PLANT WATER SYSTEM

RAW WATER & IMPURITIES: Water is one of the basic requirements in raising steam. In nature water is available in abundance. Its physical and chemical characteristics vary depending upon the source and strata on which it flows. It picks up mineral salts from the soil, which go in to solution. Water, therefore contains mineral salts in dissolved condition, in varying proportions, composition and degree. It gets polluted further with multifarious organic and inorganic impurities due to disposal of industrial and domestic wastes. Decayed vegetation and micro-organism also contribute to contamination. Besides dissolved salts water contains coarse substance in suspended form, constituting of silt and clay matters, generally termed as turbidity. Silicate matters are present in dissolved as well as in colloidal forms, proportion of which varies depending mainly on the following conditions: Temperature Seasonal Conditions Chemical characteristics of the particulate Velocity of the flow

The major impurities of raw water, classed in three main groups: first, ionic and dissolved, second non-ionic and undissolved and third gaseous. The ionic impurities in the first group are sub divided in to cations and anions. Organic matter and colour appear in both the first two groups, because there are many types: some dissolved and ionic, such as hamates, and others colloidal and nonionic, such as tannins. Also there may be types of organic matter that are dissolved and non-ionic.

Hardness: Permanent Hardness: is due to presence of SO4, NO3, Cl of Ca++ & Mg++ Temporary Hardness: is due to presence of HCO & CO of Ca++ & Mg++ in water Equivalent Mineral Acidity: (E.M.A.):- This is the sum of all ions of SO4 + Cl + NO3 in raw water.

Alkalinity is of 3 types. Bicarbonate Alkalinity Carbonate Alkalinity hydroxide or caustic Alkalinity

Total Alkalinity = HCO3 + CO3 + OH Phenolphthalein Alkalinity (p Alk) is determined by titration with an acid and the colour change (pink to colorless) takes place at pH of about 8.3.

Methyl Orange Alkalinity (M. Alkalinity):- During titration with an acid, the colour change takes place at about pH of 4.3 (Orange to Pink) METHOD OF EXPRESSING DISSOLVED IMPURITIES: Dissolved impurities may be expressed in terms of ions themselves or in terms of their equivalent. The preferred method of expression in water treatment field is in terms of equivalent of Calcium Carbonate abbreviated as CaCo3. CaCo3 is a good common denominator because it has a molecular weight of 100, which facilitates calculations. Moreover in this form of analysis the sum of cations always equal to sum of anions. This method also aids in predicting the comparative analysis after various forms of treatment and analysis at consecutive steps in multi step demineralization. If analysis expressed in terms of ions, it can be converted to the form of expression in terms of equivalent CaCo3 (or as CaCo3 ) by dividing figures by equivalent weight of ions then multiplying by equivalent weight of CaCo3 (i.e. 50). For example if amount of Calcium in water is 40 ppm as Ca then during expressing it in terms of CaCo3 it becomes 40/20 X 50 = 100 ppm as Caco3. (Here 20 is equivalent wt. of Ca)

(Equivalent weight of an ion is its molecular weight divided by its valances) PRE TREATMENT OF RAW WATER: The purpose of pre treatment is to render raw water fit as influent to a de-mineralizing unit. Pre treatment is done to make water free from suspended, colloidal and organic impurities. Since presence of such impurities adversely affect the de-ionisation effect and the final quality of de-mineralized water, pre-treatment plays a vital role in water treatment. The different process involved in pretreatment are: Settling and Coagulation Filtration

Settling & Coagulation: Used for removal of turbidity and suspended matter. The coarse, heavy particles of suspended matter gets easily removed by settling the water in a tank, but some suspended impurities, such as turbidity, micro-organisms and colour are very finely divided or even in colloidal form, so that they do not settle readily. Settling basins would have to be excessively large, to remove these fine particles. Co-agulation is a process of breaking up of a colloidal solution resulting in the recipitation of the particle of the dispersed phase. It may be spontaneous and brought about by the additions of an electrolyte which is termed as coagulant. Co -agulation, induced by adding chemicals (Coagulants) to the water, agglomerates the finely divided, suspended solids in to masses that settle more readily. This occurs in two ways: The particles of turbidity and colour have like electric charges on their surfaces, which keep them apart, because like electric charges repel one another and the coagulant ions selected possess charges opposite to those on the suspended particles, so that they neutralize each other. The coagulant reacts with the alkalinity of the water to form a gelatinous precipitate, called floc which enmeshes and entraps the finer of the suspended particles. Alum or Aluminum sulphate is the most commonly used coagulant, because it is the lowest in cost and least corrosive to handle. The reactions are shown below:Al2 (SO4)3 + 3 Ca (HCO3)2 = 2Al (OH) 3 + 3CaSO4 + 6CO2

Filtration: Filtration is defined as passage of fluid through a porous medium to remove matters held in suspension. In water purification the matter to be removed includes: Suspended Silt Clay Colloids

Micro Organisms including algae, bacteria and virus.

The particles to be removed have approximate size as follows:Material Particle Size, Silt Bacteria Viruses Colloids Milli-micron 50,000 5,000 50 1 1,000

DEMINERALISATION SYSTEM: Demineralization Process & Systems: The process of demineralization water by ion exchange comprises of: Conversion of salts to their corresponding acids by hydrogen cat-ion exchanger. Removal of acids by anion exchangers. The two exchangers are normally in series. Normally cat-ion precedes the anion exchanger.