Water treatment
www.heatingandventilating.net
Water quality – a vital component in a heating system
Keith Mileham, technical sales engineer from Spirotech, explains why water quality is an essential component of an efficient heating system
W
ith the high cost of energy it has become critical that heating and chilled water systems become more efficient, especially
to the person that pays the bills. Water quality is at the heart of the efficiency
of every LTHW & CHW system and getting its conditioning right will reward the building owner with efficient, trouble-free operation, helping to maximise the performance and lifecycle of both existing and new system components. A poorly selected-installed or maintained
pressurisation unit and expansion vessel will result in negative pressures around the systems, causing air to be drawn in through automatic air vents, gaskets and via micro-leaks. Under-sizing an expansion vessel will over
pressurise the system, which can lead to a problematic system, in which it may need refilling regularly - this increases the form of scale. Unfortunately, the newly introduced water will be oxygen-rich and further deplete any corrosion inhibitors in the system. If air continually gets into the system, corrosion
will occur resulting in a build-up of magnetite and hematite, leading to component failure. Whilst corrosion inhibitors play a part in maintaining the integrity of LTHW and CHW systems, they do not impact on the content of inert gases such as nitrogen and carbon dioxide that are present in large volumes. These inert gases play a big part in reducing the system’s overall efficiency. Therefore, degassing the system water is fundamental to ensuring good water quality.
System failure is normally down to poor system design and installation, and a lack of proper maintenance, or a combination of all three. If this is the case, it will result in decreasing systems performance leading to costly repair, or the need to replace component parts when they fail - clearly an inconvenience to the end-user.
Providing the solution
Seeking advice from a knowledgeable technical person can definitely aid the selection process through the design and installation stages of a heating and chilled system. It is important to ensure that the system
parameters match the performance requirements of the buildings. Spirotech’s range of SpiroExpand and our Superior pressurisation units are designed to suit every pressurised system that facilities managers, engineers and system designers are likely to encounter. Commercial applications range from smaller LTHW and CHW systems up to the higher operational pressure range of 23.5 bar and beyond for special applications. In addition to selecting a suitable pressurisation solution, it is critical to incorporate a robust Air and Dirt solution. Dismissing these elements will lead to a prevalent failure of components on LTHW and CHW systems, inefficiency will increase, and breakdowns will be almost inevitable, even if not immediately apparent.
Whether it’s a completely new system being designed, specified and installed, or the repair and
ongoing maintenance of an existing one, there are certain procedures and practices that need to be implemented.
Omitting equipment that removes dissolved gasses from a system is not only short-sighted but can be costly. De-gassing and dirt separators maintain the ongoing health of any LTHW and CHW system. Please realise that changing specification will impact on other products installed on these systems - good quality products can safeguard against costly breakdowns of the boiler and other system components. When large sums of money are being invested
in LTHW and CHW components, ignoring key items, or not understanding a product’s true value and selecting a product that is not fit-for-purpose, can be a serious mistake, particularly when only a modest sum of money in the great ‘scheme-of things’ is needed to safeguard systems from air and dirt. Whilst the specifier and engineer may understand
the key principles of design, it`s crucial that the end- user understands that value engineering may not mean value-for-money in the long-term. In stripping out product deemed unnecessary to keep costs down, or replace equipment with inadequate items, means that maintenance costs could escalate. Support for design engineers and facilities managers can be found on the Spirotech website where the company has created CPD courses accredited by CIBSE. They are: ‘De aeration and Dirt Separation Techniques’ and ‘Understanding Pressurisation Design, Installation and Implementation.’
22 August 2023
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