Case Study
Steamate* FM1007 Provides Effective
Steam Condensate Treatment for
Organic Food Manufacturer
Challenge
A trip to your local grocery store tells the story: consumers are becoming increasingly more aware of
the food they eat, are demanding organic food options, and the available options have quickly grown
from a small dedicated section to organic options in
every food category and grocery aisle.
Many organic food manufacturing processes require steam, which is generated by processing water through a boiler. This feedwater is typically
treated with chemicals to prevent naturally occurring contaminants, such as carbon dioxide and dissolved oxygen, from causing corrosion failures in
the plant’s steam distribution system.
As the steam transfers heat to the process and surrounding environment, it condenses back into liquid
water, and contaminants such as carbon dioxide
and dissolved oxygen can cause corrosion of the
metal surfaces on the steam distribution and condensate recovery systems.
The corrosion of metal steam contact surfaces can
cause several serious issues where the steam is
used for organic food manufacturing. These include
premature equipment failure, loss of thermal efficiency due to the accumulation of metal corrosion
products on heat transfer surfaces, and perhaps
most seriously, the transport of metallic corrosion
products to the organic food products where the
steam is used directly in the process.
The typical steam condensate corrosion inhibitors,
many of which are compliant with US FDA regulations for direct steam food contact, such as volatile
organic amines and surface filming inhibitors, are
not compliant with the USDA National Organic
Program guidelines for organic food production.
USDA-accredited certifying agencies who verify
compliance for organic food manufacturers will
not approve these materials as steam additives
where there is direct contact of steam with the
organic food. Therefore, many plants that manufacture organic food products elect to not treat
their condensate systems, which exposes their
systems to serious operational risks.
Steamate* FM1007 was developed to effectively
and safely treat condensate systems in plants that
manufacture organic food products. The proprietary corrosion inhibitor in the Steamate FM1007 is
compliant with the National Organic Program as
defined by USDA 7 CFR 205.606 for nonorganically produced agricultural products utilized
in organic food processing where contact with the
food substance is made.
A major US-based cereal manufacturer made the
decision to pursue organic certification for one of
their cereal brands. As a result of an audit conducted by an accredited organic certifying agency, they were required to discontinue application
of their longstanding steam condensate corrosion
inhibitor.
The incumbent FDA-compliant, non-amine filming
product had provided good results, with steam
condensate iron levels averaging approximately
0.10 ppm despite persistent boiler water carryover
events that were impacting film stability.
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* Trademark of General Electric Company; may be registered in one or more countries.
©2017, General Electric Company. All rights reserved.
CS1656EN.docx Jan-17
Solution
GE’s Water & Process Technologies proposed submission of the new Steamate FM1007 product for
approval by the site’s organic certifying agency. The
product was reviewed and approved for organic
food production, and a trial protocol was developed.
As mentioned above, highly alkaline and conductive boiler water contacting the steam system surfaces will de-stabilize the protective film formed
by Steamate FM1007. The film will be reestablished rapidly following carryover incidents,
but corrosion protection will be temporarily compromised to some extent.
The key performance parameter required by the
customer for trial success was maintenance of
steam condensate iron levels consistently below
0.30 ppm as Fe.
Figure 2 – Steam Condensate Conductivity Profile Before & After Steamate FM1007 Feed
Incumbent Treatment Fed --->
Results
FM1007
I Chart of BF Conductivity
1
11
1
11
1
150
Individual Value
The key comparative steam condensate data for the
incumbent treatment and the Steamate FM1007
program are summarized in Figures 1 and 2 below.
As shown, the mean condensate iron level on the
incumbent filming steam treatment based on more
than 100 data points was 0.090 ppm, while for
Steamate FM1007 the mean iron level was slightly
higher at 0.125 ppm, which was still well below the
required limit of 0.30 ppm.
200
1
1
100
1
1
UCL=88.7
_
X=56
50
LCL=23.3
11
0
2/23 A
3/1 A
3/7 A
3/13 A 3/19 A 3/25 A 3/31 A 4/10 B 4/16 B 4/22 B
Date
Figure 1 – Steam Condensate Iron Profile
Before & After Steamate FM1007 Feed
Incumbent Treatment Fed --->
Steamate FM1007
Mean Steam Condensate Conductivity Levels
Incumbent Treatment: 47 uS/cm
Steamate FM1007: 67 uS/cm
As the trial of Steamate FM1007 progressed, a
comparison of the level of corrosion protection
provided by Steamate FM1007 was made at multiple steam condensate sample points with comparison to an untreated condition. Notably, boiler
water carryover was well-controlled during this
period.
Mean Steam Condensate Iron Levels
Incumbent Treatment: 0.090 ppm as Fe
Steamate FM1007: 0.125 ppm as Fe
One difference to note between the incumbent
product and Steamate FM1007 feed periods was
the very significant increase in boiler water carryover as reflected by the 30% increase in steamcondensate conductivity during the Steamate
FM1007 feed period. This is summarized in Figure 2.
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As illustrated in Figure 3 below, high levels of corrosion, as expected, occurred with no anticorrosion treatment added. The average iron level
recorded at the four condensate sample sites was
5.0 ppm as Fe, which is much higher than the recommended ASME feedwater limit of 0.1 ppm for a
boiler operating in this pressure range.
With Steamate FM1007 treatment, the average
iron level in the condensate was 0.10 ppm as Fe,
with three of the four sample sites below 0.1 ppm.
Case Study
Figure 3 – Comparison of Steam Condensate iron
levels with Steamate FM1007 to an Untreated
Condition
Based on the results of this trial, Steamate FM1007
was approved as an ongoing application at this and
two other organic branded cereal production facilities by this customer.
Steamate FM1007 is the only direct steam additive
that we are aware of that has been approved by
multiple organic certifying agencies where the
steam directly contacts the organic food product.
Case Study
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