1 Operate Boilers At or Close to Design Capacity. This decreases fuel consumption per unit of production and can result in an estimated energy savings range of 1 percent to 5 percent. Likewise, if your facility or plant requires excess capacity, visit the Nationwide Boiler website to obtain a current list of boilers for rent or for sale. Nationwide Boiler provides new and used boilers that can ship immediately, anywhere around the world (conditions apply, contact Nationwide Boiler for details).
2 Reduce Combustion Excess Air. Measure and control air-fuel ratio or oxygen and carbon monoxide content of flue gases from process heating equipment such as furnaces, ovens, and boilers for the entire range of operation. This has an estimated energy savings range of 2 percent to 15 percent. Think about installing a standard low NOx / low excess air burner (compared to an ULN / high excess air burner) on your boiler. Complemented with a Nationwide CataStak™ Selective Catalytic Reduction System (SCR), a new burner retrofit and SCR installation will not only provide immediate energy savings, but will also reduce NOx emissions and decrease your carbon footprint.
3 Clean Heat Transfer Surfaces. Cleaning heat transfer surfaces lowers flue gas temperature and increases efficiency by improving heat transfer. Doing so can save an estimated 1 percent to 5 percent at a moderate cost.
4 Reduce Radiation Losses from Openings. Reducing radiation losses can save an estimated 1 percent to 2.5 percent at a relatively low cost.
5 Use Proper Oven, Furnace or Boiler Insulation to Reduce Wall Heat Losses. Reducing wall losses produces energy savings of 1 percent to 2 percent with only a moderate investment.
6 Insulate Steam Lines Leaving the Boiler as well as Air- or Water-Cooled Surfaces Exposed to the Oven or Furnace Environment. With an estimated energy savings range of 1 percent to 5 percent, piping insulation can be completed for a moderate investment.
7 Install Air Preheaters or Other Heat Recovery Equipment. This type of equipment recovers available heat from exhaust gases and boiler blowdown and transfers it back into the system by preheating. The potential energy savings range id from 1 percent to 25 percent, depending on process temperatures and other variables. Consider a Nationwide Boiler EconoStak Economizer or a Heat Recovery (HR) Blowdown Pak to recover valuable heat that can be reused, allowing you to save money in the long-term.
Adapted from Process Heating Magazine, March 21, 2012.
Boiler Blog | Nationwide Boiler Inc.
In February of this year, the Boiler MACT rule was published in the Federal Register, causing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to propose new regulations calling for system upgrades on boilers and auxiliary equipment in many plants. The costs associated with these upgrades can reach up to $35 billion according to the EPA, but because the costs will be specific to each individual plant, no one will know the real costs until the boiler equipment is evaluated to comply with new and future regulations. Boiler operators are hesitant to spend the money due to the uncertainty of regulations, but eventually something will need to be done.
There are resources available, and the U.S. boiler and combustion equipment industry is readily able to meet the demand for these system upgrades. Randy Rawson, President of the American Boiler Manufacturer’s Association (ABMA), said, “We have the workforce resources to meet the needs of our customers, as long as our customers don’t push compliance go the last minute.”
The largest air districts in California have passed rules that require NOx compliance as low as 5 ppm by the year 2015. Few burner manufacturers have been successful with developing new ultra low NOx (ULN) burner technology that easily and safely performs at 9 - 7 ppm NOx. Many users that have tried ULN burners suffer the consequences of high FGR or excess air rates that compromise not only efficiency, but also the operational limits of boiler equipment, resulting in limited turndown capabilities, flame pulsations and unstable operation.
Today, selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology has taken over as the best available control technology for complying with ultra low NOx emission requirements. Nationwide Boiler, having invested in SCR technology for our rental fleet over the last ten years, has both the experience as an user and a supplier of the CataStak™ SCR system. Our SCR systems have met or exceeded emission requirements for over one hundred boilers, steam generators and gas turbines installations.
The Nationwide Boiler CataStak™ SCR system is proven to decrease emissions, increase energy efficiency, reduce fan horsepower and provide greenhouse gas / carbon reductions. Typical users can save significant energy costs by reducing flue gas recirculation which substantially reduces fan horsepower (HP) and when compared with a typical 9 ppm burner, fan HP can be reduced by as much as half.
If you are concerned or have questions about how your facility is planning to comply with local air quality regulations, send am email to info@nationwideboiler.com and together we can come up with a solution that can perform as low as 2.5 ppm NOx and pass any current air regulation with the lowest carbon footprint.
Nationwide Environmental Solutions, a strategic business unit of Nationwide Boiler Inc., has extensive experience in SCR technology with over 100 installations across the country. We started out as a user on our rental boiler fleet, mastered the design and operation of the system, and began selling the superior product to our customers. We can now provide SCR systems for NOx reduction to as low as 2½ ppm for boilers, fired heaters, gas turbines, and other demanding applications.
Users in a diverse set of applications are experiencing changes in emissions regulations, driven by federal, tribal, and state implementation plans. With more stringent NOx control limits, utility and industrial industries are facing many challenges in achieving compliance. Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology has been emerging as a clear preference with new plant construction and retrofits to existing plants, and we want to help guide you to make smart decisions for your SCR design.
Join us on March 28th at 11AM EST for a live webinar, hosted by Director of Environmental Solutions, Sean McMenamin. Sean will discuss key considerations for your SCR design, including:
- An overview of current and future anticipated NOx emissions regulations
- Understanding NOx reduction control strategies and comparison of control technologies
- Understanding "next generation" SCR design and performance expectations
- NOx technology options utilizing alternative reagents
- Operating conditions and their effects on SCR sizing, design and lifecycle costs
- Various case studies
Register today! This is a webinar your won't want to miss.
Nationwide Boiler's Director of Environmental Solutions, Sean McMenamin, provided content for this month's issue of Process Heating Magazine. The topic of discussion this time around is reducing NOx emissions and improving overall boiler efficiency.
Sean has provided six tips to ensure the highest possible thermal efficiency, and lowest possible NOx output. This includes:
1. Reducing Stack Gas Temperature to Increase Efficiency
2. Managing Excess Air Levels for Optimum Performance
3. Utilizing Flue Gas Recirculation (FGR) to Reduce NOx Emissions
4. Selective Catalytic Reduction for Ultra-Low NOx Performance
5. Combining Economizers & SCR Systems for Emissions & Efficiency Gains
6. Monitoring Emissions & Efficiency Performance
For additional details related to these tips and tricks for reducing NOx and increasing efficiency, check out the full article in Process Heating's September 2018 issue!