Increased boiler efficiency is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to cut operating costs for businesses. You can start by reducing your bills by looking at the last time you did boiler maintenance, and how efficient your system is.
We need to know boiler efficiency before we can give you any tips. Most of the heat is lost by your boiler in its stack or boiler water. It is important to create conditions which produce the least amount of flue gases at the lowest temperature. The boiler’s efficiency will increase.
Imagine that the boiler heats up the air and then sends it through the stack. The ideal stack gas temperature should be lower, because the higher it is, the more energy the flue gases will release. The boiler system, on the other hand takes cold water and heats it up to steam.
Here are 15 simple tips that will help you make your boiler more efficient, and reduce your monthly costs.
1. Lower Stack Temperature To Increase Boiler Effinity
It is possible to lower the temperature of your stacks by simply adjusting the day/night setting. When steam boilers like Guival boilers are idle at night or on mild days, the operating pressure and temperature of hydronic boilers will be lowered
2. Install An Economizer
The economizer heats the water that is fed to the boiler using the hot flue gases. This should be your first priority if your steam boiler does not have an economizer, or if your economizer doesn’t work. Economizers are a great way to save money and avoid damaging boiler effects from cold water. If you want to make serious savings, check if the boiler is equipped with a Heatmizer(r) Choose the right boiler for your domestic hot water or boiler application.
3. Tune The Burner Regularly
A lack of air is another common problem that can affect boiler efficiency. A certain amount of air is needed to ensure proper combustion inside the boiler. Carbon monoxide will form if there is not enough air. The fuel doesn’t burn completely, so less heat is released. This reduces the efficiency of fuel usage. Low air produces soot and smoke, which can be dangerous. A lot of air can also decrease efficiency. Extra air is sent out hot from the stack, which wastes heat.
The optimal process ensures that the fuel is burned safely with just enough air. We measure the air required with an O2 probe. Inserting the probe in the stack is done while tuning the burner to achieve maximum efficiency. In some facilities the temperature of air drawn into the burnter varies according to the season. For maximum savings, the burner must be tuned more often.
4. Install A Variable Frequency Drive
There are not many burner fans and pumps without VFDs. If you’ve never heard of VFDs, or if your system doesn’t use them, be aware. The affinity laws between pumps and fans are responsible for the incredible power savings. Your system wastes electricity when it is only partially loaded if your fan or circulation pumps are controlled by a valve or damper. With a VFD, your system can control the flow by fan or pump speeds instead. This is where the magic happens.
5. Insulate Your Valves
It is not uncommon for plants to remove the insulation from valves located in the boiler rooms during maintenance, and then never replace it because it’s a hassle. Exposing these large valves in the air can cause a great deal of heat loss, making the boiler room unbearably hot. The Heatmizer Removable Blanket is a great way to save money and improve the comfort of your boiler room. These blankets reduce the risk for burns and still allow easy maintenance.
6. Clean The Fireside
As boilers age, soot can accumulate on the tubes. This layer of soot serves as an insulation, slowing down heat transfer and increasing fuel consumption. Due to the reduced heat transfer rate, hot gases do not transfer heat into the water and so your stack temperature increases. As part of regular boiler maintenance, you should clean and inspect your boiler tubes to ensure that soot is kept at a minimum. It improves the boiler’s overall efficiency.
7. Preheat Combustion Of Air
The flame must heat the combustion air that is introduced to the burner. The boiler will use less fuel if the air entering the burner is hotter. An increase of 40 degrees Fahrenheit in the temperature of fresh air can reduce fuel costs by 1%. Even with historically low gas costs, if you run large boilers all day long, the savings can be significant. Some air preheaters can pay for themselves in less than a year.
8. Clean The Water Side
Water treatment is necessary to keep the waterside of your water boiler free from leaks and clean. Regularly inspect the waterside of your boiler. To ensure that heat is transferred from the metal to water, remove any mud legs and mud drums. The heat transfer surfaces will become scaly due to high water hardness and improper chemicals. This scale will reduce the efficiency of your boiler by preventing heat transfer. This scale also prevents the water from cooling down these heat transfer surfaces. Untreated scale can lead to the boiler overheating, resulting in costly repairs and leaks.
9. Return Condensate To The Boiler
Condensate is formed when steam condenses and transfers heat. This by-product should not be wasted. This water contains no dissolved gases or solids and is ready to be used in your boiler. It takes less fuel to turn the water into steam because it is already warm. Reusing condensate reduces the amount of cold makeup water and chemicals required by your boiler. Rerouting the condensate into the feedwater system can also reduce sewer and wastewater treatment costs.
Consider installing a condensate-return system with high pressure on your biggest steam users for an even greater boiler efficiency boost. The condensate is kept at a higher level of pressure. Condensate doesn’t flash so you can return more water with a higher temperature to your boiler. To find out if this will work for you, contact Mechanical Construction Services.
10. Restore Heat From Boiler Blowdown
The boiler can be more efficient if the blowdown is recovered. The blowdown valve removes boiler water that contains both soluble and non-soluble solids. It reduces the amount of dissolved solids present in boiler water, preventing the formation of scale. It also wastes energy when it removes the hot water. Installing a flash tank, blowdown heat exchanger or combining the two will help you recover some of that energy. Heat recovery can be used to heat your make-up and cool the blowdown.
11. Control Blowdown Rates
The blowdown is necessary to maintain the cleanliness of the boiler surface. Blowdown removes heat, but it also removes impurities from the boiler. The water is brought to boiler temperature and then blown out. Some boiler systems use a continuous blowdown, which does not vary with the boiler load. Blowing down should only be as much as necessary to control dissolved solids. Control dissolved solids using an automatic blowdown. You can save energy by blowing down your boiler regularly. It also helps to reduce the risk of damage from scale on your boiler.
12. Reduce Excess Air
To complete combustion, boilers require extra air. The amount of air that is added to your boiler can have a huge impact on its efficiency. If the boiler is not given enough excess air, it will produce dangerous carbon monoxide and build up soot. Too much excess air can reduce efficiency. There are intelligent combustion control systems which can monitor the required air quantity for your combustion system. As we have discussed, tuning your burner will keep it running at its peak, but only to the extent that your old burner is capable.
Upgrade to a high efficiency burner and you will save significant amounts of fuel. It will pay for itself in no time. A burner upgrade will save you over 20% in most cases on your gas bills!
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