Managing Standby and Idle Boilers

It is difficult and generally impractical to store steam for any length of time, and therefore it is generated as and when needed. As a result, boilers may be kept idle for short durations or taken completely out of service for prolonged periods. 

Insurance inspections and cleaning programs further add to the frequency at which a boiler may be out of service. During these outages and offline periods, the boiler metal waterside surfaces are especially susceptible to rapid corrosive attack and damage. Consequently, various protection protocols are employed to stave off this risk. The primary factors responsible for downtime corrosion are  

1 Protection of Standby Boilers (Short-Term Offline) 

In common parlance, there is no difference between a standby boiler and an idle boiler, but where any distinction is drawn, it usually is based on the out-of-service time involved. Where the shutdown period is short, perhaps 2 to 3 days or less, boilers may be described as on standby whereas idle boilers are shut down for prolonged periods. 

Standby boilers should always be stored wet, (i.e., completely full of treated water) especially in situations where immediate availability may be required. 

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