Hydrocarbon Processing - February 2022 - 81

Water Management
Climbing inside the deaerator storage tank of the boiler,
technicians found dark red particulates at the bottom, indicating
excessive iron corrosion of a system component. A specially
formulated polymer blend was dosed into system water to
sequester dissolved solids and iron, holding them in suspension
to be flushed from the boiler during regular blowdowns.
In this case, the amount of particulate matter exceeded the
amount the treatment polymers being used were intended to
treat. This resulted in particulates deposited in the condensate
tank to be carried with the feed water to the boiler, as well.
If left unaddressed, deposits would collect on the boiler
internals, diminishing heat transfer efficiency and promoting
under-deposit corrosion. Corrosion can cause pipe and tube
walls to succumb to system pressure, potentially leading to a
sudden rupture. Heated water or steam can escape, causing
expensive leaking or flooding. In the case of steam boilers,
catastrophic tube failures can lead to explosions and, if staff is
nearby, serious injuries.
Technicians walked the entire system, testing and searching
for signs of corrosion. After a thorough examination, they
discovered the problem was coming from a corroding valve to
a bypass line. These lines are used for maintenance if issues
in the main feedwater line system require other pre-treatment
equipment to be temporarily bypassed. Bypass lines commonly
remain flooded, and this valve had stayed in a single
position for several years without showing any outer signs of
corrosion. On the bypass side of the valve, the water lacked
corrosion-prevention treatment, causing the valve to corrode
virtually imperceptibly from the bypass side.
The team diagnosed the causes, replaced the valve and
repaired any further corrosion around the area. They then
thoroughly checked the other valves and recommended maintenance
procedures and schedules in the final report to eliminate
additional occurrences.
Takeaway. In many industries, scheduled plant shutdowns
are unavoidable and necessary. Some maintenance activities
are just too dangerous or impossible to perform during
production. For water systems, some tasks can be performed
without water flow or draining the system, but not many.
A proper shutdown procedure for water treatment requires
an experienced supervising technician who knows how to
identify problems, anticipate issues and plan a project schedule
that integrates well with the other maintenance teams.
They can work closely with internal water specialists or maintenance
managers to ensure a smooth shutdown with no extensions
or delays.
BRAD ALLEN is a Certified Water Technologist based out
of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. As a Senior Technical Services
Manager for Pace Solutions, he is experienced in every
aspect of industrial water treatment. Part technician and
part investigator, he enjoys taking a hands-on approach
toward problem finding and resolution for each unique
water system he services.
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Hydrocarbon Processing - February 2022

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