HYDRASTEP START-UP
It is possible that some of these conditions will be seen on a new Hydrastep installation.
** This does not mean that the equipment you have purchased is faulty **
Due to the nature of the areas that Hydrastep is normally installed, various conditions can occur that make the instrument operate in an unusual manner. It would be easy to think you have installed defective equipment, but it is very unlikely that this is the case.
Great care must be taken when installing a Hydrastep system so that these problems are less likely to be seen; firstly, please take the time to ensure that the various people involved in the fitting of the components have been shown and have read the handbook, which is supplied with all new Hydrastep systems.
This, along with the wiring diagrams (also supplied), should make for a trouble free installation.
1.Please read and understand Part 2 of the handbook, which explains the pressure side of the equipment.
2.Ensure wiring is of the correct type and that the wiring diagram supplied has been followed.
3.Hydrastep relies on a ‘path back to earth’. Please make sure that all earth points are made and are of a good standard.
4.Great care must be taken with the mounting of the water column; the columns must be vertical; angles stated in the manual should be as close as possible, as this ensures condensate flow back into the column.
5.Lagging of the pipe work must be as stated; ** The last 0.5 m of the (top) steam leg MUST NOT be insulated as this will inhibit condensate flow into the column; this will cause a flickering display.**
6.Please be aware of your water quality as some adjustments to the Hydrastep may be required if it has a high conductivity. Please let us know when placing your order if your water conductivity is high. We can modify the units up to 1600Us/cm.
7.Units will not leave the factory configured for customer orders unless requested. If you wish it to be configured, please request it on your order and it will then be done. Options include mains voltage to be used, trip points (if relay cards are to be fitted), number of electrodes to be used and remote display option (if ordered). These points are not
8.Care should be taken to make sure that a new set of electrodes have been fitted after the first acid wash of the system. The electrodes may well have been damaged during this process and a new set should go in before you run the system up for the first time.
9.The most common problem seen with Hydrastep systems is a flickering pattern on the display while the boiler is being brought up to operating pressure and temperature. This is not a fault and is caused by a few conditions specific to power stations:
(a) If a boiler is new or has seen a large amount
(b) It is possible that the top electrodes may have a wet coating on them until these working conditions are met; again, if left to settle, this will work at normal working conditions. (c) Should the plant generate a higher than normal amount of DC noise, we can supply a blocking cap that is built into a PCB that will stop this problem.
If you are in any doubt about what you are doing, contact Customer Support of Mobrey Limited on +44 (0) 1753 756600 for guidance
Mobrey Customer Support
(April 2005)