Phosphate Hideout

There has been some conversation surrounding the phenomenon related to the above mentioned
subject. As such, today’s bulletin will focus on this topic...

1. What is Hideout?
2. What is Phosphate Hideout?
3. How is it caused?
4. What are the contributing factors?
5. What are the consequences of Phosphate Hideout?
6. How is it recognized?
7. How to effectively mitigate against a phosphate hideout episode?
What is Hideout?
Sodium salts of sulfate, phosphate and silicate are less soluble than most other dissolved substances
present in boiler water. These are the first salts to precipitate out of the bulk boiler water when
concentrating film conditions develop on tube surfaces.
During steam generation a small amount of dissolved solids are left on the tube surface as the water is
evaporated to steam. Boiler water then fills the void left by the steam bubble and re-dissolves the salt
residue. When operating conditions are severe (high loads & High Pressure > 900 psig) the normal
rinsing/re-dissolving process may be disrupted. The salts may remain on the tube surface. The loss of
dissolved species under these operating conditions is termed chemical hideout.
What is PO4 Hideout?

Loss of phosphate from the bulk boiler water usually accompanied by a change in the sodium to
phosphate ratio and pH. Generally occurs at load changes. Attributable to insoluble sodium-phosphate
salts and the reaction of phosphate with various iron oxides/hydroxides or other transition metals.
OR
Defined as the disappearance of ionic PO4 by precipitation or absorption, from boiler water under
conditions of high heat transfer. It is primarily the result of interaction of Sodium Phosphate salts with
compounds of iron oxide to produce low solubility reaction products. More definitively, it is a localized
“interaction” of phosphate with iron oxides at the heat transfer surface under high load/temperature
conditions, which results in a gradual loss of phosphate that “returns” suddenly when the load is
reduced. It is MORE frequent in higher pressure boiler water operations, at higher heat flux (typically
localized) and dirty boilers. Most importantly it ONLY occurs where the internal boiler water chemistry is
PO4 based to provide buffering capacity or a “sponge” should there be slight contamination issues
during boiler operation. PO4 hideout cannot happen with non PO4 based internal boiler water
treatment programs.
How is it caused?
Hideout usually first occurs in boiler tubes with the highest heat flux and low mass flow, where
departure from nucleate boiling (DNB) or under deposit concentration occur. Surprisingly, hideout and
boiler tube corrosion can also occur in Heat Recovery Steam Generators (HRSGs) where the heat flux is
much lower than in coal- or oil-fired units. This is because there may be accumulation of corrosion
products or inadequate mass flow through some generating tubes; particularly during duct burner firing.
Because the solubility of phosphate decreases as boiler pressure increases, hideout is typically only
noticed during load changes. Phosphate hideout usually results in an increase of PO4 concentration and
a decrease of pH during load reduction and in an increase of pH and decrease of PO4 concentration
during the load increases. The severity of phosphate hideout is boiler, heat flux, temperature, pressure,
and boiler cleanliness specific. In clean, conservatively designed and operated boilers, these swings do
not result in any boiler tube corrosion problems.
What are the contributing Factors?

1. Iron in BFW
2. Dirty boiler – high Deposit Weight Density (DWD)
3. Phosphate residual values
4. Load changes
5. Boiler design
6. Poor or inconsistent coordination within “control” box
What are the consequences of PO4 Hideout?
 Acid phosphate corrosion –pits beneath deposits

 The pits are smooth and bowl-shaped without undercutting
 Worst case is a gradual loss of phosphate with an increasing pH ; thus suggesting that
acidic PO4 is precipitating at the tube surface
o The natural response is to feed of a low Na/PO4 (acidic) phosphate in an attempt
to maintain residuals and control pH – this exacerbates the problem
 Many historical “caustic gouging” failures were likely caused by acid phosphate
corrosion
How is PO4 Hideout Recognized?

1. Phosphate hideout is typically load and pressure following
2. As load and/or pressure increase, the boiler water pH rises and the phosphate residual
drops
3. As load and/or pressure drop, the boiler water pH drops and the phosphate residual
rises
4. The presence of high concentrations of iron oxide and phosphate contribute to hideout
How to mitigate PO4 Hideout?
1. Ensure that BFW Iron is below ASME limit
2. Maintain boiler cleanliness – clean boilers as per industry guidelines
3. Determine equilibrium phosphate level and operate with phosphate residuals below
that level. When using phosphate boiler water treatment, the concentration of
phosphate should not exceed the equilibrium concentration. This is the maximum
concentration of PO4 in the boiler water that the boiler can tolerate under the highest
heat flux conditions (full load). This concentration can be experimentally determined by
increasing the phosphate feed to the point where there is no further increase in the PO4
concentration in the boiler water. This is the equilibrium concentration and the normal
boiler water phosphate maximum limit should be approximately one-half of this
concentration. The equilibrium phosphate concentration should be determined once
per year because it changes with the boiler cleanliness. In addition, a phosphate
balance should be performed once per year using several weeks of chemistry data to
determine the amount of hideout that is occurring. The total amount of phosphate fed
into the boiler and the amount being removed through blowdown, plus sampling,
should be approximately equal. If the feed is greater than the removal, hideout is
occurring.
4. Do NOT use Mono Sodium Phosphate to compensate for high boiler water pH.
I trust the information contained above is useful; as always I am only an email away.
Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions.

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There has been some conversation surrounding the phenomenon related to the above mentioned

subject. As such, today’s bulletin will focus on this topic...

What is PO4 Hideout?

What are the contributing Factors?

What are the consequences of PO4 Hideout?

 Acid phosphate corrosion –pits beneath deposits

How is PO4 Hideout Recognized?

Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions.

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