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How important is it to clean a boiler?

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Thompson Industrial Services
How important is it to clean a boiler?

The boiler cleaning is a task of utmost importance to any company that works with steam, because this equipment needs special care and maintenance to maintain optimum operation. Boilers generate steam through the use of liquid or thermal energy and are divided into two categories: aguatubulares and fogotubulares. In these, the gases resulting from combustion pass through the inside of the pipes, thus heating the water. Then, the water is vaporized on the outside of the tubes.

Therefore, it is of utmost importance to clean and periodically maintain the boilers.

What precautions should be taken when maintaining a boiler?

According to study, boilers are designed to produce and add steam under a pressure greater than that of the atmosphere, making use of any energy source, such as firewood, diesel oil, BPF oil, natural gas, tallow, LPG, among others.

In addition, there are some points that must be followed in boiler maintenance, such as:

  • Inspection of the furnace weld crossings
  • Verification of electrical wiring
  • Verification of the water supply system
  • Checking the steam outlet
  • Analysis of the conservation status of the water pipe
  • Visual examinations in the rear and front mirrors
  • Conducting reviews on the electrical panel
  • Testing of emergency systems
  • Calibration of safety devices, such as pressure gauges, level controllers, safety valve and chimney gas temperature indicators;
  • Cleaning of the boiler body and the electrodes of the level bottle.

How is boiler cleaning done?

The cleaning of a boiler, also known as cleaning of steam generators, is carried out in three stages:

  • Alkaline cleaning

Alkaline cleaning, also called alkaline cleaning, is carried out in new boilers in order to remove greases, varnishes and oils applied during assembly, in addition to deposits of iron oxides.

This can also be carried out in boilers used in order to facilitate acid cleaning, transforming the existing deposits into porous and carbonated ones with the aid of Na 2 CO 3 (soda ash). When heated, it removes all residual oily material from the equipment.

  • Acid cleaning

This step of boiler cleaning is considered the most difficult. As it aims to remove deposits that alkaline cleaning is not able to perform. Such removal can be carried out by displacing the tank or by solubilisation.  After removing the deposits, corrosion inhibitors are added to the acid solutions, as these can end up corroding various types of steel present in the boilers.

  • Passivation

The last part of the boiler cleaning process is passivation. It must be started immediately after the end of acid cleaning to avoid metal exposure. During this process, a layer of magnetite (Fe 3 O 4) is applied to the protective surface inside the tubes, in order to remove the iron oxides that have accumulated during the second cleaning step.

The performance of preventive and periodic maintenance of boilers ensures greater efficiency and longevity of this equipment. Category B boilers must be inspected within a maximum period of 12 months. Different types of boilers need different types of care in maintenance. This increases its useful life, the security level of the company as a whole and the organization's revenue.

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