Condensate Chemicals

What is the Purpose of Condensate Treatment?
Condensate treatment chemicals are used to increase the pH of the return condensate. Condensate chemicals are referred to as Amines. There two groupings of amines filming amines and neutralizing amines. Since we are focusing on 95% of most applications, there is no need to confuse you. We will just discuss neutralizing amines.

Amines are dangerous to handle. Avoid exposure and breathing amines. Use a lower concentration of 20 to 30% solution for safety purposes. Try to feed the amine with a low stroke at a faster speed setting versus a high stroke and a low speed setting.

What are Amines?
Neutralizing amines are Cyclohexylamine, Morpholine, and Diethylaminoethanol. These chemicals can be purchased as a single component or as a multi-blend in many dilution ratios.

What is the recommended residual rate?
Maintain a condensate pH between 7.8 to 8.7. For more boiler water specifications, please refer to ASTM standards.

How do you feed Amines?
Ideally, feed your amine directly to the steam header. You can feed the amines to the boiler feed water line, but it is lower in efficiency and you will use more chemicals. Feed on a continuous basis. The lower the feed rate and the more consistently you can feed the amine the better displacement you will have. Amines are very volatile, once the amines reaches the boiler or steam header, it will leave the system with the steam immediately.

How do you monitor Amines?
You can use pH test strips, a conductivity meter, or a titration pH visual test kit. If you need an accurate reading, use a good pH meter; otherwise,  just use pH test strips. They work great!

What condensate amine do I use?
The most popular and preferred choice for most applications is tri-blend amine. This is an all-in-one amine product that is designed to protect your entire condensate system. It is the safest selection most people will choose to protect your steam boiler condensate.

If you have a long, extensive distribution, Cyclohexylamine has a good distribution ratio. It is a good chemical for long steam distribution lines with significant steam requirements remote for the boiler location.

Morpholine has a distribution ratio that makes it a better choice for short steam distribution lines with very limited steam requirements remote from the boiler.

DEAE has a distribution ratio that makes it good for a broad range of condensate system conditions.

So after seeing the benefits of all three, you can see why people choose the tri-blend amine.

There are also two groups to choose from. We broke them into the most popular amines and highly concentrated blends. Do not purchase the concentrated blend unless you have a very large boiler and have the safety measures in place to handle a concentrated blend. Do not get fooled into believing that just because it is highly concentrated, you are getting a better product. If you do not have steam production, you will overfeed the chemical, and the product is very dangerous to handle. If you spill it, count on evacuating the facility! No joke. It really is that concentrated.