Abstract
A survey was made of power plants encountering turbine-blade deposits and it was found that this trouble results from contamination of the steam by the boiler water. A study in the laboratory showed that sodium hydroxide is the material which causes the sticking to the blades. It was also shown that when the sodium hydroxide is neutralized and changed to a salt such as sodium carbonate, it will not adhere. The presence of sufficient amounts of inert salts, such as sodium sulphate, with the sodium hydroxide also will stop the deposit from forming.
The action of sodium sulphate in preventing the blade deposits was studied in a large central power plant, and the deposit was materially reduced. A small testing unit for detecting the presence of adhering salts in the steam was developed and used in the power-plant tests.
