Controlling gas levels in the power plant and boiler feedwater systems is very critical to plant operation. It is important to remove both CO2 from water and O2 from water. Both of these gasses are corrosive and they can negatively impact the boiler performance and corrode metals in contact with the boiler feed water. Historically chemical injection, vacuum towers, and/or forced draft deaerators were used to remove oxygen and carbon dioxide from boiler feedwater. Liqui-Cel Membrane Contactors, however, offer many advantages over these outdated technologies and many plants are choosing membrane systems because they are economical and compact. People are also required to handle the chemicals and this is a potential health risk to employees. As chemical deposits accumulate on the boiler surfaces, the boiler has to be shut down and cleaned in a process called blow down. Blow down frequency periods increase when chemicals are injected into the feedwater. As blow down increases the operating costs increase as well because blow down generates a loss of water and a loss of heat in the system that needs to be reestablished after blow down is complete.
Membrane Contactors are extremely attractive to the many industries that rely on boilers for power. Membrane Contactors have 10 times more surface area compared to vacuum towers and forced draft systems which means they are very small and compact and can be installed inside. Inside installation near the boiler requires less piping and has lower installations costs. Membrane contactors can be run in-line and under pressure.
Technical Papers
- Membrane Contractors: An Introduction To The Technology PDF
This paper provides a good overview to Membrane Contactor technology. Principles of Membrane Contactor Operation and mass transfer principles are discussed.- General PDF brochure
- Liquid Cell Product Animated Tour
Need to select the right product for your application? Read our Technical Specs for the entire Liqui-Cel® Membrane Contactor product line. Just click below, to review the following:
