Corrosion-erosion on waste heat recovery boiler system via blowdown optimization

It is estimated that problems due to corrosion-erosion of boiler system cost industries billions of dollars per year. Method of corrosion-erosion control varies depending upon the type of problem encountered. This study is focused on the optimization of the boiler blowdown frequency and its effect on the chemical values of the water-steam cycle. Parameters such as conductivity, iron and silica concentrations were closely monitored via on-line monitoring devices. The conductivity in the boiler water and steam cycle was between 0.3 to 0.6 uS/cm and 0.1 to 0.15 uS/cm, respectively. The average iron concentration in the water cycle was less than 0.01 ppm and in the steam cycle the average reading was less than 0.005 ppm and the average of silica concentration in the boiler fluctuated between 0.02 to 0.08 ppm.   Key words: Boiler, conductivity, corrosion, heat recovery, iron.