INDUSTRIAL WATER/STEAM CYCLE

This article was originally published in PPCHEM® Journal

Sampling Points and Parameters for

Low-Pressure Industrial Steam Generators
Brad Buecker and Ken Kuruc

ABSTRACT
Although thousands of low-pressure steam generators exist at industrial plants around the globe, the chemistry
of such units has not received the same attention as that of high-pressure units. The conditions in these steam
generators are typically not as harsh as in utility units, yet water/steam chemistry control is still very important
for the plants' steam/condensate systems. This article discusses many of the most important sampling points and
parameters for industrial steam generators, and it illustrates the benefits of proper chemistry control to maintaining
equipment reliability and availability.

INTRODUCTION
For over two decades, the PPCHEM® journal has The following text progresses through the num-
offered informative articles from world-class bered sample points, with some commentary
experts on high-pressure steam generation about the evolution of chemical treatment ad-
chemistry. The knowledge provided has been vancements that offer improvement over for-
of great benefit to many power plant chemists mer technologies. An important point to note in
and technical personnel. However, the contrib- the diagram and in the discussion below is that
utors of this article recognize that thousands continuous sampling is recommended at sev-
of low-pressure steam generators exist at in- eral locations. Continuous water/steam chem-
dustrial plants around the globe. Even though istry monitoring is, of course, important for
conditions in these steam generators are typi- high-pressure/temperature power generating
cally not as harsh as in utility units, water/steam units, but even in these lower pressure systems
chemistry control is still very important. Yet, the some upsets can cause serious damage in short
authors have frequently observed that some in- order which cannot be detected in a timely man-
dustrial plant owners, operators, and technical ner with grab sampling alone.
personnel focus on process engineering and
In order to gain pertinent and valuable informa-
chemistry, rather to the neglect of the plant's
tion from the sample taken, one must be certain
steam/condensate systems. This article outlines
that the sample obtained is representative of the
many of the most important sampling points
species within the loop. This is true both for grab
and parameters for industrial steam generators,
samples and with on-line monitoring. Especially
and it illustrates the benefits of proper chemistry
of concern is the requirement that the velocity
control to maintaining equipment reliability and
of the fluid entering the sample nozzle port be
availability.
exactly the same as the velocity of the stream
being sampled, otherwise known as isokinet-
INDUSTRIAL STEAM GENERATING ic sampling. The International Association for
CIRCUITRY the Properties of Water and Steam (IAPWS) has
Figure 1 below illustrates a general schematic of generated a technical guidance document (TGD)
a common industrial steam generation/conden- which addresses the challenges of making these
sate return system. Obviously, any number of al- measurements [1].
ternatives or nuances to this arrangement may
exist depending upon the nature of the products
generated and required conditions of the steam.
However, the schematic provides a good foun-
dation for this discussion. In this article, the au-
thors will mostly consider steam generators less
than 4.14 MPa (600 psig) in pressure.

1
 CHEMTREAT

Figure 1:
General schematic of recommended sample points for industrial process steam flow
and condensate return.

MAKEUP SYSTEM EFFLUENT QUALITY

(#1)
A quite common makeup system design at many
plants, at least in the United States, has relied on
sodium softening of the inlet plant water, whose
source is often municipal potable water. These
makeup supplies are generally free of suspend-
ed solids (except perhaps those picked up by
some corrosion of carbon steel pipes), and pri- Figure 2:
marily contain the dissolved ions from the orig- Calcium carbonate
scale in a heat ex-
inal source. Often, a significant portion of the
changer tube.
hardness has already been removed at the wa-
ter plant via lime softening. However, even these
waters, although suitable for drinking, require One of the authors was once employed at a
further treatment for hardness removal. Eq. (1) chemical plant where the incoming makeup was
below outlines the most common scale-forming split into two streams, one with sodium soften-
mechanism that can occur in steam generators ing treatment for part of the manufacturing pro-
unless hardness is reduced. cess and the other with reverse osmosis (RO)
Ca2+ + 2HCO3– + heat → CaCO3↓ + CO2 + H2O (1) followed by cation and anion exchange polish-
ing for high-purity needs. To ensure reliable out-
Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is inversely soluble put from the softeners, plant personnel installed
with temperature, and thus solutions containing a continuous calcium monitor on the softener
calcium and bicarbonate alkalinity, which may effluent, whose detection limit was 1 µg·L–1.
be fine at ambient conditions, can cause signif-
icant scaling in hot water systems, boilers, and
other heat exchangers (see Figure 2).

