In the never-ending battle to minimize corrosion and maximize efficiency (and profits), power plant personnel are constantly on the look-out for new products or procedures that will give them the answers to the myriad water chemistry problems they face on a daily basis.

Many of these new procedures, whether developed by EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute) or recommended by chemical suppliers, as well as more sophisticated analytical techniques (i.e. ion chromatography, atomic absorption, even sodium and silica monitoring) require trained, qualified personnel with enough time to run tests, evaluate the results, and decide on a course of action.

Sadly, with the advent of combined cycle plants and heat recovery steam generators (HRSG), more emphasis has been placed on the supposed efficiency of the equipment without the attendant operators to maintain it. As a result, many plants are operated with a minimum of staff whose duties preclude any detailed analysis of the process stream thus lowering confidence in the accuracy and reliability of their often dormant or inoperative instrumentation.

However, in the midst of this operating maelstrom lies a very simple, accurate, and reliable measurement: Conductivity. With conductivity (in all of its manifestations), a chemist or operator can quickly and easily determine whether the water chemistry of their plant meets operating specifications. For example, with the addition of a cation column and a degas reboiler, the chemist can readily determine the purity of feedwater, and condensate, as well as differentiate between small condenser leaks and air in-leakage. It can even be used to validate pH measurements and qualify low-level sodium analysis. This simple, easy measurement requires no reagents, a minimum of training, and is extremely cost-effective. And what an operator trusts, an operator uses.

Martek Instruments has been a leading supplier of conductivity (and pH & dissolved oxygen) analyzers for nearly 40 years. We offer a complete line of conductivity analysis including degassed cation conductivity and have just introduced a degas reboiler system that can even be used with other manufacturers’ conductivity instruments. All of our analyzers come with five year warranties and our conductivity sensors come with a lifetime warranty the best in the industry. In addition, our technical support and dedication to quality and customer satisfaction is surpassed by no one. Just ask any of the hundreds of utility customers who have used Martek over the past four decades.

Water chemistry shouldn’t be a realm inhabited by doubt or confusion. Rather, by keeping water analysis simple with good instrumentation and a little bit of knowledge, any power plant operator can quickly determine whether they are operating within plant specifications or placing their units at risk.