feature article

In steam generation systems, ensuring the quality of the boiler feed water is essential for successful unit operation. Power plants traditionally employ a multi-step process to remove impurities from the influent water. Belwo, New Logic Research Inc, USA, explains why its VSEP technology, fitted with NF or RO membrane modules, is a commercially viable alternative to exisitng boiler feed water treatment processes.

Feed Water Treatment for Industrial Boilers & Power Plants

o ensure the proper operation of steam generation systems, it is essential that the purity of the boiler feed water is high. High quality feed water will reduce the use of boiler chemicals because of less frequent blowdown requirements (reducing blowdown frequency by as much as a factor of ten). Lower blowdown frequency lowers fuel costs. Furthermore, scale build-up is reduced because there are less impurities in the boiler feed water to foul heat transfer surfaces. The lower concentration of impurities also reduces corrosion rates in the boiler. When a boiler is used to run a steam turbine, blade erosion is less likely to occur because of the high quality of steam generated. The use of reverse osmosis (RO) in feed water purification systems can cuts chemical costs by reducing the frequency of ion exchange regeneration. A complete system, which includes RO and ion exchange, typically produces a more cost effective system when compared to systems that do not use RO. However, conventional RO systems require pretreatment units, which obviously adds to the total cost of the system. Silicate and colloidal deposits decrease boiler efficiency and also cause premature failure of turbines. Ultrafiltration (UF) can

remove more than 99% of colloidal silica, as well as precipitated iron and aluminum. The reduction in particulate matter, suspended solids and total organic carbon (TOC) also enhance turbine and boiler efficiency. However, the use of conventional membrane technologies can suffer from substantial membrane fouling problems.

VSEP Membrane System

Technological advances in membrane filtration systems have created an opportunity for industrial boiler and steam power plants to effectively treat boiler feed water streams. The Vibratory Shear Enhanced Processing technology or VSEP makes it possible to filter influent water, without the fouling problems exhibited by conventional membrane systems. The VSEP membrane system can significantly reduce total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), total organic carbon (TOC), colour bodies, silica and hardness from influent streams originating from city water, well water, and river/surface waters, and therefore minimize treatment cost. The VSEP treatment system can use UF, nanofiltration (NF) or RO membrane modules to generate a permeate stream that meets the quality criteris for boiler feed water, e.g. concentrations of suspended and dissolved solids, silica and hardness. After final polishing with ion exchange resins, the clear permeate can be used as boiler feed water. In summary, the VSEP treatment system can be used to treat boiler feed water with only minor final polishing by ion exchange resins. VSEP will eliminate pretreatment requirements and can substantially reduce chemical usage for regeneration, and therefore reduce disposal of spent regenerant and the associated costs.

VSEP treatment system City water Chemical injection (opional) Concentrate to disposal Ion exchange polishing units

Storage tank with sterile vent filter Boilers Supply pump Post treatment filter

Process Conditions
The influent water to a power plant can come from a variety of sources, including groundwater well (aquifer), surface water or a municipality, so it has to be treated to meet the quality requirements for boiler feed water. For boiler feed water treatment, depending on its requirements, a number of processes can be used, including chemical treatment/lime softening, dual media ISSN 0015-1882/03 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Figure 1: A single VSEP membrane system can replace a multi-stage pretreatment for boiler feed water.

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feature article
filtration, carbon adsorption, conventional RO Steam H2SO4 Two industrial PLC Heat exchanger membranes and final scale VSEPs (stage I) ion exchange resin Heat City water polishing. However, Feed Equalization exchanger tank significant waste is tank (stage II) generated from these Feed pump unit operations, Steam condensate including spent carbon to drain and spent regenerating Concentrate to Concentrate chemicals from the ion disposal tank exchange resins. To avoid scale in the boilers, power plants normally utilize a Treated Treated water to final polishing multi-step process to water tank remove the hardness of Treated water pump the incoming water, i.e. chemical treatment or ion exchange, as well as Figure 2: Schematic showing how VSEP integrates into a boiler feed water other less advanced treatment process. methods, such as multimedia filtration. These multi-step processes can be replaced by a single pass VSEP 10 mg/l of silica, and 510 S of conductivity. The permeate system, which will purify the influent in one step. concentration is reduced to <15 mg/l of hardness, <1 mg/ l of A process schematic for the treatment of boiler feed water silica, and ~10 S of conductivity, all well below the designed using a VSEP treatment system is presented in Figure 1. This water quality limits. system can use either NF or RO membrane filtration system to replace the entire pretreatment step that would be usually Conclusions required, i.e. lime or cation softening, dual media filters, carbon adsorbers, and conventional RO units. City water can be treated Using a NF or RO module in the VSEP system is a in a single step VSEP treatment system followed by a final ion commercially viable option for the treatment of boiler feed exchange polishing unit. The treated boiler feed water can then water at industrial boilers and power plants. Nearly 80% of the be fed to the boiler via a supply pump. influent water is recovered as treated water suitable for final polishing at a boiler facility, while less than 20% is disposed as concentrate. Boiler Feed Water Treatment Membrane selection is based on material compatibility, flux rates (capacity) and concentration requirements (hardness, silica, Figure 2 is a process block flow diagram, showing the integration TDS, conductivity). In this example, the hardness reduction is of VSEP systens into a boiler feed water treatment process at an over 90% and TDS and conductivity are also reduced by a industrial manufacturing facility. The city water is preheated in similar amount. the Stage I heat exchanger, and then further heated with a New Logic Research has successfully installed VSEP steam-heated exchanger to a temperature of 42 C. The higher separation technology into many industrial processes. The feed temperature improves permeate flux through the VSEP industrial boilers and power plants, as well as the cogeneration treatment unit and provides the energy drive for the first industries effort to meet system performance criteria and exchanger. The preheated water is introduced into the environmental regulations can be helped by combining equalization tank, where sulfuric acid can be added for pH membrane filtration with VSEP technology. adjustment. Other chemicals, such as alum and polymer, can The development towards applications for industrial boilers also be injected at this point to help coagulation. The and power plants, along with the availability of new membrane equalization tank effluent is then transferred to the feed storage materials and VSEP technology, make it possible to treat the tank where it is fed to the VSEP units at a rate of 473 litres/min. more difficult streams with technically and economically Two industrial scale VSEP units process the preheated city water. successful results. VSEP generates a permeate stream of approximately 380 litres/min, which is sent to the heat recovery exchanger and Contact: then stored in the treated water tank prior to final polishing by New Logic Research Inc, ion exchange. A concentrated waste stream is generated at a flow 1295 Sixty Seventh Street, rate of 95 litres/min, which is routed to the holding ponds and Emeryville, CA 94608, USA. Tel: +1 510 655 7305, then the sewer. Fax: +1 510 655 7307; Two industrial VSEP treatment units are used. The raw city E-mail: info@vsep.com; Website: www.vsep.com water has a concentration of 160 to 240 mg/l of hardness,

Filtration+Separation

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