Boiler Water Treatment

1. BOILER FEED WATER
CHEMESTRY
Dr. Rohit Singh Lather, Ph.D.

2. Introduction
• Boiler Feed Water
– Water used in boiler for steam generation, it comes in contact with the materials
used in the boilers.
– It is available from different sources such as river, pond, groundwater.
– The available water cannot be directly used in the boiler as feedwater.
– Depending on sources of water it contains different impurities.
• Un-dissolved suspended materials
• Dissolved salts and minerals.
• Dissolved gasses.
• Other materials like acid mud, etc.
• Common contaminants: Ca, Mg, Fe, Al, Silica, silt, oil
– Before using this water in boiler, these impurities are removed by various
methods up-to the permissible level of impurities.

3. Removal of Undissolved Suspended Solid Materials
• Turbidity :- Indicates the presence of insoluble matter in water.
• The undissolved matter can be removed from the water by following three methods:-
– Sedimentation.
– Filtration.
– Coagulation.

4. Clarification
• Removes all types of solids & large particles – sediments, oil, natural org. matter,
colour etc.
• Important factors – Velocity gradient, Time and pH.
• Screening protects downstream units from large, easily separable objects.
• Three types:
– Fine screening (spacing < 10 mm)
– Medium screening (spacing 10 – 40 mm)
– Coarse screening (spacing > 40 mm)
• Coagulation-flocculation removes suspended solids & colloidal particles (alum,
polyelectrolyte).
Screening
Coagulation
Sedimentation
Fine Filtration

5. • Flotation – to separate particles having density lesser than water.
Three types:
– Natural
– Aided
– Induced
• Induced flotation facilitated through bubbling of air; 2 types –
– Dissolved air flotation (DAF) (bubbles of 40 – 70 mm)
– Mechanical flotation (bubbles of 0.2 – 2 mm)

6. Filtration
• Separates undissolved solids from water
by means of a filter - porous substance,
membrane or permeable fabric.
• Three types of filtration:
– Micro filtration (size 0.1 – 10 µm)
– Ultra filtration (size 1-100nm)
– Nano filtration (size < 1 nm)
• Micro filtration – removes bacteria; used
for biological wastewater treatment,
effluent treatment, separation of oil-water
emulsions.
• Ultra filtration - separation of suspended
solids, colloids, bacteria, virus.
• Nano filtration:– water softening,
discoloring, micro-pollutant removal (org.
matter, heavy metals, pesticides).

7. Dissolved Salts and Minerals
• Slats of Calcium and Magnesium result in scale formation
• Natural Water source also contains silica. It evaporates and forms insoluble deposits
on turbine blades.
• The dissolved salts can be removed from water by treating them with different
processes.
– Internal Treatment. (Removed inside the boiler)
– External Treatment. (Removed outside the boiler before supplying)

8. External Boiler Water Treatment
• De-mineralising Water Plant
Strong Acid Cation Exchanger
Strong Base Anion Exchanger

9. Ion Exchange
• Resins - acidic/basic radicals with ions fixed on them; exchanged with ions present in
water.
• Theoretically removes 100 % of salts; does not remove organics, virus or bacteria.
• 2 types of resins – gel type (microporous) and macroporous or loosely cross-linked
type.
• 3 systems of resin beds:
– Strong acid cation + Strong base anion
– Strong acid cation + weak base anion + Strong base anion
– Mixed-bed Deionization
• Ion exchange plant – softens water, removes heavy metals, produces demineralized
water.

10. Electrodionization
• Combines membrane separation and ion-exchange to provide high efficiency
demineralization process.
• Electric potential transports & segregates charged aqueous species.
• Electric current continuously regenerates resin; no need for periodical regeneration.
• Deionization chamber - ion exchange resin, packed between cationic & anionic
exchange membranes.
• Advantages
– continuous operation
– eliminates use of chemicals for regeneration
– low power consumption
• Disadvantages
– Not used for water with hardness > 1
– It requires purificación pretreatment
– Pre-removal of CO2

11. Degasser

12. Reverse Osmosis (RO)
• By applying pressure greater than osmotic pressure, water flows from the higher
concentration solution to lower one.
• Mostly used for desalination; also for waste water treatment.
• Applied pressure depends on the type and salinity of water.
• Working pressure:
– < 15 bar for tap water (< 1500 ppm)
– 15 – 25 bar for brackish water (< 8000 ppm)
– 50 – 75 bar for sea water (35000 – 45000 ppm)
• RO plant preceded by pretreatment to avoid membrane fouling by sediments,
bacteria, metal oxides & chlorine.
• RO permeate water more acidic than the feed water due to dissolved CO2. Common
post-treatment are pH neutralization and remineralization.

14. Removal of Dissolved Gases
• Low pressure Dosing
- Dissolved oxygen in feed water causes serious corosion.
- Hence “oxygen scavengers” or “de- oxygenators” are dosed into feedwater.
- Dosing done into feedwater stream, either at BFP suction, or at deareator, or at low
pressures.
- Other chemicals may also be added for pH adjustment of DM water.

