SAIDEF started operating in 2001 and has been using FINEAMIN chemicals since 2007. Their chemists together with water-treatment professionals from h2o Facilities SA in Petit-Lancy, Geneva, selected the products and dosage to the specific process requirements and water circuit configuration.

Located in the canton of Fribourg, the French part of Switzerland, by the Sarine River, SAIDEF SA is a modern waste incineration and recycling power plant producing electricity and steam to supply the district heating networks in the Fribourg area.

From the beginning, SAIDEF has done its best to optimize the operating processes to avoid any future downtime, or forced outages, and minimize maintenance costs, as well as reduce the impact on the environment, preserving the health of the employees, and encouraging any initiative aimed at improving the living environment.

 SAIDEF operates 24 hours a day and is shut down for about 3 weeks per year for inspection of the installations. Under intense operational conditions, SAIDEF’s long-term availability and reliability are a must and altogether dependent on performant plant protection, especially for the steam-water cycle.

With all of this in mind, the administration was searching for modern, environmentally friendly solutions to treat the steam-water cycle metal parts (pipes, boiler turbine) against corrosion and deposits, and keep installation trouble-free since the first day of operation.

Gabriel GREMAUD - Environment Manager SAIDEF SA: “We have been using the FINEAMIN products for our water treatment since 2007 and during this time we have maintained the operating parameters. No corrosion was present, nor any other damage. Our turbine is regularly inspected every five years by a third party”. 

System information: 

SAIDEF incineration line and thermal waste recovery plant depend on a medium pressure 50 bar Wehrle boiler, 200°C water temperature, 50 t/h steam production, and a 10MW Siemens / ABB turbine.

Solution:

A response to SAIDEF’s requirement for anti-corrosion, anti-scale, and pH stabilization chemicals to boost plant performance and system longevity was a custom-made water treatment plan based on FINEAMIN technology – a film-forming blend of volatile, alkalizing polyamines and alkaline dispersing polymers.

The chemistry applied was only one product – FINEAMIN 06, a single blend consisting of multiple components to satisfy all metal parts protection with only one dosing point. FINEAMIN 06 acts as a corrosion inhibitor and prevents any accumulation of deposits due to its ultra-hydrophobization capacities. 

Applied on metal surfaces, FINEAMIN 06 forms a monomolecular film inside the system, a barrier between water and metal that keeps carbon dioxide away from the surface and does not allow any deposits to adhere to it.

Results:

Polyamines-based products were the only chemicals chosen and used from 2007 until today, to obtain metal passivation and have been operating without any troubles in the steam-water cycle. No corrosion or deposits were observed during the yearly inspections in this period, and no damages were recorded. The pipes are also regularly inspected every year. The turbine is inspected every five years by a third party.

Over the years, while using film-forming polyamines, SAIDEF has maintained the following parameters, all of which are within the required limits. pH was stable. 

The trouble-free steam water cycle allows SAIDEF to operate 24 hours a day without outages, keeping maintenance costs low for the plant and increasing the reliable delivery of its services.

Polyamines have been used for more than two decades and to an increasing extent for the successful conditioning of all pressure boilers. Easy to operate with, far less dangerous for workers than many conventional products, and compatible with the environment thanks to its largely bio-degradable characteristics, FINEAMIN 06 was the optimal water treatment solution for SAIDEF.