2
 CHEMTREAT

Even a softener that is well maintained and op- Instrument outputs can be connected to both
erated still allows the other ions in the makeup local and distributed control system (DCS) net-
to reach the boiler, and these may cause diffi- works for monitoring and operational purposes.
culties. Alarms and, if necessary, automatic unit shut-
For example, bicarbonate alkalinity, upon reach- down are possible for a number of conditions.
ing the boiler, is in large measure converted to Some of the most important include [2]:
CO2 via the following reactions (Eqs. (2) and (3)): ◾ Low inlet pressure
2HCO3 + heat → CO3 + CO2↑ + H2O
– 2–
(2) ◾ High/low pH
CO3 + heat → CO2↑ + OH
2– –
(3) ◾ High temperature
◾ High permeate pressure
The total conversion of CO2 from the combined
reactions may reach 90 %. CO2 flashes off with ◾ High permeate conductivity
the steam, and when the CO2 re-dissolves in the ◾ Low concentrate flow
condensate it can increase the acidity of the con- Another measurement that can be beneficial up-
densate return. stream of an RO unit is oxidation-reduction po-
CO2 + H2O ⇔ H2CO3 ⇔ H+ + HCO3– (4) tential (ORP) to protect the membranes from an
excursion of an oxidizing biocide, which could
Although the acidity generated by this reaction
cause severe damage.
has a relatively mild lower limit (minimum pH
above 5), it is more than enough to cause sig-
MAKEUP TO THE DEAERATOR (#2 AND #3)
nificant corrosion of carbon steel in condensate
return systems. If dissolved oxygen is present, Only grab sample analyses are shown for these
corrosion can be greatly magnified. sampling points, as under normal conditions the
chemistry should not change from that produced
Other impurities that can enter the steam gener-
by the makeup water treatment system. On oc-
ation system with sodium softening as the only
casion, however, makeup storage tanks have
makeup treatment include chloride and sulfate
become contaminated from unusual circum-
salts, and silica. These compounds can poten-
stances. Figure 1 also shows a heat exchanger
tially influence corrosion and steam purity. As
to recover energy from the boiler blowdown.
a result of the development of reliable mem-
These exchangers are not always present. If an
brane-based technologies, RO offers a solid al-
exchanger develops a leak, the boiler blowdown
ternative and upgrade to softening, where even
will be of worse quality than the makeup and
basic systems can remove 99 % of all ions from
will contaminate the feedwater.
water. Analytical instrumentation for RO units is
typically included with the system as outlined in CONDENSATE RETURN (#4)
Figure 3.
For the following discussion of sample point
#4 (and also #6 through #10), Table 1 is a good
Permeate guide. It outlines data extracted from [4], which
has been a long-term guide to water quality lim-
its for industrial boilers in the United States.
Given the enormous variety of products that
come from chemical plants, refineries, steel
mills, acid production facilities, and others, mul-
Inlet
tiple impurities from leaking heat exchangers or
reaction vessels could be present in condensate
Pre-filter High-
Reject return. A classic case history comes from an or-
pressure
pump ganic chemical plant that one of the authors and
a former colleague visited a number of years
Figure 3: ago. The superheaters of four 3.79 MPa (550 psig)
Common reverse osmosis (RO) instrumentation.
package boilers had to be replaced every 1.5 to 2
T temperature
P pressure years due to excessive deposition and overheat-
C specific conductivity ing. An initial walkaround revealed foam exiting
from the saturated steam sample line of each
boiler. A review of water chemistry data provid-
ed by an outside vendor indicated total organic
carbon (TOC) concentrations in the condensate

