CHEMICAL CONTROLS OF WATER AND STEAM

MAIN BJECTIVE OF CHEMICAL PARAMETERS CONTROL IS TO AVOID CORROSION AND DEPOSITION PROBLEM IN THE SYSTEM.SAMPLES ARE COLLECTED FROM DIFFERENT PLACES TO TEST IT. CORROSION OR DEPOSITION CONTROL BOILER FEED WATER BOILER FEED WATER COMPRISES OF AROUND 95-97% RETURN CONDENSATE AND 3-5 % MAKE UP WATER FROM DM PLANT. THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF FEED WATER CHEMICAL CONTROL ARE TO MINIMISE BLOW DOWN IN THE BOILER DRUM. TO MINIMISE CORROSION AND DEPOSITION IN THE FEED SYSTEM AND BOILER. TOTAL SOLIDS BASIC IDEA OF TOTAL SOLIDS ,TO BE MORE SPECIFIC TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS IS TO MINIMISE THE BLOWDOWN.HIGHER TDS IN FEED WATER WILL CARRY AND INCREASE THE TDS IN THE BOILER WHICH WILL LEAD TO FOAMING,CARRYOVER,IF NOT CONTROLLED BY INCREASED BLOWDOWN.BLOWDOWN MEANS THE LOSS OF COSTLY DM WATER ,CONDITIONING CHEMICALS AND HEAT. ANOTHER IMPORTANT FACTOR IS THAT THE FEED WATER IS USED AS SPRAY MEDIA FOR ATTEMPERATION.WITH HIGH TDS WATER,THE SOLIDS WILL BE CARRIED OVER WITH STEAM AND DEPOSIT IN THE SECONDARY SUPERHEATER,TURBINE STOP VALVE. CONDUCTIVITY TDS IN FEED WATER CAN BE DETERMINED BY MEASURING THE CONDUCTIVITY.PURE WATER IS A BAD CONDUCTOR BECAUSE ITS DISSOCIATION IS VERY VERY LESS. WHEN SOLIDS DISSOLVE IN WATER THEY DISSOCIATE AND NUMBER OF IONS INCREASES THE CONDUCTIVITY OF WATER SINCE CASES DO NOT GIVE DEPOSITION GASES ALSO GIVE RISE TO CONDUCTIVITY.AS AMMONIA AND HYDROZINE ARE DOSED IN THE FEED WATER THEY ALSO INCRESE THE CONDUCTIVITY. SILICA SILICA IN FEED WATER IS CONTROLLED AS IN BOILER WE HAVE TO MAINTAIN SPECIFIED SILICA CONCENTRATION FOR STEAM SILICA RESTRICTION .HIGHER SILICA WILL INCREASE BLOWDOWN REDUCING PLANT EFFECIENCY. FURTHER WHEN THIS FEED WATER IS USED FOR ATTEMPERATION THIS WILL INCREASE THE SILICA LEVEL IN THE SILICA LEVEL IN THE STEAM RESULTING IN SILICA DEPOSITION IN TURBINE.FOR THIS REASON SILICA IN FEED WATER IS KEPT TO MINIMUM.

