Design & Operation Considerations for

Condensate Polishing
A.Govindan*, R.Rajkumar

Siemens Water Technologies

*corresponding author: Siemens Water Technologies, Colorado Springs , CO, USA Phone:+1(719) 550 2025
Email: govindan.alagappan@siemens.com

ABSTRACT :

This paper briefly explains the need for Condensate Polishing and its benefits. It then goes on
to discuss in detail the extremely crucial aspects of polisher internals design, key design criteria
and resin separation technology which play a pivotal role in determining performance of the
Condensate Polishing system consequently having an impact on the entire steam cycle
efficiency of the power plant.

Keywords
FullsepTM, Resin cross-contamination, Inlet distribution, Bottom collection system, CFD,
simulation, inlet distribution

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BACKGROUND

Globally, the demand for electricity is set to grow faster than any other form of energy.
Demands are expected to rise almost 70% from 2010 to 2035, or 2.2% year on average. Over
80% of this growth is anticipated to come from non-OECD countries with China and India
contributing almost half of this demand.

Bulk of the projected capacity additions is expected to come from coal and gas fired power
plants and wind power as illustrated below. Coal Fired generation dominates as the main fuel
source in non-OECD countries (~40%). The average thermal efficiency of coal fired power
plants increases from 39% in 2010 to 42% in 2035 as advanced plants including supercritical,
ultra-supercritical and integrated combined cycle (IGCC) designs are expected to be built. By
2035, almost 20% of these plants are likely to have these advanced designs.

Source: International Energy Agency (IEA) World Energy Outlook 2012

China continues to contribute the largest increase in coal fired generation, accounting for over
two-thirds of the Global increase. By 2035, China accounts for 46% of the global coal fired
generation up from 38% in 2010. India is expected to overtake the United states as the second
largest generator coal fired power generation by 2035. In ASEAN, Key growth countries such
as Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia have majority of their future power generation
from Coal Fired power plants.

In essence, Coal fired power generation continues to be a major part of the fuel mix Globally
and Condensate Polishing attributes as a critical component in these plants to ensure
availability, reliability and assist in achieving optimum performance.

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INTRODUCTION:

Condensate is formed after steam from a boiler has gone through a turbine to produce electric
power and is condensed in the condenser by the cooling water. Condensate may also include
heater drains or drips from staged heaters used in the steam cycle loop. This condensate is
collected in the condenser/hotwell and eventually reused after it undergoes a series of staged
heaters and deaerators in the pre-boiler system to produce steam again as illustrated in Figure
1. Demineralized make-up water is also added to the condenser above the cooling tubes to
gain partial de-aeration. This make-up water is usually 1% of the condensate flow rate in Utility
boilers. Ammonia or amines for pH correction are added after the Condensate Polisher.

Figure 1 Condensate Polishing in a Steam cycle loop

Condensate flows in GPM(Gallons Per Minute) in Coal fired boilers is usually estimated at
10xMW rating of the turbine. Various boiler designs that require Condensate Polishing are
illustrated in Figure 2.

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 Natural /
controlled
circulation
boilers upto
2800psig

Once through
supercritical Once through
w/o Condensate subcritical
intervening Polishing w/o drum
drum for >2800psig
blowdown

Advanced
combined
cycle boilers
(HRSG) >
1800psig

Figure 2 Various types of boilers that need Condensate Polishing

Condensate Polishing has a long history of usage from the early 1950s in Fossil & Nuclear
fueled power generating stations . Prior to this period, boiler pressures were below 1500psig
and that the condensate was not Demineralized. The makeup was Demineralized and blended
with the condensate, which did not pose any problems. With Boiler pressures surging to almost
1800psig, turbine fouling was soon evident and reported in the late 1950s. Deposits of sodium,
carbonates copper, iron, silica and salt in some cases were reported resulting in loss of turbine
efficiency. Further in the present framework of a renewed global power generation growth cycle
in the fossil fueled plants having super critical & Ultra super critical boilers and thermal cycles
employing AVT or OT regimes , demands on the purity of condensate returning to the boiler
are extremely high. While the underlying technology for Condensate Polishing has not changed
over the years, there have been continuous improvements to address specific challenges faced
by Utilities. Figure 3 illustrates some of these key developments over the years.

Figure 3 Developments in Condensate Polishing since the 1950s

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Condensate Polishers are resin based ion exchange systems that are designed to meet the
challenge of purifying very large quantities of water contaminated with low levels of dissolved
minerals and suspended matter that reduce the efficiency of thermal cycle and degrade metal
components. The major dissolved contaminants range from sodium, chloride, silica and
sulphate while the suspended contaminants are typically oxides of iron and copper.
Condensate Polishers maintain cycle purity and efficiency by controlling the effects of corrosion
transport, condenser tube leakages etc. The polishers also need to be designed to allow the
power plant to continue operating with a minor tube leakage that might otherwise require an
immediate outage.

