Boiler Blog | Nationwide Boiler Inc.

Last week the White House announced an executive order supporting Combined Heat & Power (CHP) and industrial energy efficiency.  The order calls for a national combined heat and power deployment goal of an additional 40 GW by 2020.

CHP systems can reach efficiencies above eighty percent (80%) and currently supply twelve percent (12%) of U.S. energy capacity. There is approximately 82 GW of CHP installed in the U.S. and industry estimates indicate the technical potential for additional CHP at existing sites in the U.S. is approximately 130 GW (plus an additional 10 GW of waste heat recovery CHP).

Investments in industrial energy efficiency, including combined heat and power, offer significant benefits to manufacturers, utilities and communities across the country, including:

• Manufacturers could save at least $100 billion in energy costs over the next decade, improving U.S. manufacturing competitiveness.
• Meeting the 2020 goal could mean $40 to $80 billion of new capital investment in American manufacturing facilities and helps to create jobs.
• Offering a low-cost approach to new electricity generation capacity to meet current and future demand:  Investments in IEE, including CHP, cost as much as 50% less than traditional forms of delivered new baseload power.
• Significantly lowers emissions:  Improved efficiency can reduce nationwide GHG emissions and other criteria pollutants.

USCHPA Executive Director, Jessica Bridges, said "CHP technology can be deployed quickly, cost-effectively and with few geographic restrictions. Establishing this national goal toward greater CHP deployment will significantly advance cleaner energy generation in the U.S., benefit the environment, and help create much-needed manufacturing and industrial jobs. I applaud the White House for its efforts to support clean power generation through CHP and pledge the combined heat and power industry's support to help achieve this goal."

USCHPA is a trade association whose membership includes manufacturers, suppliers, and developers of combined heat and power (CHP) systems.  CHP lowers demand on the electricity delivery system, reduces reliance on traditional energy supplies, makes businesses more competitive by lowering their energy costs, reduces greenhouse gas and criteria pollutant emissions, and refocuses infrastructure investments toward next-generation energy systems. CHP is a proven and effective energy resource that can be immediately deployed to help address current and future global energy needs by incorporating commercially available and domestically produced technology.  For more information, visit www.uschpa.org.

In support of the Executive Order, the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency released a new report Combined Heat and Power: A Clean Energy Solution  that provides a foundation for national discussions on effective ways to achieve 40 GW of new, cost-effective CHP by 2020, and includes an overview of the key issues currently impacting CHP deployment and the factors that need to be considered by stakeholders involved in the dialogue.

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.

California, if considered a country, is among the top 20 emitters of CO2 worldwide. Current legislation addressing GHG include California Assembly Bill 32 (AB32), aimed at reducing existing GHG emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, and the California Environmental Quality Act’s (CEQA) Climate Change Action Plan that incorporates Best Performance Standards (BPS) measures into the review process to assist new boiler permit applicants (natural gas-fired units).  The policy relies on the use of BPS to assess GHG emissions on global climate change and standards are incorporated in the overall design and operation of the equipment, providing the most efficient performance measures with major reductions in GHG emissions.

Current BPS examples that provide maximum efficiency benefits include:

• ? 20ºF Approach Temperature on the Economizer

• ? 15% Excess Air with O₂ Trim

• ? 10% FGR

• VFD on Fan

• Heat Recovery on Blowdown if over 8%

Nationwide Boiler recently provided a BPS boiler solution to a CA pulp and paper customer governed by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (SVAPCD).  BPS equipment included a 75,000 pph boiler, CataStak™ SCR system, EconoStak economizer and auxiliary equipment. The system incorporates the latest boiler upgrades and once in operation, will perform well below current NOX standards.

This system is one of many BPS solutions supplied by Nationwide Boiler, and BPS boilers in operation include several prominent food processors located throughout CA.  Each company is committed to operate their boiler systems with the most technologically advanced equipment in the industry, doing their part in helping the environment and lowering overall GHG emissions, while running operations as efficiently as possible.

Nationwide Boiler BPS Boiler System Delivered



For additional information regarding BPS requirements, specific to the San Joaquin Valley, visit: http://www.valleyair.org/Programs/CCAP/bps/BPS_idx.htm#Boilers

In an effort to expand worldwide sales, Nationwide Boiler Inc. has recently signed two new representatives that will focus on the rental, leasing and sales of boilers and CataStak™ SCR systems: Dade Hamilton (Coral Gables, FL) and Heat Transfer Specialists (Houston, TX).

Dade Hamilton supplies industrial equipment to the oil and gas, petrochemical, utility, pulp and paper, steel, and sugar industries in Latin America and the Caribbean.  This new relationship with Nationwide Boiler will enhance both companies ability to supply new boiler systems internationally, specifically the Babcock & Wilcox Model FM 120-124, 200,000 lb/hr superheated steam package boiler (750 psig / 750°F).  As a partner and stocking distributor for the Babcock & Wilcox Company, Nationwide Boiler can ship the Model FM boiler (or any other boiler system in the company’s inventory) anywhere in the world.

Heat Transfer Specialists (HTS) specializes in supplying combustion equipment that provides the latest technology in energy efficiency and low emissions.  The company serves industrial users in the oil and gas, refining, petrochemical and power industries. Their strategic location in Houston, TX has helped the company grow into a successful manufacturer’s representative and they are well positioned to increase Nationwide Boiler’s market share in the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) heater market, in addition to providing new opportunities for the sale and rental of boiler systems.

Bill Testa, Nationwide Boiler’s Business Development Manager, played a pivotal role in engaging and securing both representatives for Nationwide Boiler. “Dade Hamilton and Heat Transfer Specialists have both proven themselves to be leading suppliers to customers in their territories. They both possess the experience, expertise and continued commitment to serve their customers to the full extent possible, while continuing to add value and unparalleled customer support. Both companies are welcome additions to the company and we look forward to many new opportunities as a result of these new relationships.”

We want to welcome Dade Hamilton and HTS to Nationwide Boiler and we look forward to the many foreseen opportunities with each of these companies.