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ENERGY EFFICIENCY ON BOILER

Presentation · August 2010

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.19878.27202

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Nazaruddin Sinaga

Efficiency and Energy Conservation Laboratory

Diponegoro University

International Workshop on Energy Audits

Diponegoro University,
Semarang, August 2 – 3, 2010
Chapter 1
Boilers and Steam Utilities
1.1 Boiler and Boiler System
1.2 Types of Boiler
1.3 Thermodynamic Process
1.4 Boiling Heat Transfer
1.5 Boiler Efficiency
1.6 Energy Conservation Opportunities in
Boiler System
2
Chapter 2
Pumps and Pumping System
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Type of pumps
2.3 Assessment of pumps
2.4 Energy efficiency opportunities
 Objective of Energy Management

To achieve and maintain optimum energy

procurement and utilization, throughout the
organization

To minimize energy costs/waste without

affecting production & quality

To minimize environmental effects.

 Energy Audits
Definition

“the verification, monitoring and analysis of

use of energy including submission of
technical report containing recommendations
for improving energy efficiency with cost
benefit analysis and an action plan to reduce
energy consumption “
Source : A.THUMANN, Handbook on Energy Audits 5thEdition 1998. The
Fairmont Press
 PLEASE REMEMBER ! ! !
An energy audit is not done once and for all.

It is an ongoing process of comparison between

theory and practice , leading to an ever practice,
leading to an ever-improving understanding of
what energy is being used, why it is being used,
how it is being used and at what cost.”
 What is a boiler ?
A boiler is an enclosed vessel that provides a
means for combustion heat to be transferred to
water until it becomes heated water or steam.
➢The hot water or steam under pressure is then usable
for transferring the heat to a process.

➢When water at atmospheric pressure is boiled into

steam its volume increases about 1,600 times,
producing a force that is almost as explosive as
gunpowder.
➢This causes the boiler to be an equipment that must be
treated with utmost care.
 Boiler System
Feed Water System
Provides water to the boiler and regulates it automatically
to meet the steam demand.
Steam System
Collects and controls the steam produced in the boiler and
distributed the steam through a piping system to the point
of use.
Fuel System
Provide fuel to generate the necessary heat, normally by
combustion process.
 Boiler Systems

✓Water treatment system

✓Feed water system

✓Steam System

✓Blow down system

✓Fuel supply system

✓Air Supply system

✓Flue gas system

 Feed Water System
The water supplied to the boiler that is
converted into steam is called feed water.

The 2 sources of feed water are:

(1) Condensate or condensed steam returned
from the processes

(2) Makeup water (treated raw water) which

must come from outside the boiler room and
plant processes.
 Types of Boilers
Two basic types of boiler: Water Tube Boilers
and Fire Tube Boilers

• Packaged Boiler • Pressurized Fluidized Bed

Combustion
• FBC Boiler
• Atmospheric Circulating
• Spreader Stoker Boiler Fluidized Bed Combustion

• Chain- or Traveling Grate • Pulverized Fuel Boiler

Boiler
• Waste Heat Boiler
• Atmospheric Fluidized Bed
Combustion
 Fire Tube Boilers

Is the most common

boilers in industry :
• Cheap
• Relatively small steam
capacities (12,000
kg/hour)
• Low to medium steam
pressures (18 kg/cm2)
• Operates with oil, gas
or solid fuels
 Water Tube Boiler
Application
• Used for Power Plants
• Steam capacities range from
4.5- 120 t/hr

Characteristics
• High Capital Cost
• Used for high pressure high
capacity steam boiler
• Demands more controls
• Calls for very stringent water
quality
Thermodynamic Process

h
Thermodynamic Process
Thermodynamic Process
STEAM PROPERTIES
 Energy Units
❑ Boilers are often rated in “Boiler
Horsepower” (BHP) rather than Btus per
hour.
❑ 1 BHP is defined as the amount of
energy it takes to convert 34.5 pounds of
water to steam in one hour at 212
degrees Fahrenheit.
❑ A boiler HP equals 33,472 Btu/hour.
 Boiling Heat Transfer
Classification of Boiling
Pool Boiling Regimes
 Boiling Curve

Typical boiling curve for water at 1 atm pressure.

The actual boiling curve obtained with heated platinum wire in
water as the heat flux is increased and then decreased.
Heat Transfer Correlation for PB

Nucleate boiling

Peak heat flux

Minimum heat flux

Film boiling
Heat Transfer Between Gas and Water
Heat Transfer Process
 Steam
Steam Temperature

Air Film
Condensate Drops or Film
Rust or Scale

Metal Wall

Degraded Product or Scale

Stagnant Product Film

Product
Thermal Resistance

Product
Temperature
Q = U.A.DT
 BOILER EFFICIENCY

❑ The several different methods of defining the

efficiency of boilers can present a confusing
picture.

