Organics Monitoring in Your Water System – Part 2
Organics Monitoring in Your Water System - Part 2
Monitoring
Boiler Feed and Steam Condensate
The formation of corrosive organic acids or fouling of boiler components can result in organic contamination in steam from natural occurring products organics, heat transfer or process chemicals Traditional
means of controlling corrosion include monitoring for conductivity and
pH called “lagging” indicators which indicate the existence of corrosive conditions.
The leading indicator of organic contamination is often the root cause or
that dictates the formation of corrosive conditions, allowing corrective action prior to shifts in conductivity or pH and risk damage to the equipment.
Boiler insurance companies and industry advisory boards recommend minimal organics in boiler feedwater due to the potential damage organics
can cause. TheElectric Power Research Institute (EPRI) recommends < 100 μg/L TOC in boiler feed. Monitoring organics in condensate in real-time helps a facility safely reuse condensate and protect both critical production equipment and the product to maintains maximizing uptime.
Drinking and Source Water
Regulations in many countries limit the number of organics that can be present in finished and/or raw drinking water or require a pre-determined percent removal of organics during treatment, in order to limit the formation of carcinogenic compounds. The reaction of disinfectants and organics generate disinfection by-products (DBPs) such as trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs) that are regulated by multiple national and international regulatory organizations.
Monitoring THMs and HAAs only indicate the severity of the problem after it has occurred, but does not provide operators timely information that enables treatment modifications to prevent real-time formation. Municipalities with actionable information regarding fluctuating organics levels in influent waters as well as organics concentrations in finished effluent by using online organics monitoring. This allows utilities to add further treatment to reduce DBP formation and facilitate compliance and optimized coagulant dosing.