Steam system softening

Makeup. Makeup treatment depends extensively on the source water. Some steam systems use municipal water as a source. These systems may require dechlorination followed by reverse osmosis (qv) and ion exchange. Other systems use weUwater. In hard water areas, these systems include softening before further purification. Surface waters may require removal of suspended soHds by sedimentation (qv), coagulation, flocculation, and filtration. Calcium may be reduced by precipitation softening or lime softening. Organic contaminants can be removed by absorption on activated carbon. Details of makeup water treatment may be found in many handbooks (22—24) as well as in technical Hterature from water treatment chemical suppHers. 

Sodium alumiaate is used ia the treatment of iadustrial and municipal water suppHes and the use of sodium alumiaate is approved ia the clarification of drinking water. The FDA approves the use of sodium alumiaate ia steam generation systems where the steam contacts food. One early use of sodium alumiaate was ia lime softening processes, where it iacreases the precipitation of ions contributing to hardness and improves suspended soHds removal from the treated water (17). Sodium alumiaate reacts with siHca to leave very low residual concentrations of siHca ia hot process water softeners. Sodium alumiaate is often used with other chemicals such as alum, ferric salts, clays, and polyelectrolytes, as a coagulant aid (18,19). 

The quahty of feed water required depends on boiler operating pressure, design, heat transfer rates, and steam use. Most boiler systems have sodium zeohte softened or demineralized makeup water. Feed-water hardness usually ranges from 0.01 to 2.0 ppm, but even water of this purity does not provide deposit-free operation. Therefore, good internal boiler water treatment programs are necessary. 

In practice, however, it is often the case that for small LP steam heating boiler systems with a very high percentage of CR, and in those regions of countries where soft water is supplied, no water softener is provided or deemed necessary. Instead there is merely a reliance on internal chemical treatments (or sometimes magnetic devices or other types of gadget ). A good rule of thumb is ... 

Condensate drainage devices, 70 148 Condensate polishing ion exchange in, 74 417 in steam-generating systems, 23 227 water softening method for, 26 122-123 Condensate return, in heat pipes, 73 226 Condensate return systems, 70 147-148 Condensate systems, in industrial water treatment, 26 136-137 Condensation, 9 281-282. See also Polycondensation control of VOCs by, 26 679-680 ketone, 74 570... 

Chemical analysis of scale deposits present on the surface of the failed clamp by X-ray diffraction revealed the presence of predominantly sodium iron oxide, sodium carbonate sodium chloride ( 10%), iron oxide and iron sulfide. The scale composition was consistent with the evaporated residue from the 80% quality steam, which had been leaking from the joint prior to the failure. The high sodium concentration in the scale was attributed to the zeolite ion exchange system used to soften the boiler feedwater, while the chlorides and sulfides were naturally present in the feedwater. 

Alkaminox . [Rhone-Poulenc Surf.] Ethoxylated fatty acid amine textile scourit, dyeing assistant, softener, antistatic agent used as corrosion inhibi-t(u in steam generating and circulating systems coetnulsifier. 

Corrosion of boiler systems will be controlled by water treatment externally or internally, or both, as required. The term external treatment (pretreatment) is usually applied to clarification, softening, or demineralizing equipment, whereas the term internal treatment usually refers to treatment injected into the deaerator, feedlines, boiler, or steam condensate systems. 

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