Proper treatment of your boiler’s feedwater is one of the most important tasks to maintain your boiler for longevity.
Untreated boiler feedwater contains dissolved minerals and gases that lead to scale and form deposits that are harmful to your boiler and the connected components.
To protect your boiler from contaminants, it’s essential to employ the proper feedwater equipment, a chemical treatment program and follow maintenance procedures consistently.
Water Softener
Water softeners use a process called ion exchange to remove calcium and magnesium from the water. The minerals are replaced with highly soluble sodium or potassium ion that does not cause scale.
Dealkalizer
With a steam system, a dealkalizer prevents scaling and reduces the opportunity for steel corrosion. The main job of the dealkalizer is to remove the bicarbonate and carbonate alkalinity of the feedwater. If the boiler feedwater contains a high level of bicarbonate alkalinity and sulfates, a dealkalizer is recommended.
Deaerator
The dearation process removes oxygen and other dissolved gases from boiler feedwater in steam systems. Deaeration reduces the concentration of dissolved oxygen and carbon dioxide to the level where corrosion is minimized.
Surface blowdown is typically an automated process that expells a certain amount of boiler water from the surface of the boiler drum to control the level of dissolved solids.
Bottom blowdown is a manual process that removes sludge and scale, while equipment handles fending off the majority of impurities in the boiler feedwater, the remainder is managed with chemical treatment.
Water Treatment for Scale
Scale is costly and can negatively affect heat transfer, thus increasing your energy bill. Water treatment programs will address the specific type of scale which develops, according to the specific chemical composition. Instead of forming solid crystals that precipitate onto surfaces, properly treated water will condition potential scale crystals into smooth non-binding, slippery molecules. These molecules are then easily removed through surface blowdown or bottom blowdown
Contact Frank I Rounds Company for a free boiler evaluation, schedule boiler service or discuss a water treatment plan.