What Does
Feedwater Mean?
Feedwater is water that undergoes purification or preheating and is then supplied to boilers for hot water and steam production, or it can remain still. It is typically found in thermal power plants where it is stored and conditioned in tanks, known as boiler feedwater.
Feedwater is also used in other industrial facilities, such as in the petrochemical industry, where boilers are an integral element of production. Quality water is required to mitigate scaling, rust formation and other corrosive effects.
Corrosionpedia Explains Feedwater
Water treatment is vital in keeping boilers properly functioning, which makes boiler feedwater treatment a mandatory process. This is because many issues can result from using untreated water under extreme temperature and pressure environments. These problems include overheating, high maintenance costs, lower heat transfer efficiency and others. Thus, feedwater should undergo the proper treatment before it is distributed to other parts of the system.
During the treatment of feedwater, corrosive compounds are eradicated, typically with the aid of a deaerator. In this process, various chemicals are used, such as sodium bisulfate and sodium carbonate. Oxygen scavengers are also used because boiler corrosion is mainly due to the presence of dissolved oxygen.