Deaerator

A deaerator removes dissolved oxygen and other gases from the water that feeds a boiler, typically by heating the water with steam and spraying or trickling it through a vessel so the dissolved gases come out of solution and are vented away. Removing these gases before the water reaches the boiler protects the boiler and its piping from the corrosion that dissolved oxygen and carbon dioxide would otherwise cause at high temperature and pressure. Deaerators are standard equipment in power stations and industrial steam plants and are usually installed as a tank mounted above the boiler feedwater pumps so heated, de-gassed water flows to the pumps under gravity.