3
 CHEMTREAT

Drum
Operating Pressure [MPa] 0–2.07 2.08–3.10 3.11–4.14
Feedwater

Dissolved oxygen [mg · L ] measured

–1
< 0.007 < 0.007 < 0.007
before oxygen scavenger injection

Total iron [mg · L–1 as iron] ≤ 0.1 ≤ 0.05 ≤ 0.03

Total copper [mg · L–1 as copper] ≤ 0.05 ≤ 0.025 ≤ 0.02
Total hardness [mg · L ] –1
≤ 0.3 ≤ 0.3 ≤ 0.2
pH25 °C 8.3–10.0 8.3–10.0 8.3–10.0
Non-volatile TOC [mg · L ] –1
< 0.1 < 0.1 < 0.05
Oily matter [mg · L–1] < 0.1 < 0.1 < 0.05
Boiler Water
Silica (as SiO2) ≤150 ≤ 90 ≤ 40
Total alkalinity [mg · L–1 as CaCO3] < 700 < 600 < 500
Table 1:
Free hydroxide alkalinity [mg · L–1] NS NS NS Guidelines for impurity limits in
Specific conductivity at 25 °C 5 400–1100 4 600–900 3 800–800 low-pressure industrial boilers. This
data was extracted from Table 1 in
[µS · cm–1]
reference [3]. The booklet contains
Total Dissolved Solids in Steam many additional details regarding in-
dustrial boiler water guidelines.
TDS maximum [mg · L–1] 1.0–0.2 1.0–0.2 1.0–0.2
NS Not specified

return as high as 200 mg·L–1. Contrast this val- plants, and such is oil-in-water [5]. Many sources
ue with the 0.05 mg·L–1 feedwater limit recom- of oil or hydrocarbon ingress to condensate (and
mended in Table 1. The high organics caused se- cooling water) are possible at these facilities.
vere foaming in the boiler drums and carryover
of compounds to the steam. Unlike the layout DEAERATOR INLET STEAM (#5)
shown in Figure 1, the condensate return had no A sample tap on this line allows periodic checks
on-line instrumentation and no automatic dump of steam purity to the deaerator. However, the
system to discard contaminated condensate. steam supplied to the deaerator will be extract-
Depending upon the potential impurity ingress ed from the main steam, whose recommended
to the condensate return, a number of different analyses are outlined later in this article. With
instruments might be suitable for monitoring that instrumentation in place, sampling of #5
condensate return. Specific conductivity and should not normally be required.
cation conductivity (now often designated as
conductivity after cation exchange (CACE)) come
BOILER FEEDWATER (#6 TO #9)
quickly to mind, as they can provide a general in- Many articles have appeared in the PPCHEM®
dication of contamination, with CACE helping to journal and elsewhere over the last several dec-
account for the influence of ammonia or neutral- ades about feedwater chemistry for high-pres-
izing amines utilized to adjust pH (additional dis- sure steam generators and the need to minimize
cussion of pH monitoring and control is included flow-accelerated corrosion (FAC) [6]. For those
below). For the case history mentioned above, units that do not have any copper alloys in the
TOC analyses could have been beneficial. An condensate/feedwater system, treatment chem-
additional application where TOC analyzers can istry has evolved to either all-volatile treatment
be valuable is on the steam/condensate systems oxidizing (AVT(O)) or oxygenated treatment (OT),
at liquified natural gas (LNG) import and export where the presence of some oxygen is required
facilities. Yet another potentially very useful ana- to generate the correct oxide layer on carbon
lytical measurement at refineries, petrochemical steel surfaces. However, AVT(O) and especial-

