Feedwater Purity – Make or Break Your Boiler or Cooling Tower System
What are Chemical Feed Systems?
Chemical feed systems are automated systems that directly deliver chemicals to an industrial system to achieve desired treatment goals. By automating a facility’s chemical dosing, manufacturers can achieve heightened operational efficiency and increase operator safety. Due to the hazardous nature of chemicals common in industrial applications, frequent operator interaction with some substances may prove detrimental to the health and safety of a facility’s operators. Fully programmable, chemical feed systems offer automation and remote monitoring as an alternative to other dosing methods. This takes the guesswork out of dosing, eliminating instances of overuse that contribute to increased chemistry costs. Chemical feed systems are compatible with a wide range of chemicals in gaseous, liquid and powdered or solid states and feed systems can be successfully integrated into a variety of industrial applications.
Reliable at Any Temperature
When discussing feedwater for boilers or cooling towers, quality is at the forefront of most manufacturers’ minds. Feedwater’s purity can make or quite literally break the entire system. Here, we will address two prevalent threats to the boiler and cooling tower’s longevity and efficiency: scaling and corrosion. Scaling occurs in boilers as feedwater is heated. While water evaporates, any suspended contaminants present within the water are transferred to the surrounding tanks or pipework, resulting in buildup. In cooling towers, scaling occurs when contaminants exceed effective solubility. A buildup of scale can lead to heating or cooling inefficiencies which impact overall fuel loads. If left unaddressed or improperly remedied, extreme scaling may result in busted pipes or similar significant damage causing extended operational downtime.
Corrosion is similarly damaging, and it can occur anywhere feedwater meets the system. Typically, corrosion is caused by reactions from chemical imbalances within the feedwater; these imbalances have an increased potential to concentrate within boilers, but the reactions that cause corrosion can occur during operation or process pauses. The resulting degradation caused can severely shorten the lifespan of a boiler system or cooling tower as cracks and leaks appear.
Chemical feed systems can reliably and safely administer the chemicals necessary to treat feedwater in both boiler and cooling towers. Proper dosing can reduce or even eliminate certain impurities and chemical imbalances which lead to scale buildup or accelerated corrosion, preventing downtime, lowering the potential for onsite accidents, and maximizing returns on equipment investments.
To learn more about how your facility can integrate a chemical feed system and increase feedwater treatment efficiency, contact Operators Unlimited to schedule a site visit.
