Feedwater Testing

Boilers use steam to heat commercial buildings, manufacture products, process food, sterilize instruments, drive chemical reactions, generate electricity and many more applications. The feedwater is a mixture of make-up water and condensate which is put into the steam drum and then turned into steam from the heat.

Fig. 1 Water circuit of a water boiler

Poor quality feedwater will lead to lower efficiency in terms of heat transfer, overheating, damage, and costly cleaning. A high concentration of dissolved and suspended solids in the feedwater will tend to cause foaming within the boiler. Impurities such as calcium and magnesium compounds will form scale. Dissolved gases like oxygen and carbon dioxide will lead to corrosion of return lines and steam lines in the presence of moisture. So, it is important to frequently test your boiler feedwater and make adjustments to chemical dosing for treatment of feedwater.

STEMart provides a wide range of testing services for careful monitoring of feedwater conditions to avoid scale formation, reduction in efficiency, steam purity, and corrosive water conditions.

Test Capabilities

• Chloride or salinity
• Conductivity
• Dissolved gases such as oxygen, carbon dioxide and hydrogen
• Hardness (Calcium and Magnesium)
• Sodium, alkalinity, NaOH, NaHCO3, Na2CO3
• Iron and manganese
• pH
• Silica
• Sulfites
• Phosphates
• Suspended solids
• Total dissolved solids
• Turbidity and sediment
• Oil and grease

For more information about our feedwater testing services, please contact us.