BOILERS CORROSION INSTRUMENTS MONITORING POWER STEAM

Download Full Article

Abstract

In September 2008, four CPS Energy plants were all operating at close to full load when contamination from the deionizer caused a low-pH condition in all 4 boilers. This forced these units off-line until the contaminated water could be drained and the boilers refilled with properly treated water. Portable demineralizer trailers supplemented what the deionizers could supply and water was also supplied from other units at the site. In the root cause analysis that followed the incident, there were a number of issues found. CPS Energy aggressively took steps to prevent any potential for such a contamination event to be repeated. One of the changes that proved to be very beneficial to the Sommers and Deely units was the replacement of an aging deionizer with two single-pass reverse osmosis (RO) units. The final polishing beds were kept and refurbished. These units now have an excellent and reliable source of deionized water. Another disturbing issue that came to light in the root cause analysis was the length of time it took for some of the on-line instrumentation to respond to the contamination. The response was uneven-with some sample lines and analyzers responding quickly while others took hours before changes were noted. The uneven response was confusing to the operators and lab personnel that were trying to troubleshoot the problem. It is likely that this confusion significantly delayed identification and isolation of the problem. This issue focused CPS Energy on the function of the sample-conditioning and analytical panels. The sample-conditioning panels at the Sommers and Deely units were original with the unit, although the on-line analytical instrumentation had been upgraded multiple times.

Log in or Subscribe to Access the Full Article

To read or download full-length articles you need a subscription to Ultrapure. Please log in or subscribe below.