Sidestream condensate polishing for PWRs

Condensate polishers are used in power plant condensate system to remove both particulate matter and ionized corrodents. Their conventional location is just downstream of the hotwell pumps (condensate pumps). Most polisher installations have enough flow capacity to polish 100% of the condensate. This inline configuration has some disadvantage, including a flow that varies with unit load and tends to disturb the polisher beds and reduce their effectiveness, and a potential for interrupting flow to the feedwater pumps. An alternate arrangement where water is extracted from either the condenser or the condensate system, polished and returned to the system, has been used in a few plants. Three different ways of doing this have been used: divide the condenser hotwell into two parts, one of which receives condensate from the tube bundles and the other of which is sheltered. Take unpolished condensate from the first part, purify it and return it to the other part from which the condensate pumps take suction; take unpolished condensate from one end of a divided header on the suction side of the hotwell pumps and after polishing it return it to the other end; and take unpolished condensate from a header on the discharge side of the condensate pumps, purify it and return it to the condensate system a short distance downstream. The three variants are analyzed in this report. It is concluded that the variant where the connections are on the discharge side of the condensate pumps is the most desirable for retrofitting, in all cases being far easier to retrofit than an inline polisher. In many cases it will be most desirable for new construction