Unit 1-Water Technology
Unit 1-Water Technology
Boiler feed water – requirements, scale & sludge, priming & foaming,
Caustic embrittlement and Boiler corrosion
The phosphate reacts with calcium and magnesium salts to give soft
sludges of calcium and magnesium phosphates.
Generally 3 types of phosphates are employed
Trisodium phosphate – Na3PO4 (too alkaline) : used for too acidic water.
The scale forming salt like CaSO4 is converted into CaCO3, which can be
removed easily.
Calgon conditioning
This interacts with calcium ions forming a highly soluble complex and thus
prevents the precipitation of scale forming salt.
The colloidal conditioning agents are kerosene, agar-agar, gelatin, glue, etc.
The colloidal substance convert scale forming substances like CaCO3, CaSO4
into a sludge which can be removed by blow-down operation.
Requirements of boiler feed water
1. Wastage of fuels
3. Boiler explosion
Sometimes due to over heating the thick scales may crack and causes
sudden contact of high heated boiler material with water.
Scales can be removed using scraper, wire brush etc. at the initial
stage.
By using suitable chemicals like dil. acids (for CaCO3 scale), EDTA
(for CaSO4 scale) with which they form suitable complexes.
Priming – the small droplets of liquid water associated with steam (wet steam).
Carry over - the droplets of water carry some suspended and dissolved solids.
It is caused by -
It is caused by
A form of corrosion caused by high concentration of NaOH in the boiler feed water.
adding chemicals such as tannin, lignin to the boiler water. They block the
hairline cracks.
dissolved oxygen
When water containing bicarbonates is heated, CO2 is evolved which makes the
water acidic (by forming carbonic acid). This leads to intense local corrosion
called pitting corrosion.
Dissolved MgCl2
Hydrochloric acid, produced from MgCl2, attacks the boiler in a chain-like
reaction producing HCl again and again which corrodes boiler severely.
Corrosion by HCl can be avoided by the addition of alkali to the boiler water.
Prevention of boiler corrosion – chemical method or mechanical method
Chemical method
Lime-soda process
Sodium zeolite – Na2Ze which exchange Na+ ions with the hardness producing
ions like Ca2+, Mg2+ in water.
The sodium salts formed in the above reactions remain dissolved in the softened
water and do not impart any hardness.
Regeneration
Sodium zeolite gets exhausted due to its conversion into Ca and Mg zeolites.
The process exchanges only calcium and magnesium ions with sodium ions and
hence the softened water contain more sodium and also more of dissolved salts.
It does not remove the acidic ions such as bicarbonate and carbonate and remain
as sodium salts contributing to the alkalinity and causes boiler corrosion.
The water containing turbidity and suspended impurities cannot be treated by this
method because turbidity clogs the pores of the zeolite bed.
The process is not very efficient for treating water containing large quantities of
Fe2+ and Mn2+ ions as these ions convert sodium zeolite into their respective zeolites
which are difficult to be regenerated.
Demineralization or Ion Exchange Process
Soft water does not contain hardness producing Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions but it may
contain other ions like Na+, K+, Cl-, SO42-.
Every soft water is not demineralized water whereas every demineralized water
is soft water.
Ion exchangers are resins with a long chain, cross-linked, insoluble organic
polymers with a microporous structure. The functional groups attached to the
chains are responsible for the ion exchanging properties.
The following two types of resins are used for demineralization process:
Cation exchange resins – possess acidic group such as –COOH or –SO3H groups.
Cations in hard water are exchanged with H+ ions of this resins. This resin may be
represented as RH2.
Anion exchange resins – possess basic groups such as OH- or NH2- group. Anions
in hard water are exchanged with –OH ions of this resins. It may be represented as
R’(OH)2.
The water coming out from this column is completely free from both cations and
anions. H+ and OH- ions combine to produce water molecule.
The water coming out from the second column is neutral and is free from all ions.
It is known as deionised or demineralised water.
Regeneration of resins
The hardness of water can be reduced to about 2 ppm and hence it is suitable for
use in high pressure boilers.
Highly acidic or highly alkaline water can be softened by using this process.
Limitations
Water containing Fe and Mn cannot be treated because they form stable product
with the resins.
Differences between zeolite and demineralization processes
S. No. Zeolite Process Demineralization process
1. Only cations are exchanged. Both cations and anions are
exchanged.
2. Since acidic water decomposes Acidic water can be treaated.
the zeolite it cannot be treated.
3. Treated water contains more Water treated by this process
dissolved salts which causes contains no dissolved salts and
priming, foaming and caustic no priming or foaming is
embrittlement in boilers caused.
4. Disadvantages Disadvantages
Water with Fe, Mn and Water with Fe, Mn and
turbidity cannot be treated. turbidity cannot be treated.
Desalination or Desalting
Reverse osmosis
Electrodialysis
Distillation
Osmosis – when two solutions of different concentrations are separated by a
semi-permeable membrane, solvent flows from a region of lower concentration
to a region of higher concentration. This process is a natural process.
The reverse osmosis process is also known as super-filtration or hyper filtration.
Cellulose acetate
Polyimide sulphone
Cellulose butyrate
Advantages
The water obtained by this process is used for high pressure boilers
Due to low capital and operating cost and high reliability this process is
used for converting sea water into drinking water.
The life time of the membrane is high and it can be replaced within a short time.