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.
The term “boiler efficiency” is often substituted for thermal efficiency or fuel-to-steam efficiency. When the term “boiler efficiency” is used, it is important to know which type of efficiency is being represented. Why? Because thermal efficiency, which does not account for radiation and convection losses, is not an indication of the true boiler efficiency. Fuelto-steam efficiency, which does account for radiation and convection losses, is a true indication of overall boiler efficiency. The term “boiler efficiency” should be defined by the boiler manufacturer before it is used in any economic evaluation.
Combustion efficiency is an indication of the burner’s ability to burn fuel. The amount of unburned fuel and excess air in the exhaust are used to assess a burner’s combustion efficiency. Burners resulting in low levels of unburned fuel while operating at low excess air levels are considered efficient. Well designed conventional burners firing gaseous and liquid fuels operate at excess air levels of 15% and result in negligible unburned fuel. Well designed ultra low emissions burners operate at a higher excess air level of 25% in order to reduce emissions to very low levels. By operating at the minimum excess air requirement, less heat from the combustion process is being used to heat excess combustion air, which increases the energy available for the load. Combustion efficiency is not the same for all fuels and, generally, gaseous and liquid fuels burn more efficiently than solid fuels.
Excess air provides safe operation above stoichiometric conditions. A burner is typically set up with 15% to 20% excess air in higher firing ranges. Higher excess air levels result in fuel being used to heat the air instead of transferring it to usable energy, increasing stack losses and significantly decreasing efficiency. Boilers with lower excess air throughout the operating range have higher efficiencies.
The primary purpose of the boiler is to supply energy to the facility's operations – for comfort heating, manufacturing process, laundry, kitchen, etc. The nature of the facility's operation will dictate whether a steam or hot water boiler should be used. Hot water is commonly used in heating applications, with the boiler supplying water to the system at 120°F to 220°F. The operating pressure for hot water heating systems usually is 30 psig to 125 psig (hydrostatic). Under these conditions, there is a wide range of hot water boiler products available. If system requirements are for hot water of more than 250°F, a high-temperature water boiler should be considered.
The combustion air preheater is definitely one of heat exchanger applications. Based on Figure 1 below, flue gas simply leaves steam boiler and passes via air preheater. The combustion air is passed through this equipment too to increase its temperature before being combined with boiler fuel.
Because the temperature of combustion air is lower than the temperature of flue gas, combustion air receive heat transfer from flue gas through combustion air preheater in the process of convection heat transfer. The heat transfer make temperature of flue gas lower and consequently minimizes its heat loss and also decreases the air temperature to stack.
Nitrogen Oxides, commonly referred to as NOx, is a family of poisonous gases. These gases are best known for their role in air pollution, leading to occurrences of acid rain, smog, and the deterioration of the ozone layer.In short, NOx is harmful to the atmosphere and the environment and needs to be limited as much as possible.The problem is that NOx is quite common. It's created as a result of fuel burning at high temperatures. Cars, trucks, boats, and other kinds of vehicles emit NOx almost co...
Purchasing a new boiler is a big decision for any company or organization. It means investing thousands of dollars in a piece of equipment you’ll be using for many years to come. Needless to say, it’s not a venture you should take lightly. You need to know ahead of time exactly what you should be looking for in a new boiler.
