Water Treatment For Boiler Houses: A Scheme Of Preparation For The Heating Season, Purpose And Measures For Chemical Water Treatment Of Boiler Plants

2024 Author: Beatrice Philips | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 05:33

Modern boiler equipment is a complex thing and is distinguished by great functionality. However, at the same time, it is very sensitive to various negative factors. Only by knowing everything about water treatment for boiler houses, it will be possible to avoid negative consequences and optimize the operation of systems.

Peculiarities

The main goal of water treatment for boilers is to prevent the formation of various deposits on the main working parts of the equipment. The ability to supply heat, hot water and steam to all consumers depends on how conscientiously the preparation for the heating season is carried out . And not just to supply, but to do it cost-effectively, with minimal expenditure of resources and human labor. Water treatment is the supply of liquid to the initial softening circuit and then to the inside of the boiler stations. Cleaning from harmful substances is carried out in a multistage manner.

Water is prepared in a certain way for both ship and hot water boilers . The main purpose of water treatment equipment is to soften hard water. At the same time, a significant amount of contaminating particles is removed from it. High hardness is due in most cases to a significant concentration of salts and coarse mechanical impurities.

However, solving the problem sometimes requires other measures.

Water treatment methods

Chemical water treatment of steam boilers and installations is not the only option. The sedimentation method is used much more often. The bottom line is that suspended solids are deposited on and inside the filter surfaces. Sometimes these methods are combined, and special reagents are added to the water for more efficient precipitation. Such a solution perfectly helps to eliminate not only suspensions, but also the colloidal components of the liquid.

Reverse osmosis is widely used . It is produced using a special membrane. This solution provides excellent filtration of almost any organic impurities. The membrane also stably traps bacterial and viral contaminants. But the problem is that with reverse osmosis, water purification is overly intense, and it will be depleted in useful substances.

Another disadvantage is the high cost of the membrane . It is easily destroyed by excessive accumulation of contaminants on the surface. In addition, the membrane technique does not have a high flow rate of water. This is a kind of "payback" for high efficiency.

An alternative solution is water treatment due to ion exchange.

The main component here will be a special resin placed in the cartridge. Sodium ions, which are part of the resin, just carry out the cleansing exchange . The method works effectively, but systematic replacement of cartridges will be required. With regard to chemical water treatment in the proper sense of the word, it implies the use of oxidants, primarily oxygen, ozone and some other substances. The most intensive disinfection is performed by chlorine, but its use always poses a certain danger.

Among the reducing agents, the use of potassium permanganate is recommended . But hydrogen peroxide is used in limited dosages. Ozone is undoubtedly the leader in oxidative activity. It is also environmentally friendly and safe. However, this substance is very expensive and therefore has limited use.

Cleaning without the use of reagents due to ultrasound and magnetic fields can also be used . In this case, cleaning does not lead to the appearance of new substances. Reagentless water treatment is widely used in the private sector. The reason is very simple - a lot of space is freed up from storing various reagents, and there is no need to purchase them.

Of course, similar methods are also used in the commercial segment.

Equipment

In private boiler houses, cylinder-type loading filters are usually used. They act by mechanically cleaning the flowing water. Some modifications of such equipment are capable of removing iron. Most often, such devices are inexpensive, which makes them attractive to a wide variety of consumers. As for membrane softeners, the difference between them is primarily due to the size and thickness of the working part.

Membranes from 2 to 100 microns are widely used . All modern modifications are equipped with automatic components. Therefore, it is now more convenient to operate water treatment devices than ever before. In addition, automation significantly increases the efficiency of using all units. Where it is present, scale formation is less likely.

Ultraviolet water treatment devices play an important role in boiler water supply systems . Such devices effectively suppress harmful bacteria. Also noted is the high efficiency of ultraviolet radiation in the fight against salts of heavy metals. Mercury-based germicidal lamps are used in low-pressure circuits. This technique guarantees high efficiency and can be used for a long time.

Scheme of events

The main requirements for the operation of the water treatment system are given in SNiP II-35-76 and in its more recent edition - SP 89.13330.2012. It is not recommended to deviate from these acts, because they have the force of law. The main factors influencing the course of work:

• the quality of the initially supplied water;
• features of equipment and highways using this water;
• total capacity of the installation;
• achievement of optimal qualities of the coolant;
• economic efficiency, environmental safety of individual activities;
• recommendations of manufacturers of boiler equipment.

The overwhelming majority of boiler houses are supplied from the water supply with varying amounts of chlorinated water. In this case, it is imperative to remove excess chlorine, because it can have an extremely negative effect on the state of reverse osmosis devices. When feeding boiler systems with groundwater, high iron concentrations have to be dealt with . Regardless of what the source of the water supply is, measures must be taken to protect against suspended solids and organic impurities.

Water treatment differs depending on whether steam or hot water boilers are used . The features of specific equipment models are also taken into account. In closed circuits, all measures are taken so that the composition of the water does not change. It is filled with a liquid that has undergone the necessary treatment once, and further replenishment is not required (except in emergency cases). All measures for water treatment and the possibilities for such work are reflected in the log for preparing boiler houses for winter and in the necessary service reports.

If the temperature of the coolant is less than 100 degrees, you can only limit the hardness level, and ignore the rest of the parameters. NS When heating above the boiling point, softened or demineralized water is usually used . In a domestic environment, they are usually guided by the drinking water supply standards and the manufacturer's instructions. In boiler houses with boilers with a capacity of not more than 1 MW, equipment is provided that systematically feeds the circuit. It must remove dissolved oxygen and correct the acid-base balance.

Industrial boilers must have a continuous water supply . It is deeply softened. Correction of acid-base balance and purification from oxygen are strictly required. Simple mechanical filters help combat suspended impurities. They cannot pass particles larger than 100 microns, otherwise there is no benefit from such equipment.

Mesh filters are more expensive than cartridge filters, however, when using them, significant savings are achieved in comparison with cartridge models. The use of sodium strongly acidic cation exchangers helps to cope with increased water hardness . Absorbing calcium and magnesium cations, such substances instead release a certain volume of sodium ions. Therefore, the risk of the formation of insoluble compounds is minimized. Lowering the stiffness is not enough if the boiler room is fed from a well - in this case, additional purification from manganese and iron is carried out.

In the most difficult cases, three-stage filtration is used . The selection of a suitable method is carried out on the basis of a thorough laboratory analysis of the water. Only according to the recommendations of chemists, you can choose the right filtration materials and the optimal configuration of equipment for each stage. The multi-stage technique is difficult, it requires separate regeneration and flushing for each of the three types of loading.

The efficiency of catalytic filters is usually increased at the expense of potassium permanganate, however, its purchase in large quantities, as well as the discharge of waste into the sewer, is permissible only with special permission.

The transition to complex cleaning of the coolant helps to facilitate the work . It is possible to select the appropriate systems according to 4 main parameters, for the determination of which an express test has been developed. Typically, the capacity of the treatment system is no more than 1.5 cubic meters. m. of water per hour (because this is the usual rate of make-up). Hot water boilers with a capacity of 0.5-1 MW are protected mainly by intra-boiler treatment of the liquid. In this case, several dosing stations are used at once, which will help to properly prepare solutions and control their use.