Filming Amine (aliphatic amine) Test Kits
Click on a catalog number in the tables below for more information or to purchase a FFA test kit.
What Are Filming Amines?
Filming amines have many different names including Film Forming Amines (FFA), Film Forming Amine Product (FFAP), or Film Forming Products (FFP). Despite the different names, they are all water treatment chemicals commonly used in high pressure boilers, cooling systems, and heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs) to prevent corrosion of metal surfaces.
Filming amines are a type of corrosion inhibitor, but the mechanics of how they protect the metal within a system are unique. Structurally, FFAs are aliphatic amines with long carbon chains with an amine head. The amine attaches to the metal surface and forms a hydrophobic layer that protects the metal. FFAPs offer protection from corrosion, reduced corrosion product transport, prevention of scale build-up, smooth heat transfer surfaces, and protection of equipment during shutdown or layups. FFAPs can be used alongside or replace conventional corrosion inhibitor treatment regimes. They are applied to different components of the steam cycle including the boiler feedwater, generator, and condensate return lines.
Why Test for Filming Amines?
Correctly measuring the amount of film forming amine in your system is critical for optimum performance of your system. Underdosing a system can leave it vulnerable to corrosion such as pitting. Overdosing can lead to the creation of micelles, or “gunk balls” as they are commonly known. These can lead to clogged pipes and reduced efficiency. Frequent and consistent filming amine analysis is a best practice to ensure dosing is at the correct levels.
About Our Film Forming Amine Test Kits
CHEMetrics offers filming amine test kits for the analysis of boiler water using two different methods: Methyl Orange and Rose Bengal. The visual kit that employs the Methyl Orange chemistry features a unique extraction technique that streamlines sample preparation steps required by other procedures and increases the sensitivity of the test. This process takes a total of 3 minutes to complete. The kits that employ the standard Rose Bengal method employ our self-filling ampoule technology which eliminates the time-consuming, repetitive process of cleaning cuvettes that plagues other test kits that employ this chemistry.
All CHEMetrics products are available on the AquaPhoenix website alongside other great lab supplies.
Click on a catalog number in the tables below for more information or to purchase a test kit for aliphatic amine analysis.
Visual Kits
| Range | MDL | Method | Kit Catalog No. | Refill Catalog No. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-1 ppm | 0.05 ppm | Methyl Orange | K-1001 | R-1000 |
| 0-2 & 2-6 ppm as ODA or OLA | 0.2 ppm | Rose Bengal | K-1006 | R-1006 |
Instrumental Kits
| Range | Method | Kit Catalog No. |
|---|---|---|
| 0 - 6.00 ppm as ODA | Rose Bengal | K-1013 |
Method
The Methyl Orange Method
Reference: ASTM D 2327-80, Mono- and Dioctadecylamines in Water.
The filming amine compound reacts with methyl orange to form a yellow-colored complex that is extracted into an immiscible organic solvent. Results are expressed in ppm (mg/L) octadecylamine.
The Rose Bengal Method
Reference: K Stiller, T Wittig, M Urschey. “The Analysis of Film-Forming Amines – Methods, Possibilities, Limits and Recommendations”, (2010)
The Filming Amines test kits employing the Rose Bengal chemistry are applicable primarily for the analysis of boiler water. When buffered under acidic conditions (pH 2.3 – 3.3), the sample forms a magenta complex with rose bengal (4,5,6,7-tetrachloro-2′,4′,5′,7′-tetraiodofluorescein disodium salt) in direct proportion to the concentration of filming amines such as Octadecylamine (ODA) or Oleylamine (OA).