What are the hazards of boiler scaling?
What are the hazards of boiler scaling?
Boiler is an essential equipment for developing the economy, industrial and agricultural production, and improving people’s living standards and quality. Poor management can shorten the service life of boilers, increase energy consumption, lead to accidents, increase maintenance costs, and compromise production and heating. Boiler is the heart, water is the blood of the boiler, and boiler water treatment equipment is an essential means to provide qualified blood for the heart and ensure the safe and economical operation of the boiler. In recent decades, boiler water treatment technology with safety, energy conservation, and environmental protection as development strategies has made significant progress in the world, and many major research achievements have been transformed into a series of technical standards and regulations. China has also adopted advanced technical standards and regulations for boiler water treatment that are similar to those in the international community, but there are still various problems and a significant gap compared to developed countries.
Due to the strict review and supervision measures adopted for the design, manufacturing, and installation of boilers, boiler accidents caused by quality issues have greatly decreased in recent years, while accidents caused by water treatment problems have greatly increased. Due to errors in water treatment work, boiler tube bursting and bulging accidents caused by scaling occur from time to time. The number of boilers that undergo acid washing and descaling each year is huge, and the waste of boiler fuel caused by scaling is even more alarming. A significant problem with boilers in our country is boiler corrosion. The corrosion of hot water boilers, which account for one-third of the total number of boilers in China, is particularly severe. Due to corrosion and other reasons, the service life of hot water boilers in China is currently only half to one-third of their design life. Even abroad, this problem has not been well solved. Generally, after two to three years of use, hot water boilers will show obvious metal corrosion, resulting in red water or leakage.
The reasons for the long-term problem of operational corrosion, shutdown corrosion, and scaling of corrosion products caused by hot water boiler systems are: firstly, the lack of systematic research on anti-corrosion and scale inhibition technology for hot water boilers; secondly, the lack of high-tech products; thirdly, insufficient understanding and recognition of some theories, some of which often apply anti-corrosion and scale inhibition technology for steam boilers to hot water boilers. However, due to the significant differences in working conditions between hot water boilers and steam boilers. The hot water boiler room is rudimentary, and many effective technologies for steam boilers are difficult to apply to hot water boilers. Some merchants violate scientific propaganda by using chemicals for circulating cooling water in hot water boilers.
Protecting the environment that humans rely on for survival has become a focus of international attention and has been elevated to the strategic level of sustainable development. Water treatment belongs to environmental science and will play an extremely important role in protecting the environment, preventing pollution, eliminating pollution, and protecting resources. However, for boiler water treatment, environmental issues have been overshadowed by safety concerns for a long time in the past. When it is difficult to balance environment, safety, and efficiency, the common practice both domestically and internationally is to sacrifice the environment for safety and efficiency.