For the most part, Condensate Polishing can be broadly divided into two categories. One being
deep bed polishers which use either Mixed beds/separate beds of Cation and Anion. Deep
beds have been used independently without any pre or post treatment, called as “naked beds”
and in some cases used with physical filtration technologies for efficient removal of suspended
contaminants. The second type called as Precoat filters essentially consists of the use of very
fine particle size media (cation and anion resins as well as inert fibers) that are used to coat the
septum type filter elements. These septa are normally tubular with the most common wrapping
being continuously wound yarn or plastic or metal wire.

EVALUATING THE NEED FOR CONDENSATE POLISHING

Most of the advanced coal fired power plants utilizing supercritical and ultra-supercritical
technology mandate the use of Condensate Polishing. In the past, many utilities and
engineering perform an economic analysis for the justification of use of Condensate polishers.
The flowchart below provides a graphical representation of the steps necessary to evaluate
and justify the use of Condensate Polishers.

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 OT
Chemistry
Yes

No

SCC</=
0.15uS
Yes

No

Seawater or
Brackish Yes
water
cooling

No

Returned
Condensate
Dissolved Yes Deep bed
Yes Contamination
to Unit possible
polishers
</=1200psig

No
Suspended
No Contamination Yes
possible

Steam CC</=0.2us

Graywater cooling
Yes Precoat
Air cooled condenser Polishers

CCPP with LP SCC

Limit

No Polisher
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Required
BENEFITS OF CONDENSATE POLISHING

Some of the key benefits of Condensate Polishing are listed below

Elimination of delays in Start-up attributable to

inappropriate water chemistry

Boiler and Turbine Protection from Deposits and Corrosion

Reduced Boiler Blowdown in Drum type Units

Reduced Cycle make up

Less Frequent Chemical cleans of Steam/water Circuits

Increase availability

TYPES OF CONDENSATE POLISHING

• Deep Bed Mixed Beds

1

• Separate Beds or Individual beds

2

• Precoat Filter/Demineralizer
3

• Cation - Mixed Beds

4

• Filter - Mixed Beds

5

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In this paper, we will briefly explain the main differences between Deep bed Mixed beds,
Precoat Filters and Filter Mixed beds.

Deep Bed Mixed Beds as the name illustrates is essentially a mixed resin bed of cation and
anion resins housed inside a pressure vessel and are more commonly used. The raw
condensate from the Condenser travels in an axial flow path wherein the resins remove the
dissolved contaminants from the Condensate. Deep beds are usually not very effective in
particulate or suspended contaminant removal since the physical filtration only happens
through the resin beds. A removal rate of 70-90% can be expected from deep beds depending
on the particle size distribution. Being an ion exchange system, deep beds have the ability to
withstand higher ionic loads especially under a condenser leakage scenario. The regeneration
of these deep beds is done externally to prevent chemical ingress in to the Condensate loop.

Precoat Filter/Demineralizers is a different technique that uses ion exchange resins to

remove the dissolved and suspended contaminants. It consists of the use of very fine particle
size media (cation and anion resins as well as inert fibers) that are mixed and used to coat a
septum type filter elements. These septa are normally tubular with the most common wrapping
being continuously worn yarn or plastic or metal wire. The resins not only act to remove ionic
impurities but also function effectively in the removal of particulates. It is not possible to
recover, separate and regenerate the ion exchange resins. On exhaustion the media is
stripped from the septa by backwashing and replaced by fresh media. Since the volume of
resins is significantly less than that of deep beds, they have very limited ion exchange capacity
but offer excellent removal of particulates.

Filter-Mixed Beds is increasingly seen in the recent years as a robust and reliable design that
offers very good performance in both suspended and dissolved solids removal. It essentially
comprises of cartridge type filter elements housed in a pressure vessel placed in front of a
deep bed. The filters work effectively in the particulate removal especially during start-up
conditions wherein large amounts of crud are usually observed. However, this design does
occupy more footprint than the other two designs explained above.

In the next sections, we will explain in detail the key design considerations when designing a
deep bed mixed bed Condensate Polishers.

