Identifying and Dealing with Factors Affecting Boiler Efficiency
A boiler is a vessel where fluid is heated for use in various processes or applications. It initiates a mechanical process that generates and transforms energy for industrial use. The steam produced after heating the fluid enters the compressor under pressure to produce a mechanical work. The effectiveness of the engine is based on the amount of work created. Steam engine has been a trusted power source over the years because of its efficiency.
The steam engine’s efficiency depends greatly on the boiler’s efficiency in producing steam. Proper maintenance of the boiler is needed to keep its performance. Identifying and dealing with the various factors affecting the production of steam and fuel combustion will help increase the boilers efficiency. Some of the most common factors include flue gas temperature, fuel specification, excess air, and radiation and convection losses.
Flue gas refers to the gas passing through the flue, a pipe conveying exhaust gases out of a furnace. It plays an important role in maintaining heat in the boiler. Upon burning the fuel, fire and gases are created. Both need to be kept to produce sufficient heat on the boiler. If large amount of gases escape, the efficiency of the boiler will surely be affected.
The type of fuel used in the heating process also influences boiler efficiency. A hydrogen-containing gaseous fuel, for example, may produce extra water vapors that absorb heat while shifting to another state. The heat absorbed is sufficient enough to lower the actual heat produced, eventually reducing the boiler efficiency. This is the reason why most boilers today use oil fuel, which produces more useful gases. A boiler economizer can be incorporated in the boiler system to tap the escaping gases.
Air is an important element in the combustion process. It feeds oxygen to the furnace to increase the fire. However, excessive air introduced in the boiler will tend to consume heat energy instead of stimulating it. A boiler stack economizer reduces the effect of excess air and vapor in the boiler efficiency by using them to preheat the water to fill the boiler.
Sometimes, despite the presence of boiler stack economizers, the heat efficiency of the boiler is still low because of radiation and convection losses. This occurs when the heat developing on the boiler is radiated into the air. To remedy such losses, the boiler is covered with a special type of insulator.
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