An additive that reacts with dissolved oxygen so it cannot attack steel. Sodium sulfite and bisulfite are standard in low-pressure boilers and seawater injection, while hydrazine, carbohydrazide and DEHA serve higher-pressure boilers. Even traces of oxygen drive severe pitting in hot water systems, so scavengers back up mechanical deaeration, with residuals checked every day.
Sulfite residual's at zero on the boiler feed, the oxygen scavenger pump lost prime overnight.
Also heard as
- scavenger
- O2 scavenger
- deoxygenator
Related terms
Corrosion inhibitor
Chemical added in small doses to a fluid to slow corrosion of the metal it touches.
Pitting
Localized corrosion that drills small, deep cavities into metal while the surface around them stays nearly intact.
Corrosion coupon
Weighed metal strip exposed inside a system for a set time, then reweighed to calculate corrosion rate.