DEAERATOR.SU has developed a technology that makes it possible to deaerate water even in heating systems that were installed with design or assembly errors. Commercial Director Mikhail Zhuchkov discusses the operating principles of the new system and its economic advantages.
What prompted the company to develop and manufacture a plug-and-play modular deaeration unit? Was it an internal initiative or a response to market demand, and what challenges did you encounter?
The heating and power sector currently faces a serious shortage of qualified specialists. As a result, engineering surveys and construction and installation work are not always carried out to the required standard.
This problem directly affected projects in which we installed our equipment. Correcting mistakes in the surrounding pipework took considerable time and resources. We therefore decided that the issue had to be addressed at its source by creating a solution that would eliminate installation errors at the site.
In 2020, our company developed a packaged centrifugal droplet deaeration unit, or BCKDU, as a plug-and-play system. The complete unit is delivered to the customer ready for connection to the water and electrical supply and can be put into operation immediately.
Can an incorrectly installed heating system affect the operation of the packaged deaeration unit?
No. In effect, all deaerator pipework and auxiliary components are contained inside the package. The only external requirements are water and electricity. If there are no mistakes in the external pipework, there are no resulting deaeration problems. With conventional arrangements, incorrectly operating auxiliary equipment in the deaerator circuit can ultimately prevent deaeration altogether. The packaged centrifugal droplet unit removes that risk.
Is it necessary to replace the entire heating system in order to install the unit?
No. The existing heating system at the site remains unchanged. That is one of the main advantages of the packaged centrifugal droplet deaeration unit. It only needs to be placed on a level area measuring approximately 2.5 by 3 metres. Once water and electricity have been connected, the operator presses the Start button and deaerated water is supplied to the heating network or boilers.
What is the economic effect of using the packaged unit?
The highly efficient BCKDU can reduce expenditure on repairs to the heating network by an average of RUB 14.925 million per year. There is also an economic benefit when a system is converted from atmospheric to vacuum deaeration. For example, moving a 25 tonne-per-hour deaerator to vacuum operation can save approximately RUB 2.67 million in thermal energy annually.
Are comparable technologies available in Russia or internationally? What differentiates your solution?
Internationally, there is a view that thermal deaeration cannot by itself remove aggressive dissolved gases completely and that chemical reagents must also be added. Many imported deaerator manufacturers still rely on technologies that Russian specialists moved away from in the late 1990s.
Foreign suppliers do offer fully automated solutions, but these installations are several times larger and require an additional chemical dosing system to bind oxygen. The packaged centrifugal droplet unit relies exclusively on thermal deaeration and does not require continuing expenditure on chemical reagents.
Can the technology be deployed on a broad scale in Russia, and which industries offer the greatest potential?
Heat and power generation is the principal sector in which deaeration equipment is used. We are also increasingly working with industrial producers that need deaerated water to protect their process equipment. We have successfully addressed a number of non-standard applications.
In practical terms, the packaged centrifugal droplet deaeration unit can be used at any industrial facility where pipelines need protection against corrosion and their service life must be extended.
Interview by Alexander Zhezlov.
