Water-hardness deposits

Let s say that the cooling-water outlet temperature from the condenser was 140°F. This is bad. The calcium carbonates in the cooling water will begin to deposit, as water-hardness deposits, inside the tubes. It is best to keep the cooling-water outlet temperature below 125°F, to retard such deposits. Increasing the pumparound heat removal will lower the cooling-water outlet temperature. 

The bigger the radiator, the more heat is provided to a room. The bigger the radiator, the faster the steam condenses to water inside the radiator. A larger radiator has more heat-transfer surface area exposed to the condensing steam. Unfortunately, the radiator shown in Fig. 13.1 is suffering from a common malfunction. Water-hardness deposits have partly plugged the condensate drain line. Calcium Carbonate is a typical water-hardness deposit. 

Throttling on the cooling water works fine, as far as pressure control is concerned. But if the water flow is restricted too much, the cooling-water outlet temperature may exceed 125 to ISS F. In this temperature range, water-hardness deposits plate out inside the tubes. Then the heat-transfer coefficient is permanently reduced by the fouling deposits. 

While the 20 ft/sec may be maintained in the summer, more efficient condensation in the winter may reduce vapor flow. This can cause the riser velocity to drop below the minimum to prevent phase separation. Throttling the cooling water will stabilize the tower pressure, but may result in salting up the exchanger with water-hardness deposits. 

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. 

LSI (Langelier Saturation Index) an indication of the corrosive (negative) or scale-forming (positive) tendencies of the water. Hardness the total dissolved calcium and magnesium salts in water. Compounds of these two elements are responsible for most scale deposits. Units are mg/l as CaCOs. 

Those waters in which the carbon dioxide content is in excess of that required as bicarbonate ion to balance the bases present are among the most aggressive of the fresh waters. Hard waters usually, though not invariably, deposit a carbonate scale and are generally not appreciably corrosive to cast iron, corrosion rates of less than 0-02 mm/y being frequently encountered. Water-softening processes do not increase the corrosivity of the water provided that the process does not result in the development of an excess of dissolved carbon dioxide. 

The practice of corrosion inhibition requires that the inhibitive species should have easy access to the metal surface. Surfaces should therefore be clean and not contaminated by oil, grease, corrosion products, water hardness scales, etc. Furthermore, care should be taken to avoid the presence of deposited solid particles, e.g. stones, swarf, building materials, etc. This ideal state of affairs is often difficult to achieve but there are many cases where less than adequate consideration has been given to the preparation of systems to receive inhibitive treatment. Acid treatments, notably with 3-5% citric acid, with or without associated detergent washes, are often recommended and adopted for cleaning systems prior to inhibition. However, it is not always appreciated that these treatments will not remove particulate material particularly when, as is often the case, the material is insoluble in acids. 

If the water then evaporates, the dry calcium bicarbonate decomposes, recreating calcium carbonate, which precipitates and forms hard deposits and incrustations while carbon dioxide and water are released into the atmosphere ... 

About 25% of the carbonates deposited in shallow water are eventually eroded and carried downslope by bottom and turbidity currents to become part of the shelf and pelagic sediments. Shallow-water carbonates are also notable for their mineral composition. In addition to calcite and aragonite, some shallow-water calcifiers deposit hard parts containing high percentages of magnesium. These are referred to as magnesium-rich calcites. 

Because of the consecutive reaction by produced water, the deposition on HN was hardly saturated at 593 K however, it was saturated at room temperature. The saturated silicon concentration on the HM thus measured at room temperature (Table 1) decreased with the silica to alumina ratio of zeolite, similar to that on the NaM. 

Also, the hot-lime-softened water has variable amounts of carbonate contamination. When boiler feedwater is converted to steam, the carbonate deposits will break down into carbon dioxide and hardness deposits. 

The hardness deposits coat the inside of the boiler s tubes, interfere with heat transfer, and overheat the tubes. The carbon dioxide, which is also generated from the dissolved solids, creates more serious corrosion problems in downstream heat exchangers. When the steam condenses, the carbon dioxide may remain trapped in the reboiler or preheater as a noncondensable gas. Actually, there is no such thing as a noncondensable gas. Even C02 is somewhat soluble in water. As the C02 dissolves in the condensed steam, it forms carbonic acid, a relatively weak acid (pH typically between 5 and 6). Strong acids will have pH values of 1 to 2. Pure water has a pH of seven. Carbonic acid is particularly corrosive to carbon steel heat-exchanger tubes. 

The amount of hardness deposits in steam is a function of entrainment of water, as well as the TDS of the boiler feedwater. A well-designed boiler, then, often is equipped with a mesh-type demister pad to remove entrainment from the produced steam. 

Summarizing the above discussion, the dissolved mineral matter in most natural waters consists mainly of calcium in the form of bicarbonate or temporary hardness and chlorides and sulfates as permanent hardness. The tendency of the water to deposit scale when made alkaline by heating or to attack metals corrosively depends on the balance of these various constituents. 

The lamp is mounted securely at its ends and connected to a source of direct current preferably 220 volts or 500 volts through suitable resistances and a switch. The switch is closed and a small Bunsen flame is played on the capillary between A and B. The mercury vaporizes and the arc strikes and is localized between the two bulbs. As soon as the lamp starts, water is turned on so that it flows down around the lamp in a large stream. The cold water keeps the cement intact and preserves the lamp. The energy is so intense that without water-cooling the quartz would be melted immediately. Hard water may be used provided that it passes over the lamp so rapidly that there is not time to heat up the water and deposit lime. The mounting of the lamp may be varied for different purposes. The lamp may be placed in front of a quartz window in a copper tank which is partially drained until the lamp is started. After starting, the tank is allowed to fill to an outlet near the top thus covering the lamp. 

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