Controlled calcium carbonate deposition program

In practice, at the time, it was usual to destroy most or all of the alkalinity and reduce the pH to below 7.0 and often to as low as 6.0 because of the effectiveness of chromate inhibitor barrier films, it was not considered necessary to additionally practice a controlled calcium carbonate deposition program. 

Of course, this argument is perfectly true where it can be positively demonstrated that MU water requirements really are very low. Once again however, if this is not the case, then—most treatment programs are designed primarily for corrosion control and do not compensate for undue hardness entering the boiler—calcium carbonate scale can and does develop over time. This process takes place even where the MU water is relatively soft, and results in the formation of insulating boiler tube deposits or boiler vessel sludge. 

Most chemical treatment programs have not in the past specifically focused on controlling silica levels in cooling water, and as a consequence almost all analyses of scales and deposits taken from the waterside of cooling systems, especially from heat exchangers, have shown the presence of small percentages of silica. Research over the last five years or so has led to the introduction of silica-specific deposit control polymers and has also led, with some success, to the reevaluation and promotion of some established calcium carbonate polymer products for effective silica control. 

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