It comes to my attention that many local water companies are substituting super oxygenation of water for chlorination. I was always taught that boiler water should contain the least amount of oxygen possible. Any comments?

ironbartom@aol.com

> It comes to my attention that many local
> water companies are substituting super
> oxygenation of water for chlorination. I was
> always taught that boiler water should
> contain the least amount of oxygen possible.
> Any comments?

Sure Tom. Make part of your water treatment program a weekly test of blowdown and add oxygen scavenger as necessary to the tank. Little test kits are readily available from outfits that sell treatment and treatment should only be done to the extent that testing reveals necessary. Your blowdown schedule is also a direct response to your test results.

Dave

lathro19@idt.net

>Tom, Along with taking a boiler sample, take a tank sample as well. When we test the boiler we also pull a sample from the tender before and after it is filled. If you are taking water from the city, you will find that the grade of water you take will change from day to day. I even noticed a change hour to hour. It is important to remember that even though you think you may be getting the same water from the same pipe every day, you may find that it is not the same. You may also remeber that water will change as the seasons change. We call this indian water. The big RR's faught with this each spring and fall. Our group has a city water worker in it. He told me that one of the biggest problems with water held in a dam is that once a year, or more, the water will turn over. This means that the water at lower levels will actually come to the top, bringing all of the garbage up with it(in short). This can produce, what I mentioned, an indian water. It causes treatment problems at the treatment plants as well. Here alone, you can see that water, at least twice a year is going to be diffrent.

I would suggest a product put out by Bill Bondie at Back Shop Ent. in Denver. Very good water treatment. Good testing system as well. However, Bill is not the only source, just one of many out there.

It may also be wise to take a tour of the local water treatment plant in your area. If you can not tour it, you may want to ask a few kind questions about it to learn more about the water in your area.

John E. Rimmasch
CMO HVRR

Sure Tom. Make part of your water treatment
> program a weekly test of blowdown and add
> oxygen scavenger as necessary to the tank.
> Little test kits are readily available from
> outfits that sell treatment and treatment
> should only be done to the extent that
> testing reveals necessary. Your blowdown
> schedule is also a direct response to your
> test results.

> Dave


jrimmasch@yahoo.com

I have been in the power plant business for 16 years and have never heard of such a thing. Water will only hold so much oxygen before it is saturated. The colder water is the more it will hold and if the water company draws it from a creek or river it will have more as there is lots of surface area.

A lot of oxygen can be driven off while starting off the boiler just by leaving the vent open until steam is blowing strongly. As water nears about 230 degrees the amount of oxygen it will hold is nill.

Sodium sulfite or hydrazine is often used as an oxygen scavanger. This works very well and the testing is simple. Any decent water treatment company should be able to help with oxygen removal.

It is very important to remove or tie up all oxygen, it will cause pitting at the elevated temperatures found in boilers. This will be concentrated in the heat exchange areas of the tube and firebox. The tubes are not too bad but a bad firebox has put down many an engine.

Tom Gears
Wilmington, DE

> It comes to my attention that many local
> water companies are substituting super
> oxygenation of water for chlorination. I was
> always taught that boiler water should
> contain the least amount of oxygen possible.
> Any comments?

> I have been in the power plant business for
> 16 years and have never heard of such a
> thing. Water will only hold so much oxygen
> before it is saturated. The colder water is
> the more it will hold and if the water
> company draws it from a creek or river it
> will have more as there is lots of surface
> area.

> A lot of oxygen can be driven off while
> starting off the boiler just by leaving the
> vent open until steam is blowing strongly.
> As water nears about 230 degrees the amount
> of oxygen it will hold is nill.

> Sodium sulfite or hydrazine is often used as
> an oxygen scavanger. This works very well
> and the testing is simple. Any decent water
> treatment company should be able to help
> with oxygen removal.

> It is very important to remove or tie up all
> oxygen, it will cause pitting at the
> elevated temperatures found in boilers. This
> will be concentrated in the heat exchange
> areas of the tube and firebox. The tubes are
> not too bad but a bad firebox has put down
> many an engine.

> Tom Gears
> Wilmington, DE
To all concerned, thank you for your comments and suggestions. I currently don't have this problem ( I have others with my water but I digress ) but I thought I should pass this along. The system I referred to injects ozone into a water storage tank. The ozone then brakes down into pure breathable oxygen and a free oxygen ion which supposes to bond with contaminants in the water. The brochure I received was from Triple O Systems, Inc.
Tom

ironbartom@aol.com

> To all concerned, thank you for your
> comments and suggestions. I currently don't
> have this problem ( I have others with my
> water but I digress ) but I thought I should
> pass this along. The system I referred to
> injects ozone into a water storage tank. The
> ozone then brakes down into pure breathable
> oxygen and a free oxygen ion which supposes
> to bond with contaminants in the water. The
> brochure I received was from Triple O
> Systems, Inc.
> Tom

As I understand it:

Ozone is O(3) as compared to H(2)O or normal "oxygen" O(2). A creature will accept the atom into the body beacuse it IS oxygen, but the third oxygen atom makes it too too big to be absorbed (breathed) thus choking the microorganisims/bacteria and such that try to grow and contaminate the water. Over 99% effective (better than chemicals).

These Ozone treatment systems have been used in canneries for years to purifiy the water. In the past decade or so you can now even get them installed into home swimming pools, which is expensive...except for you never have to buy chemicals to clean the water. No more clorine.

To the best of my knowledge the O(3) passes through the H(2)O and out into the atmosphere (where it's commonly found).

It shouldn't affect boilers except for no more corrosion from the chemicals (clorine, etc...) used to clean the water before.

Curtis F.

Thime@aol.com

Tom Gears is correct.
Ozone will be reactive for only a few minutes, then it becomes O2. Then It can be removed by the normal methods of preheating ,for the large amount, and sulfite (for PPM removal). I do not recommend hydrazine for casual use since it is a carcinogen and a spill could become the end of your program.
Ozone has to be made by ionizing O2 with high voltage electricity. It can not be stored.
It has been used in europe as standard treatment for 75 plus years.
New EPA safe water treatment rules discourage chlorine since it forms THM's Tri halo methanes) when it decomposes many materials. You will be hearing more of this in the future.

Chorine kept you from getting cholera and dying in a wek, Ozone should kill the cholera without giving you cancer.

> As I understand it:

> Ozone is O(3) as compared to H(2)O or normal
> "oxygen" O(2). A creature will
> accept the atom into the body beacuse it IS
> oxygen, but the third oxygen atom makes it
> too too big to be absorbed (breathed) thus
> choking the microorganisims/bacteria and
> such that try to grow and contaminate the
> water. Over 99% effective (better than
> chemicals).

> These Ozone treatment systems have been used
> in canneries for years to purifiy the water.
> In the past decade or so you can now even
> get them installed into home swimming pools,
> which is expensive...except for you never
> have to buy chemicals to clean the water. No
> more clorine.

> To the best of my knowledge the O(3) passes
> through the H(2)O and out into the
> atmosphere (where it's commonly found).

> It shouldn't affect boilers except for no
> more corrosion from the chemicals (clorine,
> etc...) used to clean the water before.

> Curtis F.


buddrdc@hotmail.com