Revealing the problems with boiler water treatment for you

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　　A boiler is a heat exchange device; if water of poor quality enters the boiler, the impurities in that water will form scale inside the boiler, reducing its heat transfer efficiency and posing a threat to the safe operation of the boiler. Therefore, it is essential to treat the water quality within the boiler. 　　Boilers are widely used in industrial production and daily life in our country; therefore, it is very important to pay attention to their maintenance, especially when it comes to water treatment for boilers. In recent years, water treatment in our country has seen significant improvements, but there are still some issues, which Xiao Qi will briefly introduce below. 　　I. Problems Existing in Boiler Water Treatment 1. Lack of scientificity in water treatment methods Using scientific water treatment methods can extend the service life of boilers and reduce the risk of accidents. However, some people, acting in their own interest, opt for unscientific treatment methods; moreover, the tools used in this process do not meet the required standards. For example, substandard electronic scale-inhibition devices and scale-inhibition agents are employed. Although such unscientific methods can reduce costs, they fail to address the issues of scaling and corrosion in boilers properly, and they also shorten the boiler’s service life. 　 2 Problems with water treatment equipment 　Some of the water treatment equipment used by enterprises today has issues; its poor quality results in a low output rate from the boilers, which accelerates corrosion and scaling in those boilers. There are mainly two reasons for this: first, the inner walls of the iron boiler were not treated in a timely manner, which led to iron poisoning of the branches; second, the boiler water was not filtered before use, causing sediment to clog the resin and preventing it from functioning properly, thereby resulting in damage and oxidation. 3 Ignoring water hardness during the treatment process The hardness of boiler feedwater affects the degree of scaling and corrosion inside the boiler; high hardness can lead to evaporation of water within the boiler, thereby causing scaling. Therefore, it is very important to maintain strict control over the hardness of the feedwater. However, under current conditions, during water treatment, operators often overlook the monitoring of water hardness; even when it is detected that the hardness is too high, no timely measures are taken to adjust it. This phenomenon can damage the lifespan of boilers and also pose risks. 　 4 Insufficient supervision of water quality testing 　There must be strict and comprehensive supervision mechanisms in place for the treatment of boiler water quality, to avoid problems arising from unsatisfactory water quality test results. However, under the current supervision mechanisms, there are no clear regulations regarding boiler steam and feedwater. Water treatment personnel fail to handle issues in a timely manner, and the competence of inspection staff is relatively low; as a result, the water treatment data lacks credibility and persuasiveness, which hinders the progress of related work. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen oversight of water quality testing to ensure the smooth implementation of water treatment and supervision processes. 5 Ignoring environmental protection issues in water treatment processes Some chemical agents are used in water treatment, which results in the generation of wastewater; subsequent treatment is necessary to maintain a healthy environment. However, such treatment is rarely carried out at present, and this poses a serious challenge to the environment’s capacity to handle waste. Therefore, it is essential to carry out further treatment of the treated water to ensure it meets the requirements for boiler feedwater, thereby enabling the recycling of water. II. Methods of Boiler Water Treatment 　　 Boiler water treatment plays an important role in the proper operation of boilers. In light of the problems associated with boiler water treatment mentioned above, this article will briefly discuss the approaches to addressing these issues. 1 Adopt reasonable water treatment methods. As mentioned earlier, there are some unreasonable aspects in the process of boiler water treatment, which need to be adjusted in future treatment processes. The use of electronic scale-inhibition devices and scale-inhibition agents that lack the necessary certifications is strictly prohibited during the treatment process. For steel-shell boilers with low steam pressure and low evaporation rates, external chemical treatment methods must be employed for water treatment, and deoxidization equipment can be used when necessary to remove oxygen from the water. In the case of boilers with high steam pressure and high evaporation rates, in addition to external chemical treatment, deoxidization equipment is also required to promptly remove impurities from the water and reduce corrosion on the boiler. During water treatment, it is advisable to utilize advanced technologies such as sodium ion exchange treatment, which can effectively remove elements like calcium, magnesium, and iron from the water, thereby reducing the occurrence of scaling in the boiler. It should be noted that experimental work is required before adopting new technologies. 2 Improve the quality of water treatment equipment The quality of water treatment equipment plays a significant role in the treatment process; therefore, appropriate measures must be taken for equipment of low quality. In the case of resin iron poisoning, it is necessary to identify the cause of the poisoning and take measures to restore the resin, or change the materials used in the boiler to prevent iron poisoning; when using resin exchangers, chemical treatment methods outside the boiler should be employed along with improved quality of the equipment. 3. Effectively control water hardness during the treatment process. Excessively high hardness in boiler feed water can lead to scaling inside the boiler, posing a threat to its operation; therefore, it is essential to maintain an appropriate level of feed water hardness. Generally, the pH value of boiler water should be maintained between 10 and 12; this ensures that the water hardness is suitable for the requirements of boiler feedwater. If the hardness of the feedwater is too high, alkaline substances need to be added to the water in order to raise its pH value and reduce its hardness, keeping it within a reasonable range. 4. Strengthen supervision of water treatment 　　The supervision of boiler water treatment is inadequate, and corresponding measures need to be taken. First, it is necessary to raise the awareness of those in charge of water treatment regarding its importance for the proper operation of boilers, and to incorporate this task into daily management practices. Second, it is important to improve the professional skills of those involved in water treatment – given the significance of this work, it is essential to control water hardness and employ scientific and advanced treatment methods. This requires that these professionals have strong skills, which is why providing them with appropriate training is an effective approach. Personnel responsible for boiler water treatment must follow established rules and regulations strictly, while managers should establish a robust supervision mechanism to ensure that water treatment tasks are carried out properly. Accountability systems should be implemented for these workers, with regular inspections of their work and proper documentation kept, so that responsibility can be assigned to specific individuals in case problems arise. 5 Ensure the environmental friendliness of the water treatment process. Certain chemical substances need to be added during water treatment, which can have an impact on environmental pollution; this aspect requires attention during the treatment process. Researching new raw materials and reducing pollution are effective approaches. Additionally, water filtration systems can be installed to reduce impurities in the water, thereby minimizing the need for filtration processes and corrosion issues at the source. This extends the cycle of water treatment and reduces the use of chemical elements to a certain extent. In the later stages of water treatment, a wastewater treatment system must be installed to process and reuse the discharged water, enabling recycling of water and reducing pollution during the treatment process while improving environmental protection outcomes. The heat energy generated in water treatment also needs to be recovered as much as possible. Equipment such as blowdown expanders, heat exchangers, and preheated deaerators are used to recover this heat energy, thereby improving energy efficiency and reducing pollution caused by heat emissions. III. The Importance of Boiler Water Treatment As illustrated in the above introduction, boiler water treatment is of great significance for the proper operation of boilers. Below is a brief overview of the key importance of boiler water treatment. 1 Reducing scaling and corrosion in boilers Boiler water treatment involves removing impurities from the water before it enters the boiler, thereby preventing scaling and corrosion that can occur as a result of long-term operation of the boiler. If these issues are not addressed promptly, they can have serious consequences. By employing advanced techniques such as sodium ion exchange, boiler water treatment can effectively reduce the levels of calcium, magnesium, and iron ions in the boiler feed water, which in turn reduces scaling and corrosion, extends the boiler’s service life, and lowers the risk of hazards. 2 Reducing energy consumption Practice has shown that effective treatment of boiler feed water can save a large amount of fuel and prevent waste. During the water treatment process, in the final stage, it is necessary to treat condensate water and similar substances in order to recover thermal energy. This helps to reduce energy consumption to some extent and improves energy efficiency, which are the benefits associated with water treatment.