4
 CHEMTREAT

ly OT require high-purity makeup water (CACE However, a question that can be justifiably posed
< 0.2 µS·cm–1 for AVT(O) and < 0.15 µS·cm–1 for is, "Can FAC also occur in industrial feedwater
OT), as otherwise serious oxygen corrosion will systems, particularly if dissolved oxygen is re-
result. This is a luxury not common at many in- duced to very low levels?" The answer is yes, but
dustrial facilities. Accordingly, a well-maintained in many cases AVT(O) or OT are not acceptable
and -operated deaerator is a critical component due to higher-than-allowed dissolved solids (for
of the feedwater network. As is common with these programs), which are often present in in-
utility steam generators, Figure 1 shows con- dustrial boiler makeup and feedwater. Research
tinuous analysis at the economizer inlet #8. One and operation in utility units has shown that pH
of these measurements is, of course, dissolved has a strong influence on FAC, and so FAC con-
oxygen (DO). A properly operating deaerator trol can in large measure be approached in that
should reduce dissolved oxygen concentrations regard.
to 7 µg·L–1. Supplemental chemical oxygen scav-
Guidelines developed by the Electric Power Re-
engers/reducing agents may be utilized to low-
search Institute (EPRI), the International Asso-
er the DO concentration even further. Use of a
ciation for the Properties of Water and Steam
portable DO meter at sample points #6 and #7
(IAPWS) and others recommend a feedwater pH
can help to confirm on-line readings, or to trou-
above 9.0, and typically at least in a mid-9 range,
bleshoot air ingress at the boiler feed pumps.
for power plant units. Steel corrosion is great-
Continuous DO analysis of sample #8 is also
ly reduced at these alkalinity levels. While Table
recommended.
1 suggests a pH range of 8.3–10.0 for industrial
Note: Sample point #9 is an even better loca- boilers, the lower limit can probably be raised,
tion than #8, but in the authors' experience this preferably towards the ranges recommended
sample point, the economizer outlet, is often not for power units and indicative of the data shown
available. in Figure 4.
In the power industry, the common feedwater
pH-conditioning chemical is ammonia, which el-
evates pH via the reaction shown in Eq. (5):
Temperature [°F]
NH3 + H2O⇔NH4+ + OH– (5)
0 100 200 300 400 500 600
100
Ammonia addition to water is an equilibrium re-
action and thus the pH increase is limited. But
NH3 pH
[mg · kg–1] ammonia is quite volatile, and the compound
0.1 8.75 significantly partitions with steam in low-pres-
80 sure boilers. For industrial units, neutralizing
0.2 8.90
amines are a common alternative to ammonia
0.3 9.00 for feedwater pH conditioning.
0.5 9.20
Developing the best program for comprehensive
60
Fe [μg · kg–1]

1.0 9.40 system protection has sometimes been difficult

2.0 9.60
with these compounds, as each has a differ-
ent basicity and distribution ratio (see Table 2).
Many industrial steam generation/condensate
40 return systems are quite complex, where it is
desirable to have proper pH control throughout
the network, but in which a single compound is
not sufficient. The authors' colleagues have de-
20 veloped blended amine products that can pro-
vide wide-ranging coverage. However, a thor-
ough analysis of system design, metallurgy,
current chemistry, and operating temperatures
0 is a pre-requisite for selection of the proper pro-
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 gram.
Temperature [°C]

Figure 4:
Influence of pH and temperature on iron dissolution from carbon steel
[3].

5
 CHEMTREAT

Chemical Molecular
Amine Structure
Formula Weight [g·mol–1]
Dimethylamine C 2H 7N 45.08 H 2C CH3
NH
Ethanolamine C2H7NO 61.08 HO
NH2
5-Aminopentanol C3H13NO 1103.16 H 2N OH

3-Methoxypropylamine C4H11NO 89.14 O N 2H

H 2C
Morpholine C4H9NO 87.01 HN
O

NH2
Cyclohexylamine C6H11NH2 99.2 Table 2:
Common neutralizing amines.

