A common boiler system failure indicates leaky water tubes. But how crucial is it to maintain boiler systems properly and keep your boiler operating efficiency at peak? Well, leaking boiler tubes manyfacturing may cost a company thousands of dollars in yielded efficiencies, increased maintenance costs, and in the worst scenario, added risks associated with entire boiler system failure.
What are the reasons for Boiler Tube Leaks?
While leaks can occur for several reasons, the main causes of boiler tube leaks are:
- Boiler Tube Corrosion
- Unified Unit Corrosion
- Scale & Thermal Shock, and
- Improper Boiler Water Treatment (after-installation)
To prevent boiler tube leaks and failures, you need to understand these failure grounds first.
- Tube Corrosion
Corrosion and the breakdown of system elements are the main causes of boiler leaks. While this can theoretically occur anywhere within the boiler, corrosion in the tubes themselves is the most immediate cause of leaks.
Boiler Tubes can become corrupted over time due to oxygen pitting. Excess oxygen in the boiler water itself causes corrosion when iron or other materials react with the oxygen molecules. The lower the boiler feedwater temperature, the more oxygen is introduced, compelling a higher risk for oxygen pitting within the tubes. By strengthening higher temperature feedwater, you can reduce the risk of oxygen pitting.
It’s best to use an oxygen scavenger to prevent tube corrosion and oxygen pitting. Oxygen scavengers are chemical components, like sulfite or bisulfite ions, that react and combine with dissolved oxygen to create sulfate, effectively removing excess oxygen from the system.
- Unified Unit Corrosion
Beyond corrosion appearing in specific parts of a boiler, units can also experience unified corrosion throughout the whole system itself. Low pH levels in the entire boiler typically cause this.
If your system has pH levels below 8, it is under increased corrosion conditions due to the higher acidity levels in the water. Even a pH of 7 is technically neutral; you have the risk of dipping down into acidic levels even if anything goes slightly wrong.
- Boiler Scale
Scale is another issue that can emerge within boilers, which leads to tube leaks. Having scale buildup in a boiler can damage heat transfer, leading to tube leaks whenever pressure increases. Scales can also clog blowdown valves and pressure release valves.
Chemical softeners and scale inhibitors can be employed to reduce the scale within a boiler. Boiler Descale products are formulated particularly for boiler systems, boasting the ability to solubilize pollutants commonly found in boiler feedwater to provide the greatest possibility for maintaining clean boiler heat transfer surfaces.
The Boiler Descale line and similar products work well with anticipated boiler blowdowns. In this place, water is intentionally flushed or “blown out” from a boiler to avoid the buildup of scale and other pollutants that can form during moisture evaporation. Blowdowns can also eliminate suspended solids within the boiler. This procedure helps if there are any clogs or obstructions within your boiler tubes.
If one tries to wash a warm dish with cold water will experience the immediate and potentially devastating effects of thermal shock. This can also occur when cold water is introduced to a boiler. The consequential thermal shock can cause a boiler’s tubes or its components to burst or leak.
This problem can be resolved by ensuring that your boiler feedwater is at the proper temperature before being added to the boiler.
- Improper Boiler Water Treatment (After Installation)
Imagine the scenario: a company has just expended thousands installing a brand-new boiler and is ready to start the boiler up for operation. To preserve their investment, they must enforce a proper water treatment program at this acute junction. Operating the boiler with untreated water may lead to premature corrosion in the tubes and developing scales in the system. This can potentially lead to a failure of the boiler itself much earlier than its intended life cycle. Proper boiler water treatment is vital in maintaining the boiler and preserving maintenance costs minimum. Overlooking this important preventative maintenance activity will surely increase downtime immensely and the overall cost of the system.
If you want to improve your boiler system management, you must select the best quality boiler tubesin the first place. Investing in the seamless types can be a sustainable solution as these tubesare more resistant to the acute corrosion and boiler tube pitting problems. Hence, have a sound market study to choose the best product for your business, and take the preventive measures handy to deal with the boiler failure problems.