Units:
Showing lb/hr, BTU, °F, psig, GPM
1Boiler Chemistry

Boiler Cycles of Concentration

Calculates the ratio of dissolved solids in boiler water vs. feedwater using conductivity or chloride tracer methods. Compares results against ABMA maximum CoC guidelines by operating pressure.


µS/cm
µS/cm
mg/L
mg/L
psig
Used for ABMA max CoC comparison
Results
Cycles of Concentration
ABMA Max CoC (this pressure)
Assessment:

Conductivity Method:

CoC = EC_boiler / EC_feedwater

Chloride Method:

CoC = Cl⁻_boiler / Cl⁻_feedwater

ABMA Maximum CoC by Pressure:

0–300 psig → max 70 301–450 psig → max 60 451–600 psig → max 50 601–750 psig → max 40 751–900 psig → max 25 901–1000 psig → max 20 1001–1500 psig → max 15 1501–2000 psig → max 10
2Blowdown

Blowdown Rate & Heat Loss

Calculates continuous blowdown flow, heat energy discarded, annual fuel cost, and recoverable heat with a flash tank. Enter steam generation rate (or boiler HP) and target CoC.


Steam rate input:
lb/hr
CoC
psig
°F
Typical DA outlet: 227–230 °F
$/MMBTU
Enter for annual cost calculation
Results
Blowdown Rate
% of steam flow
Blowdown Flow
lb/hr
Heat Discarded
BTU/hr
Heat Loss Rate
MMBTU/hr
Annual Heat Loss
MMBTU/yr
Recoverable Heat (flash tank)
MMBTU/hr
Flash Tank Recovery: A single-stage flash tank typically recovers ~35% of blowdown heat as low-pressure steam. Heat exchangers can recover an additional 50–60% of remaining sensible heat.

Blowdown Percentage:

%BD = 1 / (CoC − 1) × 100

Blowdown Flow:

Q_BD (lb/hr) = m_steam × (%BD/100) / (1 − %BD/100)

Enthalpy of Boiler Water (h_bw): From steam tables at operating pressure — interpolated from embedded table (100–1000 psig: 309–543 BTU/lb).

Feedwater Enthalpy:

h_fw (BTU/lb) ≈ T_fw (°F) − 32 [Cp_water ≈ 1 BTU/lb·°F]

Heat Loss:

Q_BD_loss (BTU/hr) = Q_BD × (h_bw − h_fw) Annual heat loss (MMBTU/yr) = Q_BD_loss / 1,000,000 × 8760

Flash Tank Recovery:

Q_recoverable = Q_BD_loss × 0.35
3Steam Quality

Steam Purity

Estimates steam TDS and condensate TDS from mechanical carryover, then compares against ASME steam purity limits by pressure. Optionally calculates vaporous silica carryover.


ppm
%
Typical: 0.1–2%; default 0.5%
psig
ppm
Leave blank to skip silica estimate
Results
Steam TDS
ppm
Condensate TDS (est.)
ppm
ASME Steam Purity Limit
ppm TDS in steam
Assessment:

Steam TDS from mechanical carryover:

Steam_TDS (ppm) = TDS_BW × (carryover% / 100)

ASME Steam Purity Limits (TDS in steam):

<300 psig: ≤ 1.0 ppm 300–600 psig: ≤ 0.5 ppm 600–900 psig: ≤ 0.2 ppm >900 psig: ≤ 0.1 ppm

Condensate TDS is approximately equal to steam TDS (dissolved solids carried into condensate). Vaporous silica carryover is estimated using the ABMA silica partition table (see Calculator 6).

4Chemical Treatment

Deaerator O₂ Scavenger Dosing

Calculates required active dose and product feed rate for oxygen scavenger (sodium sulfite, SMBS, or DEHA) based on post-deaerator dissolved oxygen and target residual.


