Standards for Boiler Feed Water

A boiler house is considered the heart of an operations plant and must be maintained for productivity. It is for this reason that the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) provides standards for quality feed water.

Features

• A boiler turns water into steam by applying heat inside a closed vessel. The steam is then used to operate a plant to turn turbines and sterilize products as well as for heating and air-conditioning. High quality steam is needed. Otherwise, salts will precipitate and shut the boiler down. For this reason, feed water must be treated.

Function

• ASME provides guidelines for treatment to ensure quality of water used for boilers. External water is treated by softening, dematerializing, filtration, deaeration and other treatments to lower contamination levels. Feed water produced by the boiler must also be treated to minimize potential problems such as corrosion.

Significance

• Not only does ASME provide guidelines for treatment, but also standards on maximum amount of metals permissible in feed water to ensure continual operation. The amount of metals acceptable in water, such as iron and copper, is dependent on the drum pressure. Total hardness, dissolved oxygen and total organic carbon are also limited for feed water use.