PH IN FEED WATER PH IS MAINTAINEDE FOR CORRASION CONTROL IN THE FEED SYSTEM.FEED SYSTEM COMPRISES OF PLAIN CARBON STEEL AND SOME COPPER ALLOYS. STEEL IS PROTECTED BY FORMATION OF IMPERVIOUS LAYER OF FERRIC OXIDE ON ITS SURFACE.THIS IS BLACK IN COLOUR AND IS CALLED MAGNETITE.AS LONG AS THIS PROTECTIVE OXIDE LAYER REMAINS INTACT BASE METAL IS PROTECTED FROM CORROSION.THE STABILITY OF THE OXIDE LAYER IS BEST AROUNT THE PH 10.5-11.AT LOW PH AND AT VERY HIGH PH THIS OXIDE LAYER GET DISSOLVED EXPOSING THE BASE METAL TO CORROSIVE ENVIRONMENT. LIKE MAGENTITE,COPPER ALLOYS ARE PROTECTED BY FORMATION OF CUPROUS OXIDE LAYER WHICH IS BEST STABLE PH 8.3-8.6 TO STRIKE A BALANCE,TO MINIMISE BOTH STEEL AND COPPER CORROSION THE PH IS MAINTAINED AROUND 8.2-9.2.IN CASE NO COPPER ALLOY EXSISTS IT MAY BE KEPT LITTLE BIT HIGHER AT 9.2-9.5. OXYGEN OXYGEN IN FEED WATER IS CONTROLLED TO MINIMISE CORROSION.IF OXYGEN IS NOT PRESENT MOST OF THE CORROSION PROBLEMS ARE SOLVED.RATE OF CORROSION INCREASES WITH INCREASE IN OXYGEN CONCENTRATION. THE RATE OF CORROSION OF STEEL DECREASE WITH INCREASE IN PH AND HAVE MINIMUM AT 10.5-11 PH BUT IN ABSENCE OF OXYGEN THIS CAN BE ACHIEVED EVEN JUST AT NEUTRAL PH. DE-AERATING HEATERS ARE DESIGNED TO REDUCE OXYGEN.BUT PRACTICALLY IMPROPER OPERATION PREVENTS TO ACHIEVE THE GOAL.HENCE CHEMICAL SCAVENGER IS A MUST.FOR HIGH PRESSURE BOILERS HYDRAZINE IS USE FOR THIS PURPOSE. IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO MAKE OXYGEN LEVEL ZERO BUT 0.007 PPM IS FOR ALL PRACTICAL PURPOSES MAY BE TREATED AS ZERO. HYDRAZINE IT IS USED FOR SCAVENGING OXYGEN .IT HAS AN ADVANTAGE THAT IT IS LIQUID HENCE IT DOES NOT INCREASE THE TDS.REACTION WITH OXYGEN PRODUCES NITROGEN AND WATER. ON DECOMPOSITION EXCESS HYDRAZINE GIVES AMMONIA.ONLY DRAWBACK FOR HYDRAZINE IS THAT IT REACTS VERY SLOWLY AT LOW TEMP AND IT IS CARCENOGENIC.HYDRAZINE IS NORMALLY ADDED AFTER DEAERATOR TO UNECESSARY LOSS THROUGH DEAERATOR VENT. IRON AND COPPER AMOUNT OF IRON AND COPPER OXIDE IN THE FEED WATER INDICATES HOW MUCH CORROSION IS TAKING PLACE IN THE FEED SYSTEM.

FURTHER IF COPPER IS DEPOSITED IT MAY INDUCE LOCALISED CORROSION CELL GIVING PITTING.COPPER SOMETIMES SUBLIME AND GIVES DEPOSIT IN SUPERHEATER AND THE TURBINE.BY ATTEMPERATION THEY WILL CONTAMINATE STEAM DIRECTLY. CARBDIOXIDE IT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT DISOLVED GAS AFTER OXYGEN TO ACCELERATE CORROSION.LOW PH CORROSION IN STEAM AND RETURN LINES ARE CAUSED BY CARBONIC ACID.IT IS FORMED BY THE REACTION OF WATER AND CARBONDIOXIDE.CARBONDIOXIDE COMES IN THE SYSTEM FROM AIR LEKAGE IN TH LOW PRESSURE REGION.OTHER SOURCE IS CONDENSOR TUBE LEKAGE. CHLORIDE PRESENCE OF CHLORIDE IS HARMFUL AS CHLORIE ION CAN BREAK THROUGH ANY PASSIVE PROTECTIVE LAYERS AND INDUCE CORROSION.FURTHER CHLORIDE ION INDUCE STRESS CORROSION CRACKING TO AUSTENIC STEEL. OIL FRESENCE OF OIL GIVE RISE TO FOAMING IN THE BOILER.FURTHER OIL FORMS FILMS ON HEAT EXCHAGERWHICH IMPAIRS THE HEAT TRANSFER. OBJECTIVES OF BOILER WATER CHEMICAL CONTROL TO PREVENT SCALE FORMATION IN THE SYSTEM WHICH IMPAIR HEAT TRANSFER RESULTING IN LOSS IN EFFECIENCY.FURTHER THIS ALSO CAUSES OVERHEATING AND ULTIMATELY FAILURE OF THE TUBES. TO PREVENT CORROSION IN THE BOILER. TO PRODUCE QUALITY STEAM AS SPECIFIED.