Another question that arises concerns pH mination of both dissolved iron and particulate
monitoring. Measurement of pH is difficult in iron oxides at very low concentrations.
high-purity waters (generally understood to
The reductive dissolution of iron oxides via thi-
have conductivity values < 2 µS·cm–1), and for
ol-containing compounds has been thorough-
high-pressure steam generators algorithms
ly investigated by Waite et al. Thioglycolic acid
have been developed that calculate pH based on
(TGA) has been used to successfully dissolve
specific conductivity and CACE measurements.
and reduce various iron oxides. While magnetite
These are accurate within the typical recom-
is dissolved relatively easily with TGA, hematite
mended feedwater pH ranges. But, with low-
has been shown to be much more resistant to
er-purity industrial boiler feedwaters, direct pH
this method [10,11]. However, TGA is compatible
measurements are more reliable. Thus, pH is an
with the sensitive ferrozine reagent and is com-
on-line measurement recommended for sample
mercially available as a combined reagent. This
point #8 or #9, if available.
combination digestion-reduction-detection re-
Iron monitoring of sample points #6, #7, and #8 agent is particularly useful for simplifying analy-
or #9 is highly recommended to track feedwa- sis and minimizing contamination.
ter corrosion and evaluate the performance of
Complete dissolution of particulate magnetite
chemical treatment programs. Similarly, regular
and hematite can be achieved with a 135 °C,
iron monitoring of condensate return (#4) should
30 min closed vessel digestion using 240 µL of
be considered, in large measure to ensure that
combination reagent and 12 mL of sample. The
chemical treatment programs are protecting the
digestion is carried out in a 20 mL glass vial
often very large carbon steel piping networks.
heated in an aluminum block. After the sample
Note: Copper alloys are often a prime material has cooled, the absorbance is determined with a
for heat exchanger tubes. Space limitations pre- spectrophotometer and a 1 in. (2.54 cm) cell (see
vent a discussion of chemical treatment meth- Figure 5). The calibrated range using this proce-
ods for these materials, but periodic grab sam- dure is 1–100 µg·L–1 with a method detection lim-
ple analyses for copper are recommended for it (MDL) of 0.3 µg·L–1.
systems that have copper alloys to ensure that
the treatment program is performing properly.
As the authors have reported previously [7,8],
simple colorimetric lab methods have tradition-
ally been used to monitor dissolved iron con-
tamination. The common colorimetric method
for dissolved iron is based on the extremely sen-
sitive ferrozine ferrous iron complex described
by Stookey [9]. Ferrozine complexes with dis-
solved ferrous iron to form an intensely colored
purple complex. The dissolved ferrous iron con- Figure 5:
centration may be determined by measuring the Combination reagent, digestion vials, and heater block
absorbance of this complex. Modifications of (left), 1 in. (2.54 cm) sample cell (center), and spectropho-
tometer (right).
this traditional method now allow for the deter-

