Deaerator Troubleshooting

High O^²

• Air in-leakage
• Insufficient stabilization period
• Trays not installed properly and in place
• Not steady state conditions
• O² inlet not in accordance with specified designed conditions
• Spray valves not installed correctly
• Water inlet temperature too low
• Improper venting
• Incorrect testing
• Operation outside of design conditions

• Loose fittings
• Shut scavenger off
• Remove chemical interferences
• Verify design conditions

Excessive Pressure Fluctuation

• Steam PRV improperly sized or calibrated
• Improperly sized downcomer and equalizer
• Inlet steam pressure too high or too low
• Excessive inlet temperature variation
• Heater flooding

• Check size and calibration
• Keep within design range
• Check all valve and control settings

Low Outlet Temperature

• Incorrect Thermometer reading
• Insufficient steam flow
• Incorrect steam/water ratio
• Spray valves or internals malfunctioning
• Heater flooding
• Inlet flow piped incorrectly

• Check calibration
• Check steam supply
• Check for restrictions
• Check Pipe and valve sizing
• Check heat and mass balances
• Check spray valves, trays, etc.
• Check all valve and control settings
• Check all inlet flows and temperatures

Water Hammer

• Inlet flows mixing just prior to Deaerator inlet
• Improper pipe design
• High inlet velocities

• Mix flows farther upstream of Deaerator
• Check and/or redesign
• Keep within HEI

High CO²

• High CO² at inlet
• High pH
• Improper venting

• Verify CO² design condition
• Lower pH
• Review vent system

Tray Upsets

• Tray hold down not secure
• Turbine trip
• Flashing

• Install correctly
• Gradual increase/decrease of controlled flows

Unexpected Storage Tank Level Excursions

• Malfunctioning level control system
• Malfunctioning overflow or improper boiler feed pump operation
• Pressure fluctuations

• Check setting and system operation
• Check overflow level and boiler feed pump operation
• See pressure fluctuations above

Water Out of Vent

• Cracked vent welds
• Improper vent piping
• Water carryover

• Repair or redesign
• Should be as short and as vertical as possible
• Reset vent flow

Iron Oxide in Deaerator

• Condensate or system corrosion
• Frequent shutdowns
• High O²

• Keep positive pressure on Deaerator
• See High O² section above