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Posted by steve on August 09, 2006 at 09:20:52:
In Reply to: steam boiler electrical grounding posted by igiouv on August 04, 2006 at 16:50:13:
: hi! is it necessary to ground the steam boiler shell, as well as the control panel? does the shell need a differenet grounding and if so, why??? i have encountered steam boilers only few months in service, with electrolysis on many tubes, with no obvious reason. could it be due to absence of boiler body grounding? does water synthesis and/or conductivity have anything to do with it? thanks!!!
igiouv,
A very good question, Your boilers are connected to everything in the building so you would think that grounding would not be an issue. Boiler controls are grounded back to the control panel there in or a large common, earth ground. I have never seen a boiler that was grounded unless the boiler was small enough to have its control panel mounted to it. Even then, it was for the controls and not the boiler proper. Researching your electrolysis theory, I came up empty handed with anything that puts corrosion build up in a boiler as a direct result of electolysis. But, the formation of build up/corrosion is the result, most of the time, of the difference in potentials in the elements present in the boiler water, hence the formation of sludge for example. So I guess it could be said that most corrosion/deposit are the result of electrolysis, just not explained that way most of the time. Does conductivity have anything to do with it, I'd say yes to this, higher conductivity more chances for compounds to react and form deposits or attact tube metal. Here again boiler water treatment is key to good looking water sides during inspection. Working with a boiler chemical company and following standard guide lines for you size boiler in treatment and testing should keep your boilers in good shape for a long time. I know this was long winded, but I hope I shed some light.