Given that its primary purpose is to power the engine, a ship’s main boiler is quite simply an essential piece of equipment that needs to be properly maintained and cleaned on a regular basis.
Boiler cleaning has to be one of the most important, routinely undertaken tasks to prevent and remove the build-up of carbon and particle deposits which, if left untreated, can cause crippling damage.
For this reason, ship boiler treatment chemicals are a key part of an effective boiler maintenance programme – without which most ships would, literally, be all at sea.
As established manufacturers and suppliers of chemicals, equipment and services to the global maritime industry, within our extensive product range, Eazychem have created eazy Descaler Plus, a highly effective liquid descaling acid.
The product is widely used for cleaning the surfaces of heat exchangers, boilers, evaporators, coolers and condensers. In fact, in any areas where a build up of calcium and magnesium salts, i.e. hard water scale, can occur. If left untreated, these salts will start to impair the efficiency of boilers or heat exchangers.
Pre-Clean
Because oil or any other organic matter present in the system could compromise the descaling process, before cleaning takes place, our advice would be to thoroughly degrease the system using either eazy Aquaclean HD or eazy Boilout Plus.
Our recommendation is that 10% of this product is used at a wash water temperature of 50-60°C. Up to half should be added and circulated continuously at the optimum temperature. If pH is not suitably low enough, or if it begins to rise quickly within the first few hours, then gradually add the remainder of this product.
During Clean
For general cleaning, we recommend using 10% of eazy Descaler Plus at a temperature of 50-60°C.
Although the amount of product, temperature, degree and type of the deposits will determine the time required for the descaling programme, generally light to moderate hard water scale and oxides will be removed with eazy Descaler Plus in 6 – 18 hours.
Throughout, we recommend taking hourly pH readings to monitor and control the dosage. Towards the end of the clean, refrain from dosing any more of the product and allow the pH to rise. This will avoid excessive neutralising. The process can be repeated as many times as required for heavily scaled surfaces, up to a maximum recommended exposure time of 24 hours.
Post Clean
After cleaning, the system must be completely emptied and then refilled with fresh water to purge it of gas before opening the steam drum door. At this point, it is recommended that a suitable dosage of eazy Neutralise be introduced into this water charge and circulated as instructed, to ensure that metal surfaces and any remaining acid waste are neutralised.
Benefits of eazy Descaler Plus:
- Fast acting, effective and safe to use
- The product contains an inhibitor to limit acid attack of the base metal
- As it doesn’t contain hydrochloric acid, it is safe to use with stainless steel
- During the cleaning process, easy Descaler Plus also removes rust that may be present in the system.
- Reduced downtime
- Increased engine efficiency
- Regular use will help to extend engine life
Please be advised, that prior to any cleaning programme, any sacrificial anodes should be removed and the system sufficiently vented to atmosphere at all times.
All ventilation arrangements must be unobstructed throughout the entire cleaning process. As it is extremely likely that potentially explosive gas will be produced, it is recommended that boiler ventilation terminals are tested for the presence of hydrogen at all times.
The importance of regular boiler maintenance should never be taken lightly or overlooked. Using a combination of Eazychem’s ship boiler treatment chemicals will ensure your marine engine is kept in ship-shape condition for the journey ahead.
For further information and advice see: https://www.eazychem.co.uk/product/eazy-descaler-plus/