Is Sludge Clogging Your Industrial Boiler?
If your boiler takes too much time to heat up, you may blame it on scale. Although scale can keep boilers from heating properly, so can sludge. Like scale, sludge is a byproduct that develops inside boiler tanks. Learn more about sludge and how to remove it from your boiler's tank below.
How Does Sludge Enter Your Boiler's Tank?
Sludge is similar to the substance scale. Both types of substances form inside boiler feedwater overtime. But unlike scale, which becomes hard or crusty after it forms inside boilers, sludge has a slimy, soft, and sticky texture. Sludge can cause just as many problems for your boiler as scale can, including clogs.
If you clean your feedwater before you use it in your boiler, you may wonder how sludge can still build up inside the boiler's tank afterward. Feedwater undergoes a special treatment process before you use it. However, some minerals and other substances can become suspended in feedwater over time. The substances can also become heavy enough to sink to the bottom of your boiler's tank. The substances can eventually clog up the feedwater tubes inside the tank.
Sludge can make it harder or more difficult for your boiler to heat feedwater. Feedwater can't produce steam if it doesn't become hot enough to do so. Without steam, you can't operate your boiler properly or meet your deadlines on time.
If you suspect sludge is behind your boiler's lack of hot water and steam, contact a boiler repair contractor for services today.
How Do You Remove Sludge From Your Boiler?
A repair contractor can do a number of things to repair your ailing boiler, including check your boiler's tank for sludge buildup. If the tank contains an excessive amount of sludge, a contractor will use a technique called blowdown to remove it.
Blowdown is the process of removing sludge from the surface or bottom of a holding tank. A contractor will generally use a blowdown machine to complete the job. The machine transfers the contents to a discharge tank or a vessel. A contractor will use the tank or vessel to evaporate the contaminated feedwater right away or contain it until later.
After a contractor completes the blowdown process, they'll clean out your boiler's tank. The cleaning ensures additional sludge doesn't form inside the tank right away. You may need to blowdown your boiler's tank again in the future.
Learn how you can remove sludge from your boiler's tank by contacting a boiler repair contractor now. For more information, contact a company like ESI Boiler Rentals LLC.
