The Pros and Cons of Using Organic Amines to Treat High-Purity Boiler Feedwater

摘要

Organic amines have been used for decades and continue to be used to protect steam plant equipment and maintain reliable, efficient plant operations. Their proper use can provide increased corrosion protection not available through the use of inorganic chemicals alone. Research has found that these organic treatments or their decomposition products have low corrosion risk as long as pH is adequately maintained. In the power industry, many avoid using organic chemical treatments because their use causes them to exceed the turbine manufacturer's steam cation conductivity limits. Yet, meeting those limits does not assure that potentially acidic species, such as chloride and sulfate, are within an acceptable range. Thus improved criteria for steam purity and plant-friendly methods of monitoring those criteria are needed.