the stripper is
considered corrosion free, as it is free from dissolved gases and used as boiler feed water.

Deaeration Since oxygen and carbon dioxide have little or no solubility in boiling water, steam is used to heat
process venting make-up water and condensate. It is heated to the saturation temperature corresponding to the
deaerator operating pressure.
To ensure and speed the removal of these gases, the deaeration process takes place in an enclosed
vessel that has a vent for the released gases to exit.

When is a Deaerators are required for boiler feed water systems that supply water to a steam drum. They are
deaerator required to:
required • Minimise corrosion in piping, feed water pumps, condensate systems by removing dissolved
gases.
• Provide system storage and surge protection in addition to providing positive suction head for the
boiler feed water pumps.

Deaeration System Description

System The deaeration system includes the following equipment:

equipment • Deaerator – Used to strip the dissolved gases from process condensate.
• BFW pumps – Used to pump the deaerated boiler feed water to the steam drum.
• BFW treatment - Chemical injection to the deaerator/ BFW system to control corrosion.
A flow diagram of this system is shown below:

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Deaeration Operation

Vessel sections Deaerator is a pressure vessel with 2

major portions.
1. The vertical section packed with
trays or packings is the stripper or
contactor.
2. The bottom horizontal portion is
used for storage.

Optimising For optimum removal of the dissolved gases within the physical limits of the deaerator, the following
removal of conditions need to be met:
dissolved gases • Make-up steam must be free of non-condensible gases.
• The contact area between the condensate and surrounding steam should be maximised.
• Some carrier steam needs to be vented to transport the non-condensible gases from the
deaerator.

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Types of Deaerators

There are two principal types of deaerators. These are discussed below:

Tray Deaerator

Description With a tray deaerator, the inlet water is sprayed into a steam atmosphere, providing a large surface
area for efficient preheating and primary removal of dissolved gases.
In the stripping section, water is spread out in thin films by means of trays in order to maximise the
contact of steam with water and to ensure intimate mixing.
The stripping takes place as the steam passes through the films of water overflowing from the trays. In
some applications, packing is used instead of trays.

Stripping section The stripping section provides intimate contact between the condensate laden with dissolved gases
process and the steam used for stripping. The condensate and the make-up water enter the top of the stripping
unit and flow down by gravity. The steam enters below the contactor and passes upward.
Part of the stripping steam condenses in the course of heating the process condensate and make-up
water. The trays in the stripping section serve as a contacting surface where the dissolved gases are
stripped from the condensate water.
There will be tray stack consisting of tray elements so that the steam and the water are intermingled in
a counter current fashion. The spring loaded spray valves and distributors are used to disperse the
liquid.

Spray Deaerator

Description Spray deaerators are less commonly used in steam methane reformer.
In this unit, the inlet water is sprayed in to the steam atmosphere, providing a large surface area for
efficient preheating and primary release of dissolved gases.
The spray valves used increase the surface area of the water entering the vessel which improves heat
transfer and the release of non condensible gases. From the preheating section, the water flows into a
steam stripping section. In the stripping section, residual gases are released as the water is subjected
to the vigorous stripping action of steam passing through it.

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Deaeration System Equipment

Vent

Description of Non-condensible gases must be expelled continuously from the stripper at the rate at which they are
process liberated. They are routed to a vent connection from the top of the stripping unit as a plume to the
atmosphere. In various locations, local environmental regulatory considerations require the vent to be
piped to a scrubbing section or flare instead of to atmosphere.
These vented gases or plumes also confirm that the amount of stripping steam admitted to the
deaerator is sufficient for its purposes.
Proper venting and steam/ water contact are necessary to achieve the lowest measurable
concentrations of non-condensible gases.

Minimising In certain designs, to avoid wastage of excessive steam venting along with the non-condensible gases,
excessive venting a vent condenser is used to concentrate the non-condensable gas vapour mixture as it leaves the
stripper of the deaerator. In this way, a very small amount of steam is passed to the atmosphere
ensuring that the deaerator is adequately venting at all times and not wasting the heating energy of
the steam.

Storage Section

Section Below the stripping section, a horizontal reservoir is provided to collect the boiler feed water, stripped
description of the dissolved gases. The hold up time of these reservoirs is about 9-10 minutes.
Oxygen scavengers are added to the storage section to remove any traces of oxygen not stripped out
via mechanical deaeration.

Material of Typically, the material of construction of the deaerator reservoir is carbon steel and all the wetted parts
construction in the stripping section are stainless steel.

Boiler Feed Water Pumps

Description Boiler feed water (BFW) pumps are used to pump the water from the deaerator storage to the steam
drum. These are typically multistage centrifugal pumps.
The pumps are designed with enough extra head, at design rate to get the water into the steam drum
when the steam drum is at relief valve pressure.

