945
Deposition of Magnetite on 304 SS Under Phosphate & Caustic Treatment Regimes in Boiler Environments

Wednesday, 1 June 2016: 17:40
Indigo 204 B (Hilton San Diego Bayfront)
B. Raman, D. M. Hall (The Pennsylvania State University), S. J. Shulder, M. F. Caravaggio (Electric Power Research Institute), and S. N. Lvov (The Pennsylvania State University)
Under the high pressure high temperature (HPHT) conditions in boilers, iron oxides, like magnetite and hematite, are the most common corrosion products. Apart from just degrading the base metal in the feedwater system, corrosion products can also be transported downstream, where they can potentially deposit on surfaces in the boiler. Deposition of magnetite  on orifice plates in lower headers of forced circulation boilers leads to improper flow patterns, poor heat transfer and in some cases lead to tube failures. Field data suggests that the boiler operating conditions, like temperature, pressure and boiler water chemistry could influence the deposition of magnetite from the aqueous stream on to the metal surface. It has been experimentally shown previously that boiler water conditioned to pH25 ⁰C 9.3 using NH4OH, favors the deposition of suspended magnetite nanoparticles on 304 stainless steel surfaces at 300 ⁰C and 100 bar. As an extension, the work presented here, explores the effects of additional chemistries on the deposition process and behavior of suspended magnetite particles. This study looks at the influence of all-volatile treatment (AVT) regime with the addition of solid alkali to the boiler water. The aim is to understand the influence of the phosphate treatment-addition of sodium triphosphate-and caustic treatment-addition of sodium hydroxide- on the deposition process with respect to the conventional AVT regime. In addition, the study also investigates the influence of solid alkali addition on the suspended magnetite and hence the nature of the deposits formed on the stainless steel substrate. The boiler environment was simulated in an autoclave pressure vessel. The test solutions were prepared in de-aerated conditions to closely match the boiler feedwater in terms of chemistry. The concentrations of sodium triphosphate and sodium hydroxide used were decided based on the standard operating guidelines followed in the industry. A standard three electrode assembly was used to monitor the deposition process using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). The nature of the deposits were investigated using surface characterization techniques. The results showed a clear influence of the zeta potential and double layer compression on the behavior of the suspended particles and their affinity to deposit at 300 ⁰C and 100 bar. The results will add to the existing work on understanding magnetite deposition and suspended particle behavior in high pressure high temperature environments.