Boiler feedwater is an essential part of boiler operations.

The feed water is put into the steam

drum from a feed pump. In the steam drum the feed water is then turned into steam from the
heat. After the steam is used it is then dumped to the main condenser. From the condenser it is
then pumped to the deaerated feed tank. From this tank it then goes back to the steam drum to
complete its cycle. The feed water is never open to the atmosphere. This cycle is known as
a closed system or Rankine cycle.

Contents

 1History of feedwater treatment

 2Characteristics of boiler feedwater
 3Boiler feedwater treatment
 4Deaeration of feed water
 5Conditioning
o 5.1Boiler corrosion
o 5.2Fouling
o 5.3Caustic Stress Corrosion Cracking
o 5.4Priming and foaming
 6Locomotive boilers
 7See also
 8References
 9External links

History of feedwater treatment[edit]

During the early development of boilers, water treatment was not so much of an issue, as
temperatures and pressures were so low that high amounts of scale and rust would not form to
such a significant extent, especially if the boiler was “blown down”. It was general practice to
install zinc plates and/or alkaline chemicals to reduce corrosion within the boiler. Many tests had
been performed to determine the cause (and possible protection) from corrosion in boilers using
distilled water, various chemicals, and sacrificial metals.[1] Silver nitrate can be added to
feedwater samples to detect contamination by seawater. Use of lime for alkalinity control was
mentioned as early as 1900, and was used by the French and British Navies until about
1935.[2] In modern boilers, treatment of feedwater is critical, as problems result from using
untreated water in extreme pressure and temperature environments. This includes lower
efficiency in terms of heat transfer, overheating, damage, and costly cleaning.

Characteristics of boiler feedwater[edit]

Water has higher heat capacity than most other substances. This quality makes it an ideal raw
material for boiler operations. Boilers are part of a closed system as compared to open systems
in a gas turbine. The closed system that is used is the Rankine cycle. This means that the water
is recirculated throughout the system and is never in contact with the atmosphere. The water is
reused and needs to be treated to continue efficient operations. Boiler water must be treated in
order to be proficient in producing steam. Boiler water is treated to prevent scaling, corrosion,
foaming, and priming. Chemicals are put into boiler water through the chemical feed tank to keep
the water within chemical range. These chemicals are mostly oxygen scavengers
and phosphates. The boiler water also has frequent blowdowns in order to keep the chloride
content down. The boiler operations also include bottom blows in order to get rid of solids. Scale
is precipitated impurities out of the water and then forms on heat transfer surfaces. This is a
problem because scale does not transfer heat very well and causes the tubes to fail by getting
too hot. Corrosion is caused by oxygen in the water. The oxygen causes the metal to oxidize
which lowers the melting point of the metal. Foaming and priming is caused when the boiler
 water does not have the correct amount of chemicals and there are suspended solids in the
water which carry over in the dry pipe. The dry pipe is where the steam and water mixture are
separated.

Boiler feedwater treatment[edit]

Boiler water treatment is used to control alkalinity, prevent scaling, correct pH, and to control
conductivity. The boiler water needs to be alkaline and not acidic, so that it does not ruin the
tubes. There can be too much conductivity in the feed water when there are too many dissolved
solids. These correct treatments can be controlled by efficient operator and use of treatment
chemicals. The main objectives to treat and condition boiler water is to exchange heat without
scaling, protect against scaling, and produce high quality steam. The treatment of boiler water
can be put into two parts. These are internal treatment and external treatment. (Sendelbach,
p. 131)[3] The internal treatment is for boiler feed water and external treatment is for make-up
feed water and the condensate part of the system. Internal treatment protects against feed water
hardness by preventing precipitating of scale on the boiler tubes. This treatment also protects
against concentrations of dissolved and suspended solids in the feed water without priming or
foaming. These treatment chemicals also help with the alkalinity of the feed water making it more
of a base to help protect against boiler corrosion. The correct alkalinity is protected by adding
phosphates. These phosphates precipitate the solids to the bottom of the boiler drum. At the
bottom of the boiler drum there is a bottom blow to remove these solids. These chemicals also
include anti-scaling agents, oxygen scavengers, and anti-foaming agents. Sludge can also be
treated by two approaches. These are by coagulation and dispersion. When there is a high
amount of sludge content it is better to coagulate the sludge to form large particles in order to just
use the bottom blow to remove them from the feed water. When there is a low amount of sludge
content it is better to use dispersants because it disperses the sludge throughout the feed water
so sludge does not form

