Water when in equilibrium with the atmosphere contain significant levels of gases, mainly carbon dioxide and oxygen. In several industrial applications the concentration of oxygen and carbon dioxide must be reduced to negligible levels either for process purposes or to prevent boilers and pipelines from severe corrosion.
Dissolved O2 and CO2 gases are fed into the system with the boiler feeding water into the system.
Oxygen (O2) is dissolved in the air and in the fresh feeding water. The water receives oxygen easily when gets in contact with air.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is created upon the separation of the materials constituting the temporary hardness of the raw water or changing their qualities after softening (carbonates) being picked up under heat and pressure.
These gases cause corrosion on the steam using devices and especially installations as staining, melting and granulation. The effects of these gases increase proportionally to the rate of fresh feeding water and system operating pressure.
The boiler feeding waters need to be degasified by passing through the deaerator device in order to be purified from O2 and CO2 gases.
Deaeration is one of the best ways to remove oxygen and carbon dioxide from boiler feedwater. When water and steel are combined, the resulting chemical reaction begins to dissolve the steel. Dissolved or soluble oxygen contained within a boiler’s water accelerates the vessel’s rate of corrosion.
Unless the feeding waters are purified of these gases, the lifespan of the complete system is diminished. There may be corrosion and holes in the devices and installations constituting the system, and also in the boiler.
Another key benefit of deaerators is their ability to hold hot condensate returning from the system. This significantly reduces the fuel spend. For every 10 degrees of improvement, there is a one percent gain in boiler system efficiency.
Deaeration is recommended to achieve a highly efficient and long-lasting boiler system.