A condensate polisher is a device used to filter water condensed from steam as part of the steam cycle, for example in a conventional or nuclear power plant (powdered resin or deep bed system). It is frequently filled with

polymer resin A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + ''-mer'', "part") is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic and ...

s which are used to remove or exchange ions such that the purity of the condensate is maintained at or near that of

distilled water Distilled water is water that has been boiled into vapor and condensed back into liquid in a separate container. Impurities in the original water that do not boil below or near the boiling point of water remain in the original container. Thus, dis ...

Description

Condensate polishers are important in systems using the boiling and condensing of water to transport or transform

thermal energy The term "thermal energy" is used loosely in various contexts in physics and engineering. It can refer to several different well-defined physical concepts. These include the internal energy or enthalpy of a body of matter and radiation; heat, ...

. Using technology similar to a

water softener Water softening is the removal of calcium, magnesium, and certain other metal cations in hard water. The resulting soft water requires less soap for the same cleaning effort, as soap is not wasted bonding with calcium ions. Soft water also ext ...

, trace amounts of minerals or other contamination are removed from the system before such contamination becomes concentrated enough to cause problems by depositing minerals inside pipes, or within precision-engineered devices such as

boiler A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, centr ...

s, steam generators,

heat exchanger A heat exchanger is a system used to transfer heat between a source and a working fluid. Heat exchangers are used in both cooling and heating processes. The fluids may be separated by a solid wall to prevent mixing or they may be in direct conta ...

steam turbine A steam turbine is a machine that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam and uses it to do mechanical work on a rotating output shaft. Its modern manifestation was invented by Charles Parsons in 1884. Fabrication of a modern steam turb ...

cooling tower A cooling tower is a device that rejects waste heat to the atmosphere through the cooling of a coolant stream, usually a water stream to a lower temperature. Cooling towers may either use the evaporation of water to remove process heat and ...

s, and

condensers __NOTOC__ Condenser may refer to: Heat transfer * Condenser (heat transfer), a device or unit used to condense vapor into liquid. Specific types include: ** HVAC air coils ** Condenser (laboratory), a range of laboratory glassware used to remove ...

. The removal of minerals has the secondary effect of maintaining the pH balance of the water at or near neutral (a pH of 7.0) by removing ions that would tend to make the water more acidic. This reduces the rate of

corrosion Corrosion is a natural process that converts a refined metal into a more chemically stable oxide. It is the gradual deterioration of materials (usually a metal) by chemical or electrochemical reaction with their environment. Corrosion engi ...

where water comes in contact with metal. Condensate polishing typically involves ion exchange technology for the removal of trace dissolved minerals and suspended matter. Commonly used as part of a power plant's condensate system, it prevents premature chemical failure and deposition within the power cycle which would have resulted in loss of unit efficiency and possible mechanical damage to key generating equipment. During the process of steam generation in power plants, the steam cools and condensate forms. The condensate is collected and then used as

boiler feedwater Boiler feedwater is an essential part of boiler operations. The feed water is put into the steam drum from a feed pump. In the steam drum the feed water is then turned into steam from the heat. After the steam is used it is then dumped to the m ...

. Prior to re-use, the condensate must be purified or "polished", to remove impurities (predominantly silica oxides and sodium) which have the potential to cause damage to the boilers, steam generators, reactors and turbines. Both dissolved (i.e. silica oxides) and suspended matter (ex. iron oxide particulates from corrosion, also called 'crud'), as well as other contaminants which can cause corrosion and maintenance issues are effectively removed by condensate polishing treatment.

References

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