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KEY DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS OF DEEP BEDS

Inlet
Distributor

Resin
Selection and Underdrain
Ratio

Resin
Resin removal
Separation
efficiency
Efficiency

Resin Mixing
Capability

INLET DISTRIBUTORS

Condensate flows are very large in coal fired power plants as explained before. A 600MW coal
fired power plant will have an estimated condensate flow of 6000gpm. As such, Condensate
Polishers are designed to operate at high specific flow velocities often going up to 50gpm/ft2
(120m/h). In addition to the large flows, the operating pressures are also significantly higher as
compared to a mixed bed used in a make-up system. Depending on the steam cycle loop
design, the operating pressures can go as high as 50bar(725psi) in some cases. The most
commonly seen ranges are between 28bar(400psi) to 40bar(580psi). The operating conditions
demand an effective and efficient inlet distribution system that ensures optimum performance
and long performance life of the Condensate Polishers. Unfortunately, the design of these
components are often overlooked which has resulted in undesirable situations for the power
plant. Improperly designed inlet distribution systems leads to the following abnormalities

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(a) Well formation at the centre of the bed
(b) Storming of the resin across the vessel circumferential area
(c) Reduction in resin contact area utilization / reduction in effective active resin volume
(d) Early breakthrough & Reduction in service cycle duration
(e) Increased Maintenance outages

(a) Levelled Resin bed surface (b) Undulated resin bed surface

Multiple designs of internal distribution are being used in the Industry. Siemens Water
Technologies (SWT) with over 50 years of experience in Condensate Polishing for Power
Industry offers a technologically superior Polisher Internals (Inlet distribution & bottom
collection system) design that has been refined employing advanced analytical tools like CFD
(Computational Fluid Dynamics). Figure 4 provides a comparison of SWTs design with two
different types of header/lateral designs. The important factors to consider in an inlet
distribution are absence of vortex formations, appropriate flow velocity and minimal pressure
drop

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 Strainer Plate Design Header Laterals (Holes) Header Laterals (Screens)

Figure 4 CFD Model Comparison of various internal designs

As it can be observed, the flow distribution has proven to be uniform thus maximizing active
resin utilization, significantly lowering pressure drop and improving service run lengths before
breakthrough.

UNDER DRAIN, RESIN REMOVAL AND RESIN MIXING

Polisher Vessel Bottom Collection with Air Mixing flow distribution system also plays an equally
signficant role in performance of the polisher. There are Six major considerations for bottom
collection system design:

(a) Mechanical stability to withstand the max differential pressure which in many instances
should be the design pressure of vessel.

(b) Uniformity in flow collection

(c) Low pressure drop

(d) Elimination of dead pockets and reducing inactive resin volume

(d) Efficiency in transferring out the entire resin

(e) Proper high velocity air distribution for homogenous mixing of regenerated resins after
transfer back.

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SWT bottom collection system employs a unique “Double dished” design. The double dish
design with embedded internal supports is extremely robust and is designed for the entire
design pressure of the vessel complimented with equalized pressure cushioning of the lower
dish end thus providing added safety.

Figure 5 CFD Model Comparison of various bottom collection designs

The above bottom collection design coupled with sluicing water inlet nozzle design ensures
maximum resin transfer. The bottom collection system is provided with advanced SWT
®
Permutit Dual Velocity nozzles which offer efficiencies directly measurable in process
performance, time savings and operating costs . This patented design reduces regeneration
time and extends service runs upto 25%, provides superior retention of the ion exchange
media and ensures uniform collection with low head loss during the downflow. Since there is a
considerable difference in the specific flow velocities during normal operation with condensate
water and that during air mixing, it is extremely important to increase specific velocity for
distribution during air mixing. If not, this leads to improper distribution of air leading to the
undisturbed resin at the bottom of the bed and also actual resin ratios being different across
the cross section of the bed. Difference in effective resin ratios across cross-section will lead

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 ®
to early ionic breakthrough and frequent regeneration requirements. SWT Permutit dual
velocity nozzles have a self adjusting lift valve design which automatically alters the area
available for flow and hence the velocities based on flow directions.

RESIN SEPARATION:

Condensate Polishers unlike traditional Make-up Demineralizers are regenerated externally to

prevent the ingress of regeneration chemicals (acid or caustic) into the steam circuit.

SWT Fullsep™ technology employs a three tank concept for external regeneration as
illustrated in Figure 6. The design is extremely efficient in controlling resin cross contamination
to less than 0.1 percent. Another significant advantage of FullsepTM design is minimization of
cross contamination without additional chemical treatment.

The External regen facility consists of a Resin Separation tank, an anion regen tank and a
Cation regen cum mixed resin storage tank. The exhausted resin is transferred from the
Polishers first to the Resin Separation tank. The mode of resin transfer employed is hydro-
pneumatic system.

Figure 6 SWT Fullsep™ Regeneration system

One of the most important factors required for achievement of consistent polished condensate
quality is the resin separation efficiency during backwash. Cross contamination of cation resin
into anion will lead to the cation resin being exposed to sodium hydroxide resulting in more
sodium sites consequently early breakthrough during service run. Similarly the cross
contamination of anion resin into cation will lead to earlier anionic breakthroughs. Hence it is
vital to minimize crosss contamination of resin. Fullsep™ Technology employs a unique

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separation system design providing a highly efficient resin separation combined with extremely
effective resin cleaning.

