Conventional boiler water treatment programs generally have three components: oxygen scavengers, phosphate and alkalizing amines. This treatment program however does not exclude boiler tube failures (BTF), especially when a combination of fouling and high local heat fluxes occurs on the boiler tube surface. In contrast a treatment program based on polyamines (POAM) keeps boiler tubes nearly free from deposits and offers a far better tolerance towards BTF. OCI Nitrogen has four years of operating experience with POAM treatment in the high pressure steam system of one of its ammonia plants.