Forbes Marshall - Trusted Partners in Steam Engineering & Control Instrumentation

Analyser AMI Sodium P

Sodium Measurement is one of the most critical measurement in Steam and Water Cycle for leak detections in circuit. The measurement of sodium is recognized – among other chemical parameters – as an effective telltale to reveal the condition of a high-purity water/steam circuit. The presence of sodium signals contamination with potentially corrosive anions, e.g. chlorides, sulfates etc. Under conditions of high pressure and temperature, neutral sodium salts exhibit considerable steam solubility. NaCl and NaOH, in particular, are known to be associated with stress corrosion cracking of boiler and superheater tubes. The measurement of sodium, acting as a carrier of potentially corrosive anions, is now recognized as an effective means to monitor steam purity.

DM Water after Cation and Mixed bed: Sampling after cation exchange is one of the most important parameters in trace sodium monitoring because it rapidly alerts the operator about resin bed exhaustion. Sodium measurement is particularly valuable in plants cooled by saline waters, especially if there is a high risk of condenser leakage and no provision for condensate polishing. Consequently, while small leaks may be extremely difficult to locate and eliminate, their detection and escalation is most readily monitored by sodium measurement. SWAN’s sodium analyzers can detect up to 0.001 ppb or 1 ppt of trace sodium in water treatment facilities. This sensitivity allows operators to follow trend changes before any leakage requires immediate action. Additionally, this advantage can be converted over time to analyze the origin of the leakage and to plan either a production reduction, or even to stop production far enough in advance to avoid costly and unexpected emergency shut downs.
Boiler: Solid conditioning agents, such as Tri-sodium phosphate (TSP) and sodium hydroxide (Caustic) used for boiler drum water treatment. In case these chemicals are carried over with steam, They may cause deposits in the turbine and therefore need to be considered as potentially corrosive impurities.
Steam: Sodium is also measured in power plant water and steam samples because it is a common corrosive contaminant and can be detected at very low concentrations in the presence of higher amounts of ammonia and/or amine treatment which have a relatively high background conductivity. Steam purity can be more accurately assessed by measuring sodium concentration in both steam and condensate, thus determining the “sodium balance”. The two concentrations should be equal. A higher level of sodium in the condensate indicates a condenser leakage. A lower level of sodium in the condensate indicates deposition of sodium in the steam circuit.
Condensate: Sodium measurement should be the preferred option for early warnings of leakages of impurities in condensates. It also plays key role in Condensate Polishing plant controls
Monitor AMI Sodium-P is specially designed for monitoring trend of this critical parameter in steam and water circuits.

Digitally Enabled

  • Complete system mounted on stainless steel mounting panel
  • Transmitter AMI Sodium P in a rugged aluminum enclosure (IP66)
  • Flow cell with temperature probe, sodium sensor, reference, pH sensor and bubble detector
  • Reliable alkalisation reagent addition with continuous pH monitoring
  • Continuous sample flow detection
  • Simple two-point calibration
  • Automatic temperature compensation
  • Simple programming of all parameters by keypad
  • Electronic record of major process events and calibration data
  • Real-time clock for time stamp in data logs and for automated functions
  • Data logger for 1,500 data records stored at selectable intervals
  • Option for second sample stream with programmable stream switching

Have a project in mind that you think we’d be a great fit for it? We’d love to know what you’re thinking

Get in Touch

    Frequently Asked Questions

    No accordion items found.

    Go to Top