measuring cation conductivity remains one of the most sensitive, simple, and
reliable tools for detecting small amounts of contamination in feedwater and steam.
Actually, cation conductivity is a misnomer. A more precise name would be
cation-exchanged conductivity, because it is a measure of the conductivity of a
solution after it has been passed through a strong acid cation exchange resin.
When a condenser tube springs a leak, chloride, sulfate, carbonate, and many other
anions contaminate condensate and feedwater.
he simplest, most reliable way to detect such contamination in real time has been
cation conductivity.
superheated steam turbines have an extremely low tolerance for solids contamination in the steam.
Magnetite is dissolved and yields an acid solution containing both ferrous (Fe+) and ferric (Fe+)
chlorides (ferric chlorides are very corrosive to steel and copper)
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magnetite
hydrochloric
acid
ferrous
chloride
ferric
chloride
water
CONDENSER TUBE LEAK OR BRINE HEATER TUBE LEAK EARLY
DETECTION QUICK ACTION
W!A "# $A"%& $%&'($")"*
The online measurement of conductivity after water has passed through a column of strongly
acidic cation-exchange resin is used to indicate the presence of potentially corrosive ionic
contaminants. The technique may be referred to as cation conductivity or acid conductivity
in some documentation.
The cation-exchange resin removes ammonium, sodium, and other cationsleaving an acidic
solution of the anions that were present. The conductivity of this solution is highly responsive to
the presence of strong-acid anions, because of the very high equivalent conductivity of the
hydrogen ion. Thus, conductivity after cation exchange is extremely effective for rapidly
indicating the onset of condenser leaage, particularly at seawater-cooled sites, and also for
detecting contaminated maeup water
The cation exchanger removes the background conductivity caused by ammonia. With no contamination, cation
conductivity equals the conductivity of pure water. With salt contamination, conductivity increases as the column efuent is
now a dilute mineral acid.
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'he maximum recommended concentration limits of
'otal (issolved )olids ('())
total al*alinity
total dissolved solids
according to +,M+ - +merican ,oiler Manufacturers +ssociation - are given in the table below.
,oiler !perating
/ressure
(psig)
(bar)
'otal (issolved
)olids
- '() -
(ppm)
'otal +l*alinity
(ppm)
'otal )uspended
)olids
(ppm)
0 - 10
0 - .1
&100 100
10 - 00
.1 - &0
100 200 31
00 - "10
&0 - 0
000 400 30
"10 - 400
0 - "0
&100 100 #
400 - 210
"0 - 10
3000 &00
210 - 500
10 - 40
210 310 &
500 - 3000
40 - 20
4&1 3&1 3
Maximum Allowable Impurities in Boiler Water
%hemical )ymbol
Maximum
%oncentration
(ppm)
)odium sulphite 6+&)! 3.0
)odium chloride 6a%l 30.0
)odium
phosphate
6+/!" &1.0
)odium sulphate 6+&)!" &1.0
%hemical )ymbol
Maximum
%oncentration
(ppm)
)ilica oxide )i!& 0.&0
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$hloride and sulfate are known to contribute to corrosion fatigue in turbine blades,
particularly those in the ;nal rows of the low-pressure section. "t is chloride and
sulfate contamination that cation conductivity is really intended to detect. /arly
detection of this contamination can allow a plant time to correct contamination
before it causes deposits and corrosion on the turbine <-igure 4=.
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