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Technical Tips & Information
Boiler Feed Water
Most boiler rooms represent an investment in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and are critical to plant operations. All boilers require that they be fed with soft water free of dissolved gases. Hard water creates scale. Dissolved oxygen creates oxygen pitting in boilers. Carbon dioxide reacts with hot water to form carbonic acid which is the principal contributor to rust and corrosion in a steam system.Hard water contains calcium and magnesium salts which when exposed to hot surfaces will deposit a hard crystalline scale as well as sludge. Small deposits will degrade boiler performance and lead to hot spots forming inside the boiler. The end point of this process is failure and an expensive repair. Commercial grade water softeners represent an investment of $4,000 to $15,000 and are quickly paid back with just one boiler repair.
Boilers must be fed with hot (at least 200 degree F) water to prevent thermal shock and which is free of dissolved gases to prevent erosion and corrosion.
A feed water heater is a non-code vented vessel designed to heat water to 200 degrees F with typically a steam sparge heater. A feed water heater removes little in dissolved gases and requires the addition of chemicals to scavenge out the oxygen and carbon dioxide from the feed water.
A deaerator is an ASME coded pressure vessel and designed to boil feed water to remove dissolved gases. Feed water is heated with steam to a pressure of 5-7 psig and a temperature of 225-227 degrees F. This boiling action under pressure removes the dissolved gases and substantially cuts down on the consumption of scavenging chemicals.
Deaerators due to ASME code construction generally cost about two to three times the cost of a same size feed water heater. Payback to justify this extra expenditure is a function of savings in chemical use when using a deaerator.
Proper care of your boiler feed water is critical to the long term operation of your boiler. Low boiler efficiency, carry- over, internal boiler leaks, steam system rust and corrosion are all symptoms of problems with boiler feed water. We can provide a complete range of water softeners, feed water heaters, deaerators, and boiler feed pumps.