❑ As prescribed by the ASME Power Test Code

PTC 4, the fuel-to-steam efficiency of a boiler
can be determined by two methods: the Input-
Output Method, and the Heat Loss Method.
 Input-Output (Direct) Method
➢ The Input-Output efficiency measurement
method is based on the ratio of the output-to-
input of the boiler.
➢ It is calculated by dividing the boiler output (in
BTUs) by the boiler input (in BTUs) and
multiplying by 100.
➢ The actual input and output of the boiler are
determined through instrumentation and the
resulting data is used in calculations that
determine the fuel-to-steam efficiency.
Input-Output (Direct) Method
 Input-Output (Direct) Method
Parameters to be monitored for the calculation of boiler
efficiency by direct method are:

❖ Quantity of steam generated per hour (Q) in kg/hr.

❖ Quantity of fuel used per hour (q) in kg/hr.
❖ The working pressure (in kg/cm2(g)) and superheat
temperature (oC), if any
❖ The temperature of feed water (oC)
❖ Type of fuel and gross calorific value of the fuel (GCV)
in kcal/kg of fuel
Efficiency Calculation by I/O Method
Type of boiler: Coal fired Boiler
Heat input data
Qty of coal consumed :1.8 TPH
GCV of coal :3200K.Cal/kg

Heat output data

• Qty of steam gen : 8 TPH
• Steam pr/temp:10 kg/cm2(g)/1800C
• Enthalpy of steam(sat) at 10 kg/cm2(g)
pressure :665 K.Cal/kg
• Feed water temperature : 850 C
• Enthalpy of feed water : 85 K.Cal/kg

Find out the boiler efficiency ?

Find out the Evaporation Ratio?
Boiler efficiency (): = Q x (H – h) x 100
(q x GCV)

Where Q = Quantity of steam generated per hour (kg/hr)

H = Enthalpy of saturated steam (kcal/kg)
h = Enthalpy of feed water (kcal/kg)

q = Quantity of fuel used per hour (kg/hr)

GCV = Gross calorific value of the fuel (kcal/kg)

Boiler efficiency ()= 8 TPH x1000Kg/Tx (665–85) x 100

1.8 TPH x 1000Kg/T x 3200
= 80.0%

Evaporation Ratio = 8 Tonne of steam/1.8 Ton of coal

= 4.4
 Heat Loss (Indirect) Method

❑ The Heat Balance efficiency measurement method is

based on accounting for all the heat losses of the boiler.

❑ The actual measurement method consists of subtracting

from 100 % the total percentage of: A) stack, B) radiation,
and C) convection losses.

❑ The resulting value is the boiler’s fuel-to-steam efficiency.

The heat loss method accounts for stack, radiation and
convection losses.
 Indirect Method
Efficiency of boiler (n) = 100 - (i + ii + iii + iv + v + vi + vii)

Whereby the principle losses that occur in a boiler are

loss of heat due to:
i. Dry flue gas
ii. Evaporation of water formed due to H2 in
fuel
iii. Evaporation of moisture in fuel
iv. Moisture present in combustion air
v. Unburnt fuel in fly ash
vi. Unburnt fuel in bottom ash
vii. Radiation and other unaccounted losses
 Indirect Method

The data required for calculation of boiler efficiency using

the indirect method are:

❖ Ultimate analysis of fuel (H2, O2, S, C, moisture

content, ash content)
❖ Percentage of oxygen or CO2 in the flue gas
❖ Flue gas temperature in oC (Tf)
❖ Ambient temperature in oC (Ta) and humidity of air in
kg/kg of dry air
❖ GCV of fuel in kcal/kg
❖ Percentage combustible in ash (in case of solid fuels)
❖ GCV of ash in kcal/kg (in case of solid fuels)
 COMPONENTS OF EFFICIENCY

• Flue gas temperature

• Stack Losses
• Heating medium temperatures (steam
pressures in the case of steam boilers)

• Radiation and convection losses

• Excess air
 COMPONENTS OF EFFICIENCY

• Ambient air temperature

• Heating Medium Temperatures

• Fuel specification

• Steam quality (in the case of steam boilers)

The Flow of Energy
Boiler Heat Losses
 What are the losses that occur in a boiler?

Steam Output
1. Dry Flue gas loss
2. H2 loss
6. Surface loss 3. Moisture in fuel
4. Moisture in air
5. CO loss

7. Fly ash loss

Fuel Input, 100%
Boiler Flue gas

Air
8. Bottom ash loss

Efficiency = 100 – (1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8)

(by In Direct Method)
 Effect of Excess Air on Boiler Efficiency

On well-designed natural gas-fired systems, an excess air level of 10% is

attainable. An often stated rule of thumb is that boiler efficiency can be
increased by 1% for each 15% reduction in excess air or 40°F reduction in
stack gas temperature.
Example of Improving Efficiency
A boiler operates for 8,000 hours per year and consumes 500,000 MBtu
of natural gas while producing 45,000 lb/hr of 150 psig steam.
Stack gas measurements indicate an excess air level of 44.9% with a
flue gas less combustion air temperature of 400°F.
From the table, the boiler combustion efficiency is 78.2% (E1).
Tuning the boiler reduces the excess air to 9.5% with a flue gas less
combustion air temperature of 300°F.
The boiler combustion efficiency increases to 83.1% (E2).
Assuming a steam value of $4.50/MBtu, the annual cost savings are:

Cost Savings = Fuel Consumption x (1 - E1/E2) x

steam cost = 29,482 MBtu/yr x $4.50/MBtu = $132,671
annually
Enhancement of Boiler Efficiency
Energy Conservation
Opportunities
in Boilers
1. Reduce Stack Temperature
• Stack temperatures greater than 200°C
indicates potential for recovery of waste heat.
• It also indicate the scaling of heat
transfer/recovery equipment and hence the
urgency of taking an early shut down for water
/ flue side cleaning.

