The economizer is a heat exchanger equipment which utilizes heat recovery of flue gases to heat feedwater. It can increase boiler efficiency, reduce the temperature of flue gas and save the fuel by absorbing recovery of flue gases. Besides, the feedwater is heated through the economizer before it is supplied into steam drum to decrease the thermal stress of the steam drum wall caused by temperature difference, which can improve the operating conditions of steam drum and prolong the service life of the steam drum.
Condensing boilers can achieve up to 98% thermal efficiency, compared to 70%-80% with conventional designs (based on the higher heating value of fuels). Typical models offer efficiencies over 90% when the return water temperature is at 110 ºF or less; the lower the return water temperature, the higher the efficiency gain.
ASME code – also known by its longer name: ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code – regulates the design, development, and manufacturing of boilers used in a variety of industries and applications.
This code was developed by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, an organization that has been around for well over 100 years and is focused on establishing safety codes and standards for mechanical equipment.
Within the industrial heating industry, ASME code is the established standard that many pieces of equipment are built to.
Heating systems that adhere to the specifications set forth by ASME code have been constructed according to guidelines intended to promote safety and quality. As such, heating equipment that is ASME code compliant has been thoroughly inspected to assure that it meets high safety and quality standards.
In a boiler, energy from the fuel is transferred to liquid water in order to create steam. Once the water is heated to boiling point, it is vaporized and turned into saturated steam. When saturated steam is heated above boiling point, dry steam is created and all traces of moisture are erased. This is called superheated steam.
Industrial boilers are welded from sturdy steel plates that are engineered to withstand intense heat and pressure - as a result of this thick steel, boilers can sometimes weigh as much as 165 tons! The construction of hot water boilers and steam boilers is very similar. They both feature a cylinder tube, otherwise known as the pressure vessel. The pressure vessel contains something called a flame tube, which is fired through a burner and a reversing chamber that feeds flue gases back through a second smoke tube. These flue gases are reversed again via an external reversing chamber. This reversing chamber sends the flue gases to the end of the boiler, in the third smoke tube pass. A major difference between hot water industrial boilers and the steam versions? Hot water boilers, as their name implies, are usually completely filled with hot water during their operation, while steam boilers are filled with water only until the ¾ mark, with the top fourth of the boiler reserved for steam.
All boilers, whether hot water or steam, depend on fuel to run. The heating process is initiated when the burner heats or evaporates the water inside it, which is ultimately transported via pipe systems. Hot water boilers rely on pumps to move the heat through the system, while steam boilers are transported with the pressure generated in the heating process. Eventually, cooled water or condensed steam is returned back through the pipes to the boiler system so that it can be heated once again. While the boiler is generating energy in the form of heat, flue gases, a byproduct of this process, are removed through a chimney system - which is why regulating the emissions of industrial boilers is taken very seriously.
Here are some common issues that could cause your industrial boiler to misbehave.
1. Burner Not Functioning Correctly.
If the boiler burner fails or is faulty, then your boiler is not going to be able to generate heat efficiently, or in the worst case not at all . As industrial boilers are in almost constant use they are built to be very robust and last for decades, nevertheless they can still have problems with broken burners from time to time. Burner pumps, heads and nozzles can all cause problems but a swift replacement should limit your down time.
One of the most important accessories you can have for your steam boiler is a water softener, which serves several purposes and plays a crucial role in helping your boiler avoid malfunctions and run more efficiently. Let's go back to the basics and walk through how water softeners are used in steam boilers.
