Water and impurities

Water has many features which make it the clear choice for industrial applications. It is capable of absorbing a great deal of heat, water is easy to handle, it is generally available and affordable. But the characteristics of water present problems to those of us responsible for operating and maintaining plant equipment.

In its pure form, water is odorless, colorless and tasteless, an ideal liquid for use in boilers and other plant equipment. However, pure water simply does not exist in nature.

The earth's water follows an endless pattern of evaporation into the atmosphere, followed by precipitation back to earth. This is called the "hydrological cycle".

For a short interval, the evaporating water vapor is pure, leaving all the impurities behind in the water.

After a short time, as the vapor condenses and forms water droplets, other gases and particles present in the atmosphere are absorbed, so that rain water may be saturated with oxygen, contain carbon dioxide and be contaminated with pollutants like sulphur and nitrogen oxide. The contaminated rain water then falls back to the earth where it picks up more impurities.

   [ Main ] [ Up ] [ Water impurities categories ] [ Cycles of concentration ] [ Conductivity ] [ pH ] [ Alkalinity ] [ Water Hardness ] [ Other impurities ] [ Dissolved Gases ]