➢ 22o C reduction in flue gas temperature

increases boiler efficiency by 1%
Flue Temperature vs Efficiency (FO)
2. Combustion Air Preheating
• Combustion air preheating is an alternative to
feedwater heating.

• In order to improve thermal efficiency by 1%,

the combustion air temperature must be
raised by 20 oC.
 3. Complete Combustion
• Incomplete combustion can arise from a shortage of air or
surplus of fuel or poor distribution of fuel.
• In the case of oil and gas fired systems, CO or smoke with
normal or high excess air indicates burner system problems.
Example: Poor mixing of fuel and air at the burner. Poor oil fires
can result from improper viscosity, worn tips, carbonization on
tips and deterioration of diffusers.
• With coal firing: Loss occurs as grit carry-over or carbon-in-ash
(2% loss).
Example :In chain grate stokers, large lumps will not burn out
completely, while small pieces and fines may block the air
passage, thus causing poor air distribution.
Increase in the fines in pulverized coal also increases carbon loss.
 4. Control Excess Air For Every 1% Reduction In
Excess Air ,0.6% Rise In Efficiency

The optimum excess air level varies with furnace design, type of burner,
fuel and process variables.. Install oxygen trim system
TABLE 2.5 EXCESS AIR LEVELS FOR DIFFERENT FUELS
Fuel Type of Furnace or Burners Excess Air
(% by wt)
Pulverised coal Completely water-cooled furnace for slag- 15-20
tap or dry-ash removal
Partially water-cooled furnace for dry-ash 15-40
removal
Coal Spreader stoker 30-60
Water-cooler vibrating-grate stokers 30-60
Chain-grate and traveling-grate stokers 15-50
Underfeed stoker 20-50
Fuel oil Oil burners, register type 15-20
Multi-fuel burners and flat-flame 20-30
Natural gas High pressure burner 5-7
Wood Dutch over (10-23% through grates) and 20-25
Hofft type
Bagasse All furnaces 25-35
Black liquor Recovery furnaces for draft and soda- 30-40
pulping processes
Effect of Excess Air on Combustion Gas
Concentrations
Combustion Efficiency vs Excess Air (FO)
 5. Feed Water Preheating using Economiser
• For an older shell boiler,
with a flue gas exit
temperature of 260oC, an
economizer could be used
to reduce it to 200oC,
Increase in overall
thermal efficiency would
be in the order of 3%.
• Condensing
economizer(N.Gas) Flue
gas reduction up to 65oC

➢ 6oC raise in feed water temperature, by economiser/condensate

recovery, corresponds to a 1% saving in fuel consumption
 6. Reduction of Scaling and Soot Losses
• In oil and coal-fired boilers, soot buildup on tubes acts as an
insulator against heat transfer. Any such deposits should be
removed on a regular basis. Elevated stack temperatures may
indicate excessive soot buildup. Also same result will occur due
to scaling on the water side.

• High exit gas temperatures at normal excess air indicate poor

heat transfer performance. This condition can result from a
gradual build-up of gas-side or waterside deposits. Waterside
deposits require a review of water treatment procedures and
tube cleaning to remove deposits.

• Stack temperature should be checked and recorded regularly as

an indicator of soot deposits. When the flue gas temperature
rises about 20oC above the temperature for a newly cleaned
boiler, it is time to remove the soot deposits
 7. Effect of Boiler Loading on Efficiency

• As the load falls, so does the value of the mass flow

rate of the flue gases through the tubes. This
reduction in flow rate for the same heat transfer area,
reduced the exit flue gas temperatures by a small
extent, reducing the sensible heat loss.
• Below half load, most combustion appliances need
more excess air to burn the fuel completely and
increases the sensible heat loss.
• Operation of boiler below 25% should be avoided
• Optimum efficiency occurs at 65-85% of full loads
Effect of Load on Boiler Efficiency

Fuel Full Load Low Load

Efficiency Efficiency
Coal 85 % 75 %

Oil 80 % 72 %

Gas 75 % 70 %

Biomass 70 % ( ? ) 60 % ( ? )
 8. BOILER REPLACEMENT
If the existing boiler is :
Old and inefficient, not capable of firing
cheaper substitution fuel, over or under-sized
for present requirements, not designed for ideal
loading conditions replacement option should
be explored.

➢ Since boiler plants traditionally have a useful

life of well over 25 years, replacement must be
carefully studied.
 THANK YOU

for your attention

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