×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Condensate Piping

Condensate Piping

Condensate Piping

(OP)
Can someone please explain why many specify to use Copper Type K for condensate return lines instead of Steel pipe?

RE: Condensate Piping

If there is the slightest chance that air or O2 can get into the condensate line (runs at a vacuum?), corrosion will be extensive to CS, but not Cu.

Good luck,
Latexman

RE: Condensate Piping

You can run into situations where copper can be pulled off the walls, and find it's way back into the boiler. This sets up a galvanic cell that looks very similar to oxygen pitting. This is bad news, and difficult to deal with. I know of one application where copper tube was used for heat tracing. The thermodynamic traps kept blowing through, because they were getting copper plating out on the seats and discs. They changed the tracing tube material to SS, and the problem went away.

Steam in copper is not a problem. Condensate in copper, in and of itself, is not nearly always a problem. But the table is set, and just waiting for another factor like boiler carry-over to get the party started. I would NOT use copper for condensate service. If carbon steel won't stand up effectively (and in most cases, it will), then go to SS

RE: Condensate Piping

Kinda sounds like a plumber tackling a job for a steamfitter!

Dave

RE: Condensate Piping

Cooper in steam service is not always a good solution. Cooper is very sensible to corrosion by the typical conditioning chemicals (NH4 at high pH, morpholin ect.) used in steam/condensate system systems.

The best way is to control the conditions of your system (deareation, chemical conditioning) in this way you will not have CO2 or Oxygen that makes condensate very agressive (Low pH).

Kind regards

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources