Top Menu

Treatment and control of feed and boiler water

Treatment and Control of Feed and Boiler Water

Natural water is not usually suitable for boiler feeding unless it is suitably treated. The use of an untreated water can cause foaming and priming, corrosion of the metal and restriction of the water spaces due to scale deposition. Serious scaling may result in ultimate failures of generating tubes and leakage at tube expansions. It also reduces the heat transfer and consequently the efficiency of the unit.

The boiler water analysis must be maintained within the following limit to ensure maximum boiler protection and steam purity. We recommend the boiler user adopt the service and guidance of a specialist company supplying water treatment chemicals.

Recommended Boiler Drum Water Concentration

Total dissolved solids less than 3000 ppm
Suspended solids less than 100 ppm
Hardness zero
pH 10.5-11.5
Oil, grease. Etc. zero
Silica (as SiO2) 25 ppm normal 100 ppm max
Phosphate (as PO4) 30-50 ppm
Sulphate (as Na2SO3) 30-50 ppm
Sulphate to caustic ratio 2.5

Recommended Feedwater

Dissolved oxygen less than 0.03 ppm
pH 8.5-9.5
Hardness zero
Suspended matter zero
Oil, grease zero

Blowing Down

The total dissolved solids level in the boiler water is maintained at an acceptable level by means of a timer controller blowdown system.