Design Engineer Decisions Tree: Paper Mill Boiler Feedwater

If the power and recovery boilers are the heart of a modern paper mill, then the boiler feedwater must be considered the lifeblood of the operation. The design of a greenfield paper mill, or new construction within an existing mill, requires many important decisions to ensure economy and reliability in the steam generation area. This paper discusses the pertinent design questions associated with paper mill boiler feedwater.

Boiler feedwater, steam, and condensate are handled at high pressure and temperature. Design of the boiler feedwater system should include informed cautions and access for monitoring to protect against catastrophic failures due to various form of corrosion damage. Some chemicals used in water treating are hazardous. Detailed system design and operation of water treating systems are outside the scope of this paper. Readers are cautioned, however, that designers and operators of these systems must understand the hazards and exercise caution to avoid injury.