Boiler Makeup Softening

Definition

The required removal of calcium and magnesium hardness from boiler makeup water so that trace hardness does not plate out on heat-transfer surfaces.

Inside a boiler, carbonate generated from alkalinity breakdown will precipitate any calcium present, and inverse solubility sends it directly onto the hottest heat-transfer surfaces. Because even trace calcium plates out where heat transfer matters most, boiler makeup must be effectively softened. This is why boilers cannot tolerate hardness intrusion.

Related concepts

Boiler Alkalinity Breakdown · Hardness as CaCO3 · Inverse Solubility of Calcium Carbonate

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Part of The Blueprint of Water · 🛠️ operations