Flow rate input:
GPM
ppb
Typical DA outlet: 5–20 ppb
ppm
Sulfite: 20–60 ppm; DEHA: 0.1–0.5 ppm
% w/w
Results
Required Active Dose
ppm (active)
Feed Rate
mL/min
Feed Rate
GPH
Feed Rate
lb/day
Annual Consumption
gal/yr
Note: Sodium sulfite reacts at 8:1 theoretical ratio with O₂. Excess residual protects against oxygen ingress between metering points. Cobalt-catalyzed sulfite significantly accelerates the reaction rate.
Hydrazine (N₂H₄) not included: Hydrazine is classified as a probable human carcinogen (IARC Group 2A) and faces strict regulatory restrictions in many jurisdictions. DEHA, erythorbic acid, and other volatile organic scavengers are the recommended alternatives for high-pressure systems.

Dose calculation (DO converted from ppb to ppm = ppb / 1000):

Na₂SO₃ dose (ppm) = DO (ppm) × 7.875 + residual (ppm) SMBS dose (ppm) = DO (ppm) × 6.3 + residual (ppm) DEHA dose (ppm) = DO (ppm) × 3.0 + residual (ppm)

Feed Rate (GPM flow):

Flow_Lpm = GPM × 3.785 Feed rate (mL/min) = Flow_Lpm × dose_ppm / (C% × SG × 10) Feed rate (lb/day) = GPM × 1440 × 8.34 × dose_ppm / 1,000,000 Annual (gal/yr) = Feed_GPH × 8760
5Feedwater Quality

Condensate Return Contribution

Calculates blended feedwater quality (TDS, hardness, conductivity) from mixed condensate return and makeup water, plus annual water savings from condensate recovery.


GPM
%
ppm
Clean condensate: 0.1–5 ppm
ppm
ppm CaCO₃
ppm CaCO₃
Typically 0 for clean condensate
Results
Blended Feedwater TDS
ppm
Blended Feedwater Hardness
ppm as CaCO₃
Est. Feedwater Conductivity
µS/cm
Condensate Flow
GPM
Annual Water Savings
gal/yr
Makeup Required
GPM
CoC Benefit: Higher condensate return rates reduce feedwater TDS and hardness, allowing higher cycles of concentration before reaching blowdown limits — this amplifies the water and energy savings.
Q_cond = Q_fw × (CR% / 100) Q_mu = Q_fw × (1 − CR% / 100) TDS_fw = (Q_cond × TDS_cond + Q_mu × TDS_mu) / Q_fw H_fw = (Q_cond × H_cond + Q_mu × H_mu) / Q_fw EC_fw (µS/cm) ≈ TDS_fw / 0.55 Annual savings (gal/yr) = Q_cond (GPM) × 60 × 8760
6Steam Chemistry

Silica Carryover Risk

Uses ABMA silica partitioning data to determine maximum allowable boiler water SiO₂ for vaporous carryover control and assess turbine scaling risk. Scalable to any target steam SiO₂ limit.


psig
Valid range: 100–1500 psig
ppm
ppm
0.02 ppm for turbine protection
Results
Max Allowable BW SiO₂
ppm
Est. Steam SiO₂
ppm
% of Limit Used
%
Required BD to Reach Limit
Assessment:

ABMA Silica Partitioning Table (at 0.02 ppm steam target):

300 psig → 150 ppm BW SiO₂ max 400 psig → 90 ppm 500 psig → 50 ppm 600 psig → 28 ppm 700 psig → 15 ppm 800 psig → 9 ppm 900 psig → 5.5 ppm 1000 psig → 3.2 ppm 1200 psig → 1.2 ppm 1500 psig → 0.5 ppm

Scaling for other steam SiO₂ targets:

Max_BW = TableValue × (target_steam_SiO₂ / 0.02)

Estimated steam SiO₂:

Steam_SiO₂ = Current_BW_SiO₂ / TableValue × 0.02

Values at pressures between table points are linearly interpolated.