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2. Applications

3. Process water
4. Boiler feed water

VELTECH RANGARAJAN DR. SAGUNTRALA R&D

INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
AVADI CHENNAI-600 062

OPEN ENDED PROBLEM

MINI PROJECT REPORT ON
DETERMINING BEST WATER FOR DOMESTIC
PURPOSES

SUBMITTED BY
A.HAMEED
REG NO-18UEEC0005

UNDER THE GUIDELINES OF

Dr. V.G PRASHANTH

School of science and Humanities

 Department of chemistry
APRIL 2019

BONAFIDE CERTIFICATE

Certified that this project report “DETERMINING BEST

WATER FOR DOMESTIC PURPOSES” is the bonafide work
of “ABDUL HAMEED” Who carried out of the project work
under my supervision

SIGNATURE SIGNATURE
HOD Project coordinator
[Department of CHEMISTRY] Dr. V.G PRASANTH
Asst. professor
Department of CHEMISTRY

Submitted for the examination held on___________________

 EXAMINER I EXAMINER II

5. Corrosion

Corrosion in boilers
Corrosion is the reversion of a metal to its ore form.
Iron, for example, reverts to iron oxide as the result of
corrosion. The process of corrosion, however is a
complex electro chemical reaction and it takes many
forms. Corrosion may produce general attach over a
large metal surface or it may result in pinpoint
penetration of metal. Corrosion is a relevant problem
caused by water in boilers. Corrosion can be of
widely varying origin and nature due to the action of
dissolved oxygen, to corrosion currents set up as a
result of heterogeneities on metal surfaces, or to the
iron being directly attacked by the water.
While basic corrosion in boilers may be primarily due
to reaction of the metal with oxygen, other factors
such as stresses, acid conditions, and specific
chemical corrodents may have an important influence
and produce different forms of attack. It is necessary
to consider the quantity of the various harmful
substances that can be allowed in the boiler water
without risk of damage to the boiler. Corrosion may
occur in the feed-water system as a result of low pH
water and the presence of dissolved oxygen and
carbon dioxide.
Starting form these figures, and allowing the amount
that can be blown down, the permitted concentration
in the make-up water is thus defined.
Corrosion is
caused
principally by
complex
oxide-slag
with low
melting
points. High
temperature
corrosion can
proceed only
if the
corroding
deposit is in
the liquid
phase and the
liquid is in
direct contact
with the
metal.
Deposits also
promote the
transport of
oxygen to the
metal
surface.
Corrosion in
the boiler
proper
generally
occurs when
the boiler
water
alkalinity is
low or when
the metal is
exposed to
oxygen
bearing water
either during
operation or
idle periods.
High
temperatures
and stresses
in the boiler
metal tend to
accelerate the
corrosive
mechanisms.
In the steam
and
condensate
system
corrosion is
generally the
result of
contamination
with carbon
dioxide and
oxygen.
Specific
contaminants
such as
ammonia or
sulphur
bearing gases
may increase
attack on
copper alloys
in the system.
Corrosion is
caused by the
combination
of oxide layer
fluxing and
continuous
oxidation by
transported
oxygen.

Cracking in boiler metal may occur by two different

mechanisms. In the first mechanism, cyclic stresses
are created by rapid heating and cooling and are
concentrated at points where corrosion has roughened
or pitted the metal surface. This is usually associated
with improper corrosion prevention. The second type
of corrosion fatigue cracking occurs in boilers with
properly treated water. In these cases corrosion
fatigue is probably a misnomer. These cracks often
originate where a dense protective oxide film covers
the metal surfaces and cracking occurs from the
action of applied cyclic stresses. Corrosion fatigue
cracks are usually thick, blunt and cross the metal
grains. They usually start at internal tube surfaces and
are most often circumferential on the tube.
Corrosion control techniques vary according to the type of
corrosion encountered. Major methods include
maintenance of the proper pH, control of oxygen, control
of deposits, and reduction of stresses trough design and
operational practices.
Deaeration and recently the use of membrane
contractors are the best and most diffused ways to avoid
corrosion removing the dissolved gasses (mainly O2 and
CO2).

For further information about the different types of

corrosion check the following web pages:

 Galvanic corrosion
 Caustic corrosion
 Acidic corrosion
 Hydrogen embrittlement
 Oxygen attack
 Carbon dioxide attack

Protection of steel in a boiler system depends on

temperature, pH, and oxygen content. Generally,
higher temperatures, high or low pH levels and higher
oxygen concentrations increase steel corrosion rates.
Mechanical and operation factors such as velocities,
metal stresses, and severity of service can strongly
influence corrosion rates. Systems vary in corrosion
tendencies and should be evaluated individually.

Read more: https://www.lenntech.com/applications/process/boiler/corrosion.htm#ixzz5jxCkunQw