Boiler Feedwater

Definition

The blended water supplied to a boiler, formed by combining condensate return and makeup water in a feedwater tank.

Feedwater conditions of temperature, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen are the flow-weighted average of the condensate return and makeup streams. When condensate return collapses, the colder, more concentrated, more oxygenated makeup fraction rises, so feedwater temperature drops while conductivity and dissolved oxygen climb. This is the worked boiler example where three chemical symptoms trace back to one water-balance change.

Related concepts

Makeup Water · Weighted Average · Condensate Return

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Part of The Blueprint of Water · 🛠️ operations