boilerfeedwater
Boiler feedwater is the water supplied to a boiler to produce steam. It must be treated to minimize impurities that can cause scale, corrosion, and carryover, which reduce heat transfer efficiency and shorten equipment life.
Feedwater sources include makeup water and condensate returned from the steam cycle. Condensate is typically hot
Common impurities include dissolved minerals such as calcium and magnesium (hardness), silica, chlorides, sulfates, iron, dissolved
Treatment strategies vary with boiler type and operating pressure. Thermal and mechanical deaeration remove dissolved oxygen
Quality control relies on monitoring conductivity, total dissolved solids, silica, alkalinity, and other indicators, with controlled
Proper management of feedwater quality is essential for efficient, safe boiler operation and to minimize maintenance