Scale, like many things in life, is easy to ignore until it becomes a problem. For boilers that produce hot water and steam for industrial activities, the situation can become serious before the scale is even noticed. Cortec® therefore encourages boiler owners and operators not to wait until a melted boiler tube forces them to face the facts of scale.
Best Practice 1: Scale Prevention
To avoid such serious problems, it is important that boiler owners and managers take preemptive steps. The best plan is to minimize the formation of scale deposits by adding an anti-scalant to the normal water treatment program. These chemistries keep dissolved minerals such as calcium carbonate from combining and depositing on the metal. The S-14 Series is a good option that can be added to standard water treatment formulations and easily combined with Cortec’s Vapor phase Corrosion Inhibitor additives.
Best Practice 2: Scale Removal
The second step is to periodically remove scale that has formed. This should be done whenever pressure increases and heating demands rise. However, since these indicators can be difficult to detect in a boiler, it is a good plan to conduct scale removal every few years during routine maintenance. A product such as EcoClean Biodegradable Scale and Rust Remover powered by Nano-VpCI™® is a great option because it is a USDA Certified Biobased Product that is good at dissolving scale and is much safer than harsher options like muriatic acid.
Scale is a normal nuisance in boilers. However, by catching the problem early, boiler owners can avoid the most serious issues that come from scale-induced surprises such as melting or bursting boiler tubes.
Courtesy of Cortec Corporation.