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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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