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Title: New technology in condensate polishing. Final report

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:10173833
; ;  [1]
  1. Graver Co., Union, NJ (United States). Water Div.

Sulfonic acid ion exchange resins. when carried into a boiler or steam generator, thermally decompose releasing large amounts of corrosive, sulfates. Replacement of the sulfonic acid resin with a carboxylic acid resin would eliminate this source of contamination. The sulfonic acid resin is a strong acid: the carboxylic acid resin is a weak acid. The carboxylic acid resin alone is not capable of splitting salts which limits its use to mixed resin beds or to its use in single or individual beds with feeds of high alkalinity or high pH values. Laboratory, pilot plant and full scale plant tests compared the two resins in precoat filters. When the resins in mixed beds were in the acid form, the weakly acid resin was almost as effective in removing sodium ion as the strongly acid resin. In the ammonium form. the weakly acid resin was generally more effective in removing sodium than the strongly acid resin. Condensate polishing reduced the sodium ion to a few parts per billion (ppB). Complete resin separation before regeneration is more important for the weakly acid resin than for the strongly acid resin. Another development found that the hydrazine reaction with oxygen could be catalyzed by powdered activated carbon combined with microfibers on a Powdex substrate. The carbon should be thoroughly washed to reduce its residual sodium content. In plant tests, the carbon reduced the oxygen concentration in condensate about 50% during startup. In preliminary tests believed to be typical, carbon lowered the oxygen concentration below 10 ppB in about 6 hours compared to 18 hours without the carbon. Oxygen is also reduced during normal operation.

Research Organization:
Electric Power Research Inst., Palo Alto, CA (United States); Graver Co., Union, NJ (United States). Water Div.
Sponsoring Organization:
Electric Power Research Inst., Palo Alto, CA (United States)
OSTI ID:
10173833
Report Number(s):
EPRI-TR-100757; ON: UN92040702
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: Aug 1992
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English