EZ-DOSE
BOILER COMPOUND AND LEVEL MANAGER
WHY THE EZ-DOSE?
Most boiler damage is caused by improper treatment of new
make-up water flowing into the return tank. In order to ensure the longevity
and proper steam generation, chemicals must be added in the form of boiler
compound to control corrosion and scale. The two main causes of corrosion
and scale is excessive oxygen content and a high level of dissolved solids
present in the untreated make-up water added to the condensate return tank.
The villains in this scenario, which inspired me to develop the EZ-DOSE, are
the BALL FLOAT VALVE and
MAINTENANCE OF THE PROPER CONCENTRATION
OF BOILER COMPOUND.
Let’s take the ball float valve first. These valves use a ball shaped float,
similar in operation to the valve in your toilet tank, to control the
addition of new water to return tank. When these valves leak (almost all of
them do) untreated water, rich in both oxygen and dissolved solids bleeds
into the return tank. This creates four undesirable effects:
1. Cools the make-up water requiring greater boiler heating capacity to boil
once inside the boiler and greater quantities of boiler compound to control
the water impurities. This increases fuel consumption and extends boiler
recovery time which is costly in terms of production. This will be critical
on steam systems operating at the margin of their steam production capacity.
2. The higher oxygen content dissolved in the cool incoming water reacts
with carbon dioxide to form carbonic acid which corrodes the internals of
your boiler as well as the steam system piping, steam traps and machinery.
3. High levels of dissolved solids in the make-up water form scale leading
to the clogging of pipes, valves, boiler tubes, steam traps and machinery.
4. Adding new water without a corresponding addition of boiler compounds
dilutes the concentration of boiler compound in the water pumped into the
boiler, thereby reducing the compounds effectiveness.
The EZ-DOSE uses an electronic level sensing module which is
immune to return tank turbulence and surging, to open and close a 24 VAC
solenoid which admits new water to the return tank. This solenoid
positively controls the return tank water level, thereby eliminating the
undesirable effects listed above.
The second culprit of the boiler destruction duo is improper control of the
chemistry inside the boiler. Boiler chemistry is maintained by adding the
proper volume of boiler compound to the water being pumped into the boiler.
The compound both removes free oxygen in the make-up water, preventing acid
formation as well as controls the solids dissolved in the make-up water
called “total dissolved solids”. These solids, also known as TDS , are the
major contributor to scale formation in steam and water systems. Adding the
right dose of boiler compound at the correct time to the make-up water is
the second challenge the EZ-DOSE overcomes. If you are adding the compound
just once or twice a day or using a fixed timer or a return pump relay to
add boiler compound these methods simply cannot compensate for variations in
the demand for steam hence the volume of new water entering the return tank.
These variations require the proper amount of boiler compound be added to
the new, untreated water added to the return tank. The EZ-DOSE solves this
problem by measuring the volume of new water added then having a
micro-computer calculate the proper dosage volume of compound to be added to
the return tank using a metering pump. This combination of measuring the
volume of incoming water and adding the precise amount of compound required
can be easily adjusted and precisely controlled by settings on the EZ-DOSE
control panel, tailoring the compound addition to any boiler size, type, or
mode of operation.