Materials of BFW pumps normally have a carbon steel casing with 12 % chrome internals.
construction

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Pump description At least two pumps are provided in BFW service. One is on-line while the other is on 'auto standby'.
BFW pumps are provided with an external, minimum flow by-pass return line, which is piped separately
to the deaerator. The minimum flow protection is very critical to protect the pump from damage when
the steam drum does not need water flow. If there was no flow through the pump, practically all of the
pumps horse power would turn into heat, which can vaporise the liquid and damage the pump
internals.

Deaeration System Process Water and Gases

Boiler Feed Water

BFW quality and The water added to the steam drum or the boiler is called boiler feed water (BFW). In steam methane
composition reformer (SMR) plants, process condensate is recycled to the boiler supplemented by make-up water.
The composition of the feed water depends on the quality and the quantity of the process condensate
and the make-up water. With increasing pressures within the steam drum, the maximum limits of
impurities are reduced significantly.
Limits for the impurities are generally established by the boiler manufacture.

Make-Up Water

Make-up water Make-up water for the deaerator is the supplemental water, used after pretreatment and
description demineralisation to make up for the losses in the steam system.

Process Condensate

Description Process condensate is the excess steam condensed during the process gas cooling phase of the steam
methane reformer (SMR) process.
Process condensate makes up the major portion of the total boiler feed water make-up stream. This
gets collected in the condensate knock out pots normally installed prior to the pressure swing
adsorption (PSA) units.

Gases contained Condensate is loaded with carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. Ammonia, nitrogen, and methanol
in condensate can also be present under certain reaction and operating conditions. Process condensate can also
contain dissolved solids such as iron originating from the pipework.

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Recycling process Process condensate is very valuable. Maximising the quality of returned condensate requires proper
condensate mechanical and chemical treatment.
There are benefits in recycling the process condensate after removing these dissolved gases in the
deaerator.
• Firstly, the process condensate is generally high in purity when compared to raw water and hence
reduces the amount of make-up water needed. This is a way of conserving water.
• Secondly, the process condensate is hotter than the make-up water and the amount of heat
required to make steam will be reduced significantly.

Boiler Feed Water Treatment

Boiler feed water Boiler feed water (BFW) contains impurities that fall into 3 categories, all of which can cause damage to
impurities plant equipment:
1. Suspended solids - impurities that do not dissolve in water. Suspended solids tend to separate
from water and can cause turbidity in water. Typical examples are rust, dirt.
2. Dissolved solids - solids that do dissolve in water. Commonly encountered dissolved solids are
chlorides, sulfates of calcium and magnesium salts.
3. Dissolved gases - Oxygen in make-up water and the dissolved gases in the steam methane
reformer (SMR) process condensate fall into this category as condensate can be loaded with
dissolved gases such as carbon dioxide, oxygen and ammonia.

Objectives of BFW The main objectives of BFW treatment are:

treatment 1. Reduce the corrosion of metals - corrosion can lead to loss of material and metal oxide
contamination.
2. Prevent the formation of scaling and deposits - fouling and scaling can reduce heat transfer which
can lead to high metal temperatures and eventual failures.

Removing Based on the type of treatment, BFW contains contaminants resulting from pretreatment system upsets
impurities or process contamination in returned condensate and continuous monitoring is very important to
equipment and the SMR process.
There are 2 approaches to removing impurities in the steam generating system:
• External treatment
• Internal treatment

External This refers to any process used to improve the quality of water such as the pretreatment techniques
treatment used in raw water treatment.

Internal This refers to the addition of chemicals to bring the levels of impurities to acceptable levels. Internal
treatment treatment essentially complements the external treatment process and a sound approach is to use
good external treatment in conjunction with a well planned chemical treatment.

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Corrosion and Corrosion Control

Corrosion

What is corrosion Corrosion is the chemical attack on a metal surface which results in loss of metal. The classic example is
formation of rust from iron.

Metals natural All metals have a natural tendency to corrode. It is a naturally occurring phenomenon and poses a
tendency to constant threat to plant equipment. Corrosion never stops occurring totally as all metals have a
corrode tendency to corrode or oxidise.
As metal undergoes this corrosion process, they can lead a loss of metal which may eventually lead to
tubes ruptures and leaks in boiler system. As metal particles break loose, they can travel in the
circulating water and do more damage.

Factors affecting The factors leading to the development of corrosion in boiler feed water are many and diverse. Some
corrosion of the important parameters are dissolved oxygen, PH, temperature, dissimilar metals, dissolved solids.
Water flow rates, metal compositions and stresses also have an effect.

