Condensate polisher

A condensate polisher is a process used to remove contaminants from water derived by condensing from steam as part of the steam cycle in a thermal or nuclear power plant. It frequently utilizes polymer resins which are used to remove or exchange ions such that the purity of the condensate is maintained at or near that of distilled water.

Condensate polishers are important in systems using the boiling and condensing of water to transport or transform thermal energy. Using technology similar to a water softener, microscopic amounts of mineral or other contamination are removed from the system before such contamination becomes concentrated enough to cause problems by depositing minerals inside pipes, or within precision-engineered devices such as boilers, steam generators, heat exchangers, steam turbines, cooling towers, and condensers. The removal of minerals has the secondary effect of maintaining the pH balance of the water at or near neutral (a pH of 7.0) by removing ions that would tend to make the water more acidic. This reduces the rate of corrosion where water comes in contact with metal.