Editorial

JOHN CRANE Safematic has launched an enhanced version of its Safeunit seal water control system that has already been proven to increase the reliability of pumpg and process machinery while reducing water consumption levels by up to 80%.

The new Safeunit Ultima is designed for use in harsh operating environments where high temperature, high pressure and chemically aggressive elements are present.

This makes it ideal for extreme applications found in pulp, paper and chemical industry processes, plus a wide variety of mining and general industrial uses.

Tel: 0161 886 5993            www.johncrane.co.uk I

Plant operators could be wasting thousands of pounds in fuel because their water treatment supplier is failing to monitor the phosphate levels of raw water for their steam systems. And the situation could get worse as water utilities strive to meet tightening European drinking water regulations.

According to the European Drinking Water Directive, water supplies must not exceed 25 microgrammes of lead per litre of water, reducing to 10 microgrammes from 25 December 2013. To meet these limits, water utilities commonly dose water with phosphate to inhibit lead from old pipes leeching into the water supply.

However, many steam system operators may not be taking account of these added phosphates, so are not adjusting their water treatment regime accordingly. Consequently, excessive phosphate levels could cause scaling of the internal surfaces of steam boilers, reducing their efficiency significantly.