🌿 Hana and the Secret of Boiler Water

A Shocking Incident

One morning at a palm oil mill, Hana — a newly promoted engineer — received an emergency call. The main boiler, rated at 25–27 mt/hr, had suddenly tripped. The operator reported a tube leak.

Rushing to the site, Hana smelled hot steam in the air and saw anxious faces. Upon inspection, she found tubes that had melted and sagged, as if the metal had burned from within.

“How could this happen? The boiler had just gone through overhaul months ago…” she thought, stunned.

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Hana’s Investigation

As an engineer, Hana refused to jump to conclusions. She examined the water treatment logs, blowdown records, and chemical test reports. What she found was alarming:

• Water hardness far above acceptable limits.

• Dissolved oxygen dangerously high.

• Phosphate levels inconsistent.

She realized: the root cause wasn’t the boiler itself, but the water fed into it.

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A Harsh Lesson on Water

Hana recalled her engineering lectures:

• Poorly treated water allows minerals (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, silica) to form hard scale deposits. These reduce heat transfer, cause localized overheating, and eventually tubes melt [1].

• Low pH and excess oxygen accelerate corrosion — pitting, acid attack, and caustic embrittlement [2].

• Organic contamination or oil causes foaming and carryover, leading to turbine damage [3].

Now, these theories were no longer textbook knowledge — they stood before her in reality.

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A Difficult Decision

As the manager, Hana knew what had to be done would be unpopular. She ordered:

1. Immediate boiler shutdown for safety.

2. A retraining session for all operators and lab staff.

3. A strict water testing regime: daily checks on pH, hardness, and TDS; weekly checks on phosphate and sulfite; and scheduled blowdowns.

Some grumbled at the rising chemical costs. But Hana stood firm:

“The cost of water treatment is nothing compared to the cost of retubing — or worse, the cost of human lives in a boiler explosion.”

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Hana’s Reflection

That night, Hana sat quietly on her mill house balcony. She realized that behind the so-called glamour of an engineer’s title lay a burden only insiders understood: the responsibility for safety, lives, and high-pressure systems.

“Being an engineer isn’t just about managing machines. It’s an amanah — a trust. And every trust will be accounted for before God.”

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🌟 Conclusion

The tube failure became a turning point in Hana’s career. From that day, she became a strong advocate of consistent boiler water treatment, often reminding younger engineers:

• Never neglect the water. The water determines the life of the boiler.

• True success isn’t just in big projects or promotions, but in the discipline of small, unseen details that prevent disaster.

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📚 References / Footnotes

1. Sulaiman, R., et al. (2015). The Effect of Poor Water Treatment on Boiler Tubes in Palm Oil Mills. Journal of Engineering Science.

2. ASME (2019). Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section I – Power Boilers. American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

3. Klinger, R. (2018). Carryover Phenomena in Industrial Steam Boilers. Power Engineering Journal.

4. Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB). (2020). Boiler Operation and Maintenance in Palm Oil Mills. MPOB Technical Guide.

5. Department of Occupational Safety and Health Malaysia (DOSH). (2021). Boiler Safety and Inspection Guidelines.

6. Babcock & Wilcox. (2020). Steam: Its Generation and Use.

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