Factors affecting One important factor is the pH of the water in circulation. The process condensate has dissolved gases
rate of corrosion which are very acidic in nature.
The corrosion rate of oxygen dissolved in water almost doubles with each 18°F (8.5°C) increase in
temperature.
When oxygen and carbon dioxide are present together, the resulting corrosion rate can be 10-40%
greater than the sum of the corrosion rates of the two gases acting separately.

Preventing The following measures should be taken to prevent corrosion in boiler systems:
corrosion in boiler • Remove dissolved corrosive gases, such as oxygen, from feed water by mechanical deaeration
systems and chemical scavengers.
• Maintain slightly alkaline conditions (higher than 7pH ) in the boiler water.

Removal of Dissolved Gases

Dissolved oxygen Dissolved gases do affect the corrosion of the metals. Oxygen is a very active element and even in
small amounts, can cause corrosion.
Oxygen can be present in make-up water due to poor water pre-treatment. The most efficient
commercial deaerators can remove oxygen to as low as 7 ppb. This may sound low, but due to the high
corrosive properties of oxygen, it is vital to maintain oxygen levels below 7 ppb. Further removal of
oxygen needs to be achieved by internal treatment by injecting oxygen scavenger chemicals into the
boiler feed water system.

Oxygen Oxygen scavenging is the direct chemical reaction between oxygen dissolved in the feed water and
scavenging the scavenging chemical. There are several oxygen scavengers in the market and the local water
representative will suggest the appropriate chemical dosages.

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Dissolved carbon Carbon dioxide is another dissolved gas which may enter the water through process condensate.
dioxide Process condensate is loaded with CO2 in a steam methane reformer application.
Carbon dioxide combines with water to from carbonic acid. If enough acid is formed, the pH of the
condensate can drop significantly. The pH can go as low as 4 if the CO2 content is high enough. Make-
up water is typically demineralised water with a pH of 7.

Importance of pH One important factor in water treatment is the pH, which is a measure of acidic or alkaline nature of
levels water. It is measured on a scale of 0-14 with 7 representing pure water. Values of pH lower than 7 are
acidic and greater than 7 are alkaline.
Chemical treatment programs must be devised depending on the contaminants and their levels in each
application to maintain complete pH control and oxygen scavenging.

Removal of Suspended Solids/ Dissolved Solids

Suspended/ Suspended and dissolved solids can be introduced into the boiler feed water system via make-up
dissolved solids water, process condensate or from the corrosion products formed in the system. They can cause
fouling/ scaling or sludges.

Hard water Hard water contains objectionable amounts of dissolved solids of calcium and magnesium. These are
usually present as bicarbonates, chlorides etc. These salts give insoluble precipitates and form scales
in boilers. The problem is commonly known as scaling of heat transfer surfaces.

Water Solids affect the conductivity, as well as turbidity of water. Conductivity is a measure of a solution’s
conductivity and ability to conduct electricity and is estimated by the total dissolved solids. Turbidity is the reduction of
turbidity transparency of water due to the presence of suspended insoluble matter.

Effects of scaling/ The following are the effects of scaling/ sludges:

sludges • Reduced heat transfer
• Increased pressure drop
• Reduced throughputs
• Localised pitting corrosion
The most severe effects of deposits occur within the steam generating system. The deposits reduce
the capability of a given surface to transfer heat. Deposits on the tube surfaces prevent water from
cooling the metal. Overheating results in metal softening, thinning and ultimately in rupture. Even
when rupture does not occur, the insulating effect of deposits results in wasted energy.
In addition to restricting the flow and reducing the heat transfer, boiler deposits contribute to
corrosion.

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Scaling Scaling is the accumulation of solid material on metal surfaces of piping or heat exchangers etc. in a
manner that hampers its operation. Scaling is generally very hard and difficult to remove. The scale
results from the growth of crystals on the surfaces of tubes or pipes and is most severe in areas where
the maximum heat transfer occurs.
Scaling depends on the following factors:
• Physical properties, chemical composition and pH of the fluid
• Physical state of the fluid: liquid, vapour or two phase
• Types and amounts of dissolved and suspended impurities
• Fluctuations in velocities and temperature
• Surface roughness

Sludges Unlike scale deposits, sludge is softer and less adherent to boiler or piping surfaces. When the
solubility of sludge forming compounds is exceeded, they tend to precipitate out of the boiler water
and settle in places like the steam drum.
When the deposits occur, the effect is to from an insulating layer on the metal heat transfer surfaces.
The insulating effect of deposits may also elevate local temperatures at points where inefficient heat
transfer is occurring. Temperatures can exceed the design limits of metallurgy.

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