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426
BOIL
ERTR
EAT
Fighting industrial boiler corrosion
Boilers are an essential element of
industrial processes. They need to be
reliable and kept in good working order.
With skyrocketing fuel and energy
costs, maintaining the reliability and
consistent performance of a boiler while
minimising energy costs is challenging
for any industrial plant. This is regardless
of the number and size of the boiler
or what commercial activity or item is
produced at the end of the day.
Since boiler systems are constructed
primarily of carbon steel and the
medium for heat transfer is water,
the potential for corrosion is high.
The build up of corrosion can result in
a forced shutdown of the boiler and
the industrial process. Boiler water
treatment is therefore essential for both
the operating efficiency and equipment
life. The feedwater must be pure, and
the re-circulating boiler water and
condensate must be kept scrupulously
free of contaminants and dissolved
oxygen.
Old Approach
The basic approach used to keep the
corrosion at bay, is to chemically treat
the water in the boiler feed system.
Up until now, the newest technologies
have used combinations of amines and
hydrazine to create a protective film and
reduce the formation of deposits on the
internal heat exchange surfaces. This
improves the heat exchange in both the
boiling and condensation processes of
the boiler and decreases corrosion and
erosion.
However, the polyamines used so far
have limited thermal resistance and
start to decompose at around 300
degrees centigrade. This means that
considerably large amounts of the
chemical treatment have to be used to
build up and renew the protective amine
layer. Moreover, maintaining the right
level of acidity and alkalinity (pH values)
throughout the boiler system becomes
a problem when the polyamines start to
decompose.
New Approach
The five partners involved in EUREKA E!
2426 BOILERTREAT project set out to
research and develop more thermostable
amines which start to decompose at
higher temperatures, of just over 500
degrees centigrade. Their thinking
was that if they could successfully
come up with a water treatment using
more thermostable amines, it would
offer exceptional protection against
corrosion and deposit formation. In
turn, it would result in higher boiler
efficiency and prolong the life of the
equipment. Consequently, by improving
water quality less contaminant waste is
released into the environment.
One of the particular objectives was
to pick up on a commercially available
amine-based water treatment called
Kontamina. This is popular water
conditioning treatment available and
widely used in Poland and Romania, in
thermal electric power stations and heat
generating plants with various types of
boilers.
EUREKA project E! 2426 BOILERTREAT has developed a chemical water treatment for industrial boilers which is ten times more effective at preventing corrosion and the build up of harmful deposits than other commercially available water treatments.
Shaping tomorrow’s innovations today
The given pH level in boilers is 9.5 but using the new formulation the pH level drops to between 8.3 and 8.6. This usually implies a higher rate of corrosion, but even with this lower pH level the corrosion was ten times smaller than corrosion at the higher pH level.
Dr. Kozupa - Blachownia Institute of Heavy Organic Synthesis, Poland
Team work
Two of the project partners, the
Blachownia Institute of Heavy Organic
Synthesis in Poland and the Rohm and
Haas company in France researched and
developed the amines and produced
batches of new formulations. Scientists
at the Lithuanian Energy Institute
conducted the investigations on how
the high-temperature resistant amines
would affect the corrosion of steel
pipes. The Fachhochschule Bonn-Rhein-
Sieg in Germany was responsible for the
analysis and development of standard
procedures.
The most promising formulation
underwent a series of industrial
tests alongside the traditional water
treatment, for the best part of a year, in
electric and thermal power stations in
Poland. The INCD-Icemenerg Research
and Development National Institute
for Energy in Romania carried out the
final evaluations on corrosion speed and
deposit formation in the boiler water,
and analysed the metal samples from
the boiler.
Winning results
The results spoke for themselves and
were written up as scientific research
papers. “The new formulation is much
better and much cheaper,” says Dr.
Marian Kozupa of the Blachownia
Institute team. “There was ten times
less corrosion than the traditional
Kontamina application. And, less of
the formulation was needed, ten to
thirty percent less than the amount of
traditional treatment.”
Boiler manufacturers generally state
that boilers should be run at higher,
more alkaline pH levels to slow down
corrosion. “The given pH level in boilers
is 9.5 but using the new formulation
the pH level drops to between 8.3 and
8.6. This usually implies a higher rate
of corrosion, but even with this lower
pH level the corrosion was ten times
smaller than corrosion at the higher pH
level,” explains Dr. Kozupa.
Commercial Success
The project partners have named the
new water treatment Kontamina Plus.
The treatment is already being used
in power stations in Romania and the
partners have been successful in signing
a licence agreement for its production,
with Ekochem, a company based in
Gliwice, Poland.
The Institute has also been awarded a
distinction for the water treatment in
The product of the future competition
held by the Polish Agency for
Enterprise Development. Power plants
in Poland are still wary of using the
new treatment, and the partners are
looking for endorsements from boiler
manufacturers.
The main partners are convinced
that the success of the project lies in
the cooperation with other partners.
“Working in a EUREKA project was
a great opportunity for us,” says Dr.
Kozupa. “The success of this project
required close cooperation between
different research organisations in
Europe manufacturers and end users.
Without EUREKA it wouldn’t have been
feasible to do it. The project required a
lot of research which we wouldn’t have
been able to afford by ourselves.”
The success of this project required close cooperation between different research organisations in Europe manufacturers and end users. Without EUREKA it wouldn’t have been feasible.
Dr. Kozupa - Blachownia Institute of Heavy Organic Synthesis, Poland
Project participants:Poland, Romania, Lithuania, France, Germany
Budget: 0.63 MEuro
Duration: 53 months
ContactBlachownia Institute of Heavy Organic SynthesisEnergeytykow 947-225 Kedzeirzyn-KozlePolandTel +48 77 48 73 470Fax +48 77 48 73 060www.icso.com.pl
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BOIL
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www.eureka.be