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Some water systems (e.g., seawater) have a tendency to create foam when subjected to high
pressure-drop or turbulence conditions. This foaming is very unpredictable and can cause
enormous problems, particularly in deaerator columns. In the deaerator, foaming may result
in failure of the level control on the base of the column and reduced oxygen-removal
efficiency.
Antifoam chemicals are polyglycols or silicones contained in a solvent that is fully water-
soluble or water-dispersible. At dose levels usually less than 1 ppm, they act by decreasing
the surface tension of bubbles so that they expand and coalesce. They are dosed to the inlet
of the deaerator before the inlet distributor. In water-injection systems, the polyglycols are
preferred because silicones produce fine precipitates, which can cause injectivity loss.
However, silicones may be required in difficult applications, usually in low-temperature
vacuum systems or when the foaming tendency is very high.
Surfactant