Boiler layup season for heating systems is just around the corner, which makes it the perfect time to unleash Cortec® Corporation’s boiler layup “reptiles.” These options make boiler layup effective and incredibly simple compared to traditional methods of applying desiccant, nitrogen blanketing, maintaining dry air systems, or doing nothing to prevent corrosion while the boiler is not in active use. Cortec® expanded its boiler layup “menagerie” in 2020 and is eager to reintroduce these exciting solutions just in time for facilities to start thinking about seasonal boiler layup.
Solutions for Dry Layup
The first and most well-known boiler layup reptile is the Boiler Lizard®, a decades-long friend for water treatment specialists who have come to know and love its ease of use and effectiveness for boilers 500-10,000 gallons in size (1893-37,854 L). The Boiler Lizard® contains VpCI® Vapor phase Corrosion Inhibitors packaged in a water-soluble bag. Application is easy: remove the outer packaging, place in the boiler, slit open the inner water-soluble pouch, and seal all boiler openings. The VpCI® powder in the Boiler Lizard® immediately begins to vaporize, disperses throughout the vessel, and then forms a protective molecular barrier layer on accessible metal surfaces within the space. Startup is easy because the Boiler Lizard® does not have to be removed from the waterside. It simply dissolves as the boiler is refilled.
The Boiler Egg™ is an excellent new companion to the Boiler Lizard®. The Boiler Egg™ lies dormant until startup, then, as the boiler is initially filled with cold, untreated makeup water, dissolves and releases active ingredients to scavenge dissolved oxygen and passivate metal. The Boiler Egg™ can be used alone in a feedwater tank (or deaerator tank) and any condensate receivers, or together with the Boiler Lizard® as part of the Boiler Lizard® Plus complete preservation kit.
The Boiler Gecko™ transfers the effectiveness and ease of the Boiler Lizard® into a form suited for application to boilers less than 500 gallons (<1893 L). Boiler Gecko™ contains VpCI® Technology in an EcoAir® air-powered spray can and may be sprayed into the boiler’s waterside or fireside—no flushing or product removal required at startup. On the other end of the spectrum, Boiler Dragon™ is a VpCI® fogging fluid designed for dry layup of the largest boilers of 10,000 gallons (37,854 L) or more.
Latest Releases for Specialty Layup
The newest members of Cortec’s boiler layup menagerie include the Boiler Turtle™, Boiler Salamander™, and Boiler Iguana™. The Boiler Turtle™ offers the convenience of wet-dry layup: the product is added to the boiler and kept at high water level for 24 hours before draining for dry layup or leaving as is for wet layup, no opening of the boiler required.
The Boiler Salamander™ provides a wet layup solution for high-purity steam boilers, such as high-pressure steam systems, superheaters, super-critical boilers, and cyclic boilers at power plants. It does not contain any EPA or OSHA hazard components and is an excellent option for use in systems with deionized or reverse osmosis water.
Finally, the Boiler Iguana™ provides an easy solution for boilers on standby. It is easy to apply and does not require frequent monitoring, unlike traditional layup strategies that require maintenance of high pH and regular testing of oxygen scavenger and sulfite levels in boilers kept on low fire.
Cortec’s boiler menagerie is a welcome relief to traditional layup methods that may be cumbersome, ineffective, and sometimes even dangerous. In contrast, Cortec’s boiler reptiles are very friendly to users and very effective for avoiding corrosion inside idle boilers. This spring, be sure to launch the layup season successfully by unleashing one of Cortec’s handy layup reptiles inside your boiler!
