Industrial Boiler Best Practices

CURE Chemicals in Industrial Manufacturing

A SYSTEM-WIDE APPROACH DELIVERS DELIGHT

A Gulf industrial manufacturer now finds time to focus on continuous improvement, instead of maintenance, by adopting Gradiant's recommendation for whole-system best practices combined with a bespoke CURE Chemicals blend that has delivered flawless performance without unplanned downtime for three years and counting.

Fast Facts

Location: Gulf Region

Application: Boiler Systems

Solution: Boiler System Treatment

Industry: Heavy Industrial

Feedwater Source: Softener System

CURE Chemical: Oxygen Scavenger, Scale Inhibitor, Condensate Treatment

The Challenge

A large industrial facility in the Gulf operating two low-pressure firetube boilers could not maintain the makeup system’s target hardness levels of 3 ppm CaCO₃. They were experiencing outages in the softener system, resulting in frequent hardness fluctuations in boiler makeup water. Analysis showed condensate return running from 40 to 50%, leading to 50 to 60% high hardness makeup water feed to the boiler, significantly increasing the risk of scaling. Scale that generates unplanned downtime, safety concerns, high costs for cleaning, and lower boiler fuel efficiency.

The Solution

Gradiant started with a whole-system evaluation, including the performance of the softener system with operational best practices recommendations to improve efficiency and reliability. We developed a bespoke CURE Chemical solution that combined the utility of an oxygen scavenger, scale inhibitor, and condensate treatment. Once implemented, the boiler system could operate efficiently and effectively within normal operating variability and accommodate fluctuations in high hardness input from the softener system. We supported the treatment program with ongoing twice-weekly monitoring, including detailed service reports and operational recommendations for the local operations team to ensure continuous system reliability, uptime, and lower overall operating costs.

The Benefits

We deployed our solution in 2020 and continue monitoring and maintaining this customer’s site with zero unplanned downtime since startup. The treatment program has exceeded the customer’s expectations, requiring nominal inspection during planned shutdown events due to the pristine condition of the boiler, which exhibits no reportable scale or corrosion. Consequently, the plant has yet to initiate any cleaning or repairs, which has enabled the customer to focus on continuous improvement instead of troubleshooting.

Impact Stats

>3 YEARS

of operation without unplanned maintenance

ZERO

unplanned downtime hours

ZERO

incremental inspection downtime

UP TO 5%

improvement in fuel efficiency

Figures & Images

Clean boiler

Twice-weekly sampling