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 tube materials 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.
Common reasons for boiler tube failure:
While leaks can occur for several reasons, the leading causes of boiler tube leaks are:
- Boiler tube corrosion
- Unified unit corrosion
- Thermal shock
- Scale imperfection, and
- Improper boiler water treatment (after installation)
You must first understand the failure grounds to prevent boiler tube leaks and failures.
- Tube corrosion:
Corrosion and the breakdown of system elements are the leading 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. According to the boiler tube manufacturers, the low temperature of the boiler tubes causes more oxygen to get mixed with the fluid. More oxygen means the chances of oxygen pitting inside the pipes increase manifold. By strengthening higher-temperature feedwater, you can reduce the risk of oxygen pitting.
It is 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 corrosion in the units:
Apart from corrosion appearing in different parts of the tubes, you may also notice unified corrosion in the units. In addition, you can notice unified corrosion throughout the system. Low pH levels in the entire Boiler typically cause this problem.
If your system has pH levels below 8, it is under increased corrosion conditions due to the higher acidity levels in the water. Even when the pH of your system is 7, which is technically neutral, the pipes may erode. In addition, you have the risk of dipping down into acidic levels if anything goes slightly wrong. Ideally, the pH balance of your boiler tube materials should be below seven so that it is more alkaline in nature.
- Boiler scale:
Scaling is yet 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 form a thick layer on the pressure-release and blowdown valves. As a result, you will need to deal with clogging.
You can employ chemical softeners and scale inhibitors to reduce the scale within a boiler. Pipe fabricators formulate Boiler descale products, particularly for boiler systems. It boasts the ability to solubilize pollutants that you commonly find in boiler feedwater. The process provides the most outstanding possibility for maintaining clean boiler heat transfer surfaces.
The Boiler descale line and similar products work well if you anticipate a boiler blowdown. In this place, boiler tube manufacturers suggest you intentionally flush or “blow out” water from a boiler. Forcefully blowing out the water allows you to avoid the buildup of scale and other pollutants that can form during moisture evaporation.
Blowdowns can also eliminate suspended solids within the Boiler. The procedure helps if there are any clogs or obstructions within your boiler tubes.
If you try to wash a warm dish with cold water, you will experience the immediate and potentially devastating effects of thermal shock. Unfortunately, it can also occur when you introduce cold water to a boiler. The consequential thermal shock can cause boiler tubes or components to burst or leak.
You can resolve the problem by ensuring that your boiler feedwater is at the proper temperature before you add it to the Boiler.
- Improper boiler water treatment (After installation):
Imagine the scenario where a company has just spent thousands installing brand-new boiler seamless tubes and is ready to start the Boiler up for operation. They must enforce a proper water treatment program at this critical junction to preserve their investment.
Operating the Boiler with untreated water may lead to premature corrosion in the tubes and developing scales in the system. It can potentially lead to a failure of the Boiler itself earlier than its intended life cycle. Proper boiler water treatment is vital in maintaining the Boiler and preserving the minimum maintenance costs. Overlooking this important preventative maintenance activity will surely increase downtime immensely and the overall cost of the system.
How to avoid the problems?
If you want to improve your boiler system management, you must select the best quality boiler tubes in the first place. Investing in the seamless types can be a sustainable solution as these tubes are more resistant to acute corrosion and boiler tube pitting problems. Hence, you must conduct a sound market study to choose the best product for your business. Besides, you should also consider the quality of boiler tube materials manufacturers choose to produce these pipes and tubes. Taking preventive measures comes in handy in dealing with boiler failure problems.