15. Internal Treatment of Water
• The aim of internal treatment is to precipitate the impurities present
in the boiler to get harmless salts or sludge.
• Chemicals are added to the boiler water.
• React with dissolved salts to convert them into less harmful sludge
which can stay in the boiler water without creating any harm to the
boiler tube.
• Later sludge can be removed from the water boiler.

16. Soda Ash (Sodium Carbonate) Treatment
• Na₂CO₃, Treatment is done in small boilers.
• Added to boiler water which reacts with chlorides and Sulphates of Magnesium to
form insoluble sludge.
• Sometimes, Caustic Soda (NaOH) is also used as a substitute.
• At high temperature sod ash reacts with water to form caustic soda.
• In case of caustic soda hydroxide is formed.
• The sludge can be removed from the boiler.

17. High pressure Dosing (Phosphate Treatment)
• Na₂CO₃ cannot be used at high temperatures.
• It is difficult to maintain boiler pH.
• So , in high pressure boilers phosphate treatment is used.
• The sludge can be removed from the boiler,
• Phosphate treatment is preferred in drum type boiler.

18. Deaerators
• Dissolved non-condensibles: O2 and CO2
• Pitting and corrosion
• Mechanical deaeration: reducing solubility of gases
– Increased temperature
– Decreased partial pressure over the water
– Commonly used purge gas: steam
– Advantages:
– No added impurities
– Easily available
– Also provides heat
– Pressure/Vacuum operation, ~98% of total and free is removed
• Coupled with chemical scavengers for complete deaeration

19. pH Control
• pH control
– Different for different components, different alloys
– CS : optimum pH = 9.2 to 9.6 at feed water temperatures
– MS : optimum pH = 8.5 to 12.7 in boilers
– Cu and CS : 8.8 to 9.2
– Maintained by addition of amines or small amount of caustic soda
– Avoidance of addition of ammonia

20. Oxygen Control: During operation
– Chemical Scavengers added to feedwater and condensates
• Sodium sulfite, bisulfite, hydrazine
• Quinone, ascorbate
– Common entry: between deaerator and storage
Sodium sulfite: easy to handle, safe, for pressures of < 70 bar, solid addition to
system, decomposition to corrosive gases
Hydrazine: no solid addition, high pressures, but toxic, handling issues,
Ammonia liberation, slower reaction
– Constant sampling and monitoring

21. Corrosion Control
• Control: downtime and storage
– Oxygen in-leakage and pH lowering
– Dry storage: long downtime, month or more
• Completely dried
• Applied dessicants like quicklime, silica gel, activated alumina
– Wet storage: short downtime
• Cleaning, inspection and filling with deaerated feedwater
• Addition of scavenger, heat addition

22. Deposits
• Scaling/deposition from carryover
• Carbonate/Phosphate control
– Addition of certain amounts of carbonate/phosphate for ensuring precipitate in
the form of salts. Prevention of Sulphates
– For removal of hardness, Ca and Mg
– Precipitation in bulk instead of at walls, non-adherent
• Organic supplements: fluid sludge formation (polymer addition)
– Bottom blowdown removes sludge
• Chelant control
• Combination of additives
• Blowdown

23. Case Study - Boiler tube failure
• Failure mode :Oxygen corrosion
• Result: 3-5 shutdowns.
• Reasons
-Improper deaeration.
-High level of dissolved oxygen.
-Leakage in recirculation pump.

24. Parameters of Boiler Feedwater
• Turbidity – Normal Turbidity Unit (NTU).
• pH Value –
• Hardness – (mg/L) or ppm - Carbonated or Non Carbonated.
• Total Dissolved Solids
• Conductivity.
• Alkanity
• Silica
• Iron and Copper
• Oil
• Dissolved Oxygen

25. Impurities and their Treatment
Impurity Resulting in Treatment
Soluble Gases H2S Corrosion of boiler tubes Aeration, deaeration and
chemical treatment
O2
CO
Suspended
solids
Sediment and
turbidity
Sludge and scale carryover Clarification, filtration and
chemical treatment
Carryover, foaming and
corrosionOrganic matter
Dissolved
colloidal solids
Oil and grease Foaming, deposition Coagulation, filtration
Hardness Ca
& Mg
Scaling, inhibits HT, boiler tube
burn thru
Softening and internal treatment
Na, Alkalinity,
Na2CO3,
Foaming, corrosion,
embrittlement
Ion exchange, deionization
Sulphates Hard scales if Ca present Deionization
Chlorides Priming, foaming Deionization
Fe, Mn Rusting, resistance to HT Aeration, filtration, ion exchange
Silica Scaling Deionization, lime-soda process

26. Best Practices
• Maintain the equipment properly.
• Control the composition of the boiler feed water.
• Identify optimal chemicals for the prevention of biological growth.
• Electrically powered water conditioning units.
• Pretreatment of makeup water
• Materials of construction
• Optimize the frequency of cleaning boilers.
• Recent techniques
• Magnetic water treatment.