Boiler feed water

• In industries, water is used to generate

stream from boilers
• The water used in boilers for the
production of steam is called boiler feed
water
• The steam so generated should be free
from impurities
• The prescence of impurities like dissolved
salts and gases caused boiler problems

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 Boiler feed water….
• If impure water is fed to the boiler,
various problems are faced by boiler :

 Scale and Sludge formation

 Priming and Foaming
 Boiler corrosion
 Caustic embrittlement

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 Requirements of boiler feed water
Boiler water
• Should be free from oil and turbidity
• Should have zero hardness
• Should be free from dissolved gases oxygen, carbon dioxide,
hydrogen sulphide etc.
• Free from total dissolved solids
• Free from suspended impurities
• Free from dissolved salts and alkalinity
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Boiler Troubles
 Sludge & Scale
• Due to continuous evaporation of water, concentration of dissolved salts
gets increased and after a saturation point precipitates are formed on the
inner walls of the boiler
• If loose and slimy ppts formed - Sludge
• If sticky, hard & adherent coat formed - Scales

Sludge Scale

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 Sludge
 FORMATION:
• Formation of sludge is mainly due to salts having
higher solubility in hot water than cold water
• E.g. MgCO3, MgCl2, CaCl2, MgSO4 etc.
 DISADVANTAGES:
• Poor conductor of heat hence more consumption of
time and fuel
• Disturbs functioning of boiler and settles in the
regions of poor water circulation.
 PREVENTION :
• By using soft water
• By using blow down pipe operation .

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 Scale
 FORMATION :
• Formation of scale is due to slats which
have lower solubility in hot water than
in cold water

• E.g. CaSO4, Mg(OH)₂ etc

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 Scale
 DISADVANTAGES
• Fuel Wastage
• Lowering of boiler safety
• Decreased efficiency
• Danger of explosion
 Removal
• Using wire brush
• By using chemicals :
• CaCO3 scales by 5-10% HCl
• CaSO4 scales by EDTA
• Blow down pipe operation
• By giving thermal shocks

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 Scale
 Prevention

 External Treatment

• By using soft water

 INTERNAL TREATMENT

• Colloidal conditioning :

• Phosphate conditioning

• Carbonate conditioning

• Calgon conditioning
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Difference between Sludge & Scale

Sludge Scale
Soft, loose & slimy hard deposits.
precipitates.
Non-adherent deposits & Stick very firmly to the inner
can be easily removed. surface of boiler and are very
difficult to remove.
Formed by substances like Formed by substances like
CaCl2, MgCl2, MgSO4 & CaSO4, Mg(OH)2, CaCO3 &
MgCO3. CaSio3.
Formed generally at colder Formed generally at heated
portions of the boiler. portions of the boiler.
Decrease the efficiency of Decrease the efficiency of
boiler but are less boiler & chances of
dangerous. explosions are also there.
 Priming and Foaming
 Priming
• process of making wet steam when some of liquid
particles are carried along with steam
 Cause
• Presence of dissolved salts
• high steam velocity
• Sudden boiling
• Sudden increase in steam production
 Foaming
• Formation of bubbles in the boiler continuously
 Cause
• presence of oil that reduces the surface tension

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 Priming & Foaming
 Disadvantages
• Reduce the efficiency
• Difficult to maintain proper pressure
• Wastage of fuel
• Actual water level can not be accessed
 Prevention
• Removal of priming foaming substances
• Removal of Scale & sludges
• Avoid rapid changes in steaming rate
• Change of boiler water from time to time
• Using antifoaming agents e.g. castor oil
• Addition of a chemical NaAlO2 to remove water

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 Boiler Corrosion
• The chemical or electro-chemical eating away
of metal by its environment in a boiler
 Cause
• Dissolved Oxygen :
• 2Fe +2H2O + O2 2Fe(OH)2 + O2
2(Fe2O3 .2H2O)
• Dissolved CO2 :
• CO2 + H 2O H2CO3
• Acids from dissolved salts :
• MgCl2 + 2H2O Mg(OH)2 + 2HCl
• Fe + HCl FeCl 2 + H2
• FeCl2 + 2H2O Fe(OH)2 + 2HCl

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 Boiler Corrosion
 Disadvantages
• Shortening of boiler life
• Leakages of joints and rivets
• Increased cost of repairs and maintenance
 Removal of boiler corroision :
 Removal of O2 :
• 2Na2SO3 + O2 2Na 2SO4
• N2H4 + O2 N2 +
2H2O
 Removal of CO2 :
• 2NH4OH + CO2 (NH 4)2CO3 +
H2O
 Removal of acids :
• By adding alkali
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 Caustic Embrittlement

 formation of brittle and incrystalline cracks in

the boiler shell due to the accumulation of
caustic substances

 Cause

• Presence of alkali-metal carbonates and bicarbonates

in feed water
• presence of sodium sulphate.
• Sodium carbonate is used in softening of water by lime
soda process, due to this some sodium carbonate may
be left behind in the water.
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 Caustic Embrittlement…
 Process
• Na2CO3 used for softening of water & some of which remain unreacted
Na2CO3 + H2O → 2NaO + CO2
• As Conc. of NaOH increases, water flows into minute hair cracks by capillary
action.
• As water evaporates, conc. of NaOH increases further and react with iron of
boiler, (thereby dissolving Iron of boiler as Sodium ferroate), hence cause
Embrittlement.
• This causes embrittlement of boiler parts such as bends, joints, reverts etc, due
to which the boiler gets fail.etc.
 prevention :
• Use of Na3PO4 instead of Na2CO3
• By adding tannin & lignin that blocks the hair cracks
• By adding NaSO4 that also blocks the cracks