Chapter 10.

Oxygen Removal
- After pretreatment, corrosive gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and oxygen
(O2) must still be removed from the feed-water system. Mechanical deaeration can
remove these gases, especially oxygen, reducing them to a level that is either
acceptable to the boiler system or suitable for further application of scavenging
chemicals. Because oxygen is highly corrosive to metal, it must be reduced to the
lowest possible concentration. Mechanical deaeration can reduce the concentration
to less than 7 µg/L, depending on the equipment design and operation.
- Oxygen is highly active element. Even in small amounts, it can cause serious
corrosion in feed-water lines, economizers, boiler internals, steam-operated
equipment, and condensate return piping. Corrosion increases with increasing
oxygen content. The corrosion rate of oxygen dissolved in water doubles for each
180F (100C) increase in temperature. In addition, portions of a system that are
exposed to high flow rates or turbulent flow conditions are more susceptible to
oxygen attack.
- When oxygen and carbon dioxide are present together, the resulting corrosion
rate may be 10 to 40% greater than the sum of the corrosion rates of the two gases
acting separately. The combination of oxygen and ammonia is very corrosive to
copper alloys.