FullsepTM Resin Separation System

Figure 7 Fullsep™ Resin Separation System

Hydraulic separation is accomplished by a flow of “water” upward through the mixed resin bed.
Separation is a function of flow, resin size, and specific gravity. Careful selection of resin
screen sizes and densities is necessary to minimize cross-over. Since the degree of fluidizatin
of a resin bead is a function of both its size, or diameter, and its density, large low-density
beads and small higher density beads can find themselves side by side when fluidized during a
separation backwash.Clumping of resins sometimes compounds the problem, especially when
the resins are new. Clumping is caused by a strong surface charge on the resin which, by
means of attraction, draws resin beads together. This is especially true between the hydroxide-
form anion resin and hydrogen-form cation resin. Once clumped, these resins resist separation.
They also swell due to entrained water between the agglomerated clumps and one may find
that the resin which fit in the tank very nicely with the cation below the separation point has

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now expanded above that point. Hence a number of design factors need to be carefully
considered for design of the separation system.

Key design features of the separation tank are – (a) The Fullsep™ Separation tank is tall and
thin minimizing the cross-sectional resin interface area, (b) The separation tank has sufficient
freeboard for resin separation , (c) CFD simulated designs determining ideal height to diameter
ratio , (d) Does not have any obstructions for resin free movement (e) There are no internal
distributors within the resin bed (f) The separation tank has a dished central collector under
drain easening resin transfer from bottom , (g) Viewports are flush with inside of tank
eliminating resin hideouts , (h) No “in bed” resin take-off collectors , (i) Incorporation of special
level switches to ensure completeness of resin transfer & (j) Numerous view ports provided on
the shell side to allow direct view at various levels by operator.

Fullsep™ separation tank has a unique conical frustum on the upper section . This provides a
significant velocity drop allowing higher velocity in the lower section which results in superior
resin separation. The resin backwash is done in multiple stages . The first step commences
with the highest backwash velocity and then the flow ramps down in stages. In addition a
specific height of interface resin is retained back in the separation tank to eliminate any further
possibilities of cross-contamination.

Another key feature in the separation vessel is the bottom flow distribution with Permutit® Dual
velocity strainers which allow efficient air scouring to de-crud the resin.

The Fullsep™ separation design achieves maximum separation without any additional
chemical aid . This reduces the load on the chemicals further required for neutralization ,
effluent treatment system and disposal as well.

After completion of separation, the anion resin is transferred to the anion regen tank and
regenerated with caustic soda. Similarly the cation resin is transferred to the cation regen tank
and regenerated either with sulphuric acid or hydrochloric acid. The regenerated & rinsed anion
resin is then transferred to cation regeneration cum mixed resin storage tank. The resins are
then mixed and rinsed thoroughly to conductivity endpoint prior to re-transfer to polisher units.

RESIN RATIO AND SELECTION

Condensate Polishers typically contain bead type cation and anion resins in a bed of about 3 to
4 feet deep. The resin mixture can consist of varying cation to anion resin ratios, depending on

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the amount of dissolved contaminants expected. In general, the major contaminant in most
condensates is cations and as such the ratio of cation resins are usually much higher than
anion resins. The most commonly employed mixture ratios are 2:1 and 1.5:1. However, one
must carefully evaluate constituents of the condensate to validate the right ratios.

Most leading resin manufacturers produce resins that are specifically meant for Condensate
Polishing. As such only Condensate Grade resins are recommended to be used.

CASE STUDY – GHECO ONE 660MW SUPERCRITICAL POWER PLANT

GHECO-One Co., Ltd. is a joint venture between Glow Energy Public Co., Ltd., a leading
private producer of electricity and industrial utilities in Thailand, and Hemaraj Land and
Development Public Co., Ltd., Thailand’s leading developer of the industrial estates. With a
Planned production capacity of 660MW GHECO-One plant is designed and will be operated in
line with international standards, using high quality coal and state-of-the-art and
environmentally friendly technology including NOx, SO2 and Dust emission reduction facilities
and Supercritical Pulverized Coal Boiler Technology with high efficiency reducing consumption
of fuel and all emissions. The plant has been in Commercial operation since July 2012.

The Condensate Polishing System(CPS) is designed to treat a condensate flow rate of

1840m3/hr(8096gpm) with a design pressure of 15bar(217psi) . The system has a 2x50% train
configuration, with each train comprising of Cartridge Filters and Deep bed Mixed bed polishers
with SWT’s Fullsep™ External Regeneration System that separates and regenerates the resins
with minimum cross contamination.. Under Normal Operating conditions, the condensate
effluent from the Mixed bed polishers has a effluent water quality as described below

Cation Conductivity <0.1µS Sodium < 1ppb

Silica < 10ppb Total dissolved Solids (TDS) < 5ppb

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Figure 8 Condensate Polishing System

Figure 9 Fullsep™ Regeneration System

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