Phosphate

Conditioning
By: Birondo & Lignig
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Explain Phosphate Conditioning
What are the equipment used
What are the chemical reactions
involved
 Water
Impurities
Do you remember the
difference between
dissolved and
suspended solids?
This include dissolved and
suspended solids
Industrial Water Conditioning
removing or minimizing
undesirable characteristics of water,
such as removing hardness by softening
to avoid boiler scale

adding
desirable properties to water, such as
adding chromate ion to give corrosion
inhibitory properties
Industrial Water Treatment - Arrow
Operations & Technologies Ltd.
Two Major Parts of Water Conditioning
External Treatment
involves removal of hardness causing
impurities and silica before the water
fed into boiler

Internal Treatment
consists of adding chemicals directly to
the water in the boilers for removing
scales and sludges
Industrial Water Treatment - Arrow
Operations & Technologies Ltd.
Phosphate
Conditioning
a process that is used in
internal conditioning of
boiler water, on the one
hand, and conditioning of
cooling and process water
Phosphate BOILER WATER PROBLEMS

Conditioning 1. SCALE DEPOSITS

2. EXCESSIVE SLUDGE
3. GENERAL CORROSION
a process that is used in
internal conditioning of
boiler water, on the one
hand, and conditioning of
cooling and process water
HOW PHOSPHATE CONDITIONING CAN AVOID
BOILER WATER PROBLEMS?

In high pressure boilers scale formation can be avoided by adding

sodium phosphate. It reacts with hardness of water forms non
adherent, easily removable soft sludge of Ca / Mg phosphates.

The most common solids that separate from boiler water are the
sparingly soluble calcium salts (e.g. CaSO4, Ca(OH)2, CaCO3,
Ca3(PO4) and magnesium compounds.)
 PHOSPHATE IS ADDED TO THE WATER AT 25-50 MG/L TO
PRECIPITATE THE CALCIUM AS THE INSOLUBLE CA3(PO4)2.

adding sodium phosphate to boiler water phosphate reacts

with Ca and Mg salts and formed easily removable sludge

3MgCl 2 + 2Na 3PO4 Mg3 (PO ) + 6NaCl 4 2

3CaSO4 + 2Na 3PO4 Ca 3 (PO ) + 3Na SO

4 2 2 4

Ca/Mg which results to scale Sludge

forming
calcium cannot be precipitated below a pH = 9.5 hence the
selection of phosphate has to be based on the pH of the
boiler feed water
 Sludge vs Scale

hard deposits which stick very

soft and non-adherent
firmly to the inner surface of boiler
deposits

can be very difficult

removed easily to remove
can transfer heat to some bad conductors of heat
extent and is less dangerous and are more
dangerous
We can use different phosphates
based on PH of water
Na3PO4, Trisodium phosphate (alkaline in nature) is
used when alkalinity is low or highly acidic water.

Na2HPO4, Sodium hydrogen phosphate (weakly

alkaline) is used when alkalinity is sufficient or slightly
acidic water.

NaH2PO4, Sodium dihydrogen phosphate (acidic) is

used when alkalinity is high.
 Blow down Operation
a partial removal of hard water
through top at the bottom of boiler
when extent of hardness in the boiler
becomes alarmingly high

blow down operation

in cooling tower
ADVANTAGES
Highly acidic or alkaline
water can be treated
Water of nearly zero
hardness can be obtained
method is cheap
Phosphate conditioning
can be applied to high
pressure boilers
Can be used for neutral
water
Easy operation
LIMITATIONS
equipment is costly and expensive
chemicals are needed
if water contains turbidity the output of
process is reduced
THANK YOU!