6
 CHEMTREAT

On-line methods are available for iron monitor- So, analytical parameters for industrial drum
ing, including those based on nephelometry, but units obviously include pH and phosphate, if
these are often beyond the budget at industrial that chemical is utilized. As with utility boilers,
plants. IAPWS has generated a TGD which dis- specific and cation conductivity are important
cusses the variety of analytical methods that can measurements to determine the general con-
be used for iron [12]. centration of dissolved solids in the boiler and
adjust blowdown accordingly. Monitoring of
BOILER BLOWDOWN (#10) polymer concentrations has been improved
The choice of analyzers for boiler blowdown can with the development of tagged products that
be challenging, because with low-pressure units respond to fluorescence.
a variety of treatment programs are possible. In
the 1930s, as power generating units increased in SATURATED STEAM (#11)
number and size, tri-sodium phosphate (Na3PO4, In general, steam purity in low-pressure boil-
also known as TSP) became a popular boiler pH ers is not problematic because the risk of car-
conditioning chemical for drum boilers. ryover, as compared to high-pressure utility
Na3PO4 + H2O⇔NaH2PO4 + NaOH (6) units, is lessened due to the lower pressures
and temperatures. However, as the case history
In the power industry, phosphate treatment pro- that introduced the condensate return section
grams have undergone much evolution from outlined, carryover issues cannot be ignored.
TSP to coordinated and congruent programs, In that instance, the organic impurities initiated
with a return to TSP only, albeit in low dosag- foaming and subsequent carryover, but other
es. For industrial boilers, phosphate treatment issues that can induce carryover include dam-
methods remain a strong choice, but are not al- aged or failed steam separating components in
ways limited just to TSP. The lower temperatures the boiler drum, sudden load swings that cause
may allow chemistry along the lines of the old surging, excessive mineral content in the boiler
coordinated phosphate programs, with sodi- water, poor drum design, lack of operator atten-
um-to-phosphate ratios less than 3:1. A second tion to water levels, and so on. A common grab
function of phosphate, which is particularly im- sample analysis in the power industry is sodi-
portant for units in which hardness ions may pe- um, as this element can be measured with ex-
riodically ingress, is to control scale formation. cellent accuracy. Concentrations in a low µg·L–1
Phosphate and the alkalinity produced by its re- range should be the norm. According to Table 1,
action with water (see Eq. (6)) react with hard- total dissolved solids (TDS) is another analytical
ness ions to, at least to some extent, form soft parameter, although these analyses require time
sludges as opposed to hard scale. to filter the sample, weigh the resultant liquid
Often recommended with phosphate treatment and container, and then dry it to completion and
are sludge conditioners consisting of water-sol- re-weigh the container with the dried solids. Sat-
uble polymers that help to keep solids in sus- urated steam is the most difficult fluid in a steam
pension by a combination of dispersion, crystal generator to sample accurately, as the steam is
modification, and sequestration. Iron particu- very close to two-phase conditions that can in-
lates from condensate return system corrosion troduce inaccuracies unless rigorous sampling
can be problematic, where sludge condition- techniques are employed. This includes the use
ers help to keep the particles in suspension for of an isokinetic sampling device in the steam
subsequent blowdown. These polymers can line. Again, refer to reference [1].
sometimes serve as a stand-alone treatment,
particularly if hardness ingress is not an issue. SUPERHEATED STEAM (#12)
Polymer formulations frequently include an al- In the power industry, superheated steam, and
kalinity builder to maintain pH in a mildly basic ideally reheat steam, is the best choice for on-
pH range similar to phosphate. line analyses. Reheat sampling accounts for all
Chelant chemistry has at times been successful- prior effects, including attemperation, that can
ly employed in industrial drum units, in which influence the steam, and is particularly import-
the chemicals directly bind with metals to keep ant to protect the intricate and precisely ma-
them suspended. Ethylenediaminetetraacetic chined turbine(s) downstream. This layout con-
acid (EDTA) is the most widely known chelant. trasts with industrial boilers, which normally
However, improper use of chelants can cause lo- do not have reheaters and often may not drive
calized corrosion of boiler components. turbines or have attemperation. Several of these
scenarios are examined below.

7
 CHEMTREAT

The steam purity guidelines shown in Table 1 REFERENCES

only include one parameter, TDS. This is not an
analysis that can be performed on-line. Some [1] Technical Guidance Document: Procedures
continuous on-line analyses are necessary to for the Measurement of Carryover of Boiler
guard against upsets that could cause problems Water into Steam, 2008. International As-
in downstream equipment. One possibility is sociation for the Properties of Water and
CACE, which is a general indication of salt (pri- Steam, IAPWS TGD1-08.
marily chlorides and sulfates) carryover in the Available from http://www.iapws.org.
steam. Sodium is another reliable and relatively [2] Byrne, W., Reverse Osmosis, A Practical
inexpensive measurement for monitoring me- Guide for Industrial Users, 2002. Tall Oaks
chanical carryover. For situations like that out- Publishing, Inc., Littleton, CO, USA, 2nd
lined in the earlier case history, TOC is a poten- Edition.
tial choice.
[3] Sturla, P., "Oxidation and Deposition Phe-
The situation becomes more complex if some of nomena in Forced Circulating Boilers and
the steam also drives turbines. The instrumen- Feedwater Treatment", presented at the
tation mentioned above would definitely be in Fifth National Feedwater Conference, 1973
order, and for higher-pressure boilers such as (Prague, Czechoslovak Socialist Republic).
might be found at a co-generation plant could
include silica. Silica (SiO2) is a vaporous carry- [4] Consensus on Operating Practices for the
over product, where the carryover effects decid- Control of Feedwater and Boiler Water
edly increase with increasing pressure. Silica Chemistry in Modern Industrial Boilers,
precipitates on turbine blades, and while not 1994. The American Society of Mechanical
corrosive can negatively impact the aerodynam- Engineers, New York, NY, USA, CRTD 34.
ic efficiency of the turbine. [5] Monitoring Leaks in Heat Exchangers,
Regarding the attemperation line shown in Fig- 1995. Turner Designs Hydrocarbon Instru-
ure 1, steam attemperation should only be em- ments, Fresno, CA, USA.
ployed if high-purity water (sodium, chloride, [6] Dooley, B., Lister, D., "Flow-Accelerated
and sulfate concentrations of less than 2 µg·L–1) Corrosion in Steam Generating Plants",
is available for the attemperation sprays. Intro- PowerPlant Chemistry 2018, 20(4), 194.
duction of impurity-laden water directly to steam
can quickly cause serious problems. In power [7] Kuruc, K., Johnson, L., "Further Advances
units, attemperation water is usually taken from in Monitoring Low-Level Iron in the Steam
the boiler feed pump discharge, which provides Cycle", PowerPlant Chemistry 2015, 17(2),
enough pressure to overcome that of the steam. 94.
Thus, feedwater analyses also provide data on [8] Buecker, B., Kuruc, K., Johnson, L., The Inte-
the purity of the attemperation sprays. If another gral Benefits of Iron Monitoring for Steam
source is utilized, then the attemperation water Generation Chemistry Control, 2019.
should have its own set of continuous analyzers,
Available from
with sodium and CACE being prime candidates.
https://www.power-eng.com.
[9] Stookey, L. L., "Ferrozine – A New Spectro-
photometric Reagent for Iron", Analytical
Chemistry 1970, 42(7), 779.
[10] Waite, T. D., Torikov, A., Smith, J. D., "Pho-
toassisted Dissolution of Colloidal Iron
Oxides by Thiol-Containing Compounds: I.
Dissolution of Hematite (α-Fe2O3)", Jour-
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112(2), 412.
[11] Baumgartner, E., Blesa, M. A., Maroto, A. J.
G., "Kinetics of the Dissolution of Magnetite
in Thioglycolic Acid Solutions", Journal of
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1982, 1649.

8
[12] Technical Guidance Document: Corrosion
Product Sampling and Analysis for Fossil
and Combined Cycle Plants, 2014. Interna-
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THE AUTHORS
Brad Buecker (B.S., Chemistry, Iowa State Uni-
versity, Ames, IA, USA) is a senior technical pub-
licist with ChemTreat. He has many years of ex-
perience in or affiliated with the power industry,
much of it in steam generation chemistry, water
treatment, air quality control, and results engi-
neering positions with City Water, Light & Power
(Springfield, IL, USA) and the Kansas City Pow-
er & Light Company's (now Evergy) La Cygne,
KS, USA, generating station. Most recently he
was a technical specialist with Kiewit Engineer-
ing Group Inc. He is a member of the American
Chemical Society, American Institute of Chemi-
cal Engineers, American Society of Mechanical
Engineers, Association of Iron and Steel Tech-
nology, National Association of Corrosion En-
gineers, the Electric Utility Chemistry Workshop
planning committee, and the Power-Gen Inter-
national planning committee. Mr. Buecker has
authored many articles and three books on pow-
er plant topics.
Ken Kuruc (B.S., Chemistry, John Carroll Uni-
versity, Cleveland, OH, USA) has been active
in the power industry for over 25 years. In his
current role, Ken provides technical support on
all aspects of water quality monitoring for fos-
sil power generation sites across the USA. He
has co-authored articles which have appeared

Visit
in various power industry publications and has
presented at numerous utility and water chemis-
try conferences, including the International Wa-
ter Conference, where he was awarded the 2019
Paul Cohen Award. chemtreat.com
CONTACT
Brad Buecker
for more
ChemTreat
2816 Harrison Avenue
information
Lawrence, KS 66047 (remote office)
USA
E-mail: [email protected]