Water Softening

External Treatment
• The external treatment of water is carried
out before it is fed into the boiler.
• This treatment prevent boiler troubles.
Ca (HCO3)2+Ca(OH)2→2CaCO3↓+2H2O
CaSO4+Na2CO3→CaCO3↓ + Na2SO4
MgCl2+Ca(OH)2→Mg(OH)2↓+CaCl2
Addition of a coagulant such as sodium
aluminate or alum helps in accelerating the
coagulation of the fine precipates, which settle
down easily and subsequently removed by
filtration.
There are two types of Lime Soda
Process
• Cold Lime Soda Process
• Hot Lime Soda Process

• Cold Lime Soda Process: in this process

water is treated with Lime & Soda at room temp in
presence of coagulant.
• Types of cold lime-soda softeners
• There are four basic types of cold lime soda softeners:
(1) The intermittent type (batch process)
(2) The conventional type
(3) The catalyst or spiractor type continuous
process
(4) The sludge blanket type
 Intermittent or batch process
The intermittent type of cold
lime-soda softener consists of a
set
of two tanks which are used in
turn
for softening of water.
Raw water and calculated
quantities of the chemicals are
slowly
sent into the tank simultaneously
under
agitation with the help of the
stirrer. Fig. Intermittent cold lime-soda softener.
Some sludge from a previous
operation
is also added which forms
nucleus for
 Conventional type

In this process, the raw water

and the chemicals in
calculated quantities are
continuously fed from the
top into an inner chamber
of vertical circular tank
provided
with a paddle stirrer.

Fig. Conventional type of lime-soda softner.

 Catalyst or spiractor type

The spiractor consists of

a conical tank which is
about two-thirds filled
with finely divided
granular catalyst.
The catalyst employed is
a finely granule (0.3 to
0.6 mm diameter)
insoluble mineral
substance such as
graded calcite or sand
or green sand. The
retention time is about
8 to 12 minutes. Fig. Catalyst or spiractor type cold lime
soda water softener
 Hot lime-soda process

• In this process water

is heated with
chemicals at a temp
of 94- 100°C.
• This softener
essentially consists
of three parts.
(i)Reaction Tank
(ii)Conical
Sedimentation Tank
(iii)Sand Filter

Fig. Hot Lime Soda Softener

 Hot Lime Soda Process is better than cold
process as:

• Elevated temperatures • Water treated by the cold

not only accelerate the lime-soda process
actual chemical generally produces
softened water
reactions but also containing about 50 – 60
reduce the viscosity of ppm of residual hardness.
the water and increase • Water treated by hot lime-
the rate of aggregation soda process generally
of the particles. produces softened water
• Thus, both the settling containing about 15 – 30
ppm of residual hardness.
rates and filtration
rates are increased.
Advantages of Hot Lime Soda Process
(95-100°C)
• Softening reactions are completed within 15
minutes. It appreciably increases the capacity
of the plant. Plant is compact.
• Viscosity of water is reduced at elevated
temperature which accelerates the
aggregation, setting and filtration of particles.
• Coagulant is not required.
• Dissolved gases are driven out.
• Residual hardness is 15-30% where as in cold
process it remains 50-60 ppm.
• Less excess chemicals are required than the
cold process.
Reactions Involved in Lime Soda
Process
(i) One equivalent of calcium temporaty hardness requires one equivqlent of lime
Ca (HCO3)2+Ca(OH)2→2CaCO3↓+2H2O
• For instance, 136 parts
by weight of CaSO4
would contain the
same amount of Ca as
that of 100 parts by
weight of CaCO3. So, to
convert the weight of
CaSO4 as its CaCO3
equivalents, the weight
of CaSO4 should be
multiplied by a factor
of 100/136.
Lime and Soda requirements can be calculated as
follows: