Boiler Blog | Nationwide Boiler Inc.

The price of fuel is constantly fluctuating and with it comes creative ways to be more economical. Finding methods to be more energy efficient is never a waste of time. In the boiler room, efficiency improvements can be found by many sources, however, a common option for energy savings includes the use of an economizer. What is an economizer? The economizer is a fabricated assembly of finned tubing that captures waste heat extracted from the boiler’s stack flue gases; the exhaust that leaves the boiler stack (or “flue”).

It’s all about the principle of Heat Transfer. While low temperature water, or feedwater, enters a boiler system, high temperature flue gas exits. An economizer captures heat from the flue gas that would typically go to waste, and utilizes it to preheat the feedwater. By doing this, an economizer is able to increase thermal efficiency by decreasing the energy required to heat the water to steam. This will typically result in a reduction of 1% in fuel cost per 10 degree rise in feedwater temperature. Overall, an economizer can be a major cost savings for boiler owners and will easily provide a quick return on investment.

The economizers’ simple technology and static parts provide longevity and low maintenance, and they are available in multiple designs and configurations. Conventional economizers are cylindrical or rectangular and come in a range of sizes for both firetube and watertube boilers. Rectangular designs are more commonly used for larger industrial watertube boilers, and can be configured for vertical or horizontal gas flows, finned or bare tube design, and other additional options if needed. A condensing economizer can improve waste heat recovery even further by cooling the flue gas below its dew point, reclaiming both sensible heat from the flue gas and latent heat by condensing the flue gas water vapor.

BOILER EFFICIENCY COMPARISON
	Combustion Efficiency at 4% Excess Oxygen	Stack Gas Temperature
Boiler	78% to 83%	350F to 355F
Boiler with Standard Economizer	84% to 86%	250F to 300F
Boiler with Condensing Economizer	92% to 95%	80F to 150F

When determining whether an economizer is ideal for your boiler equipment, the location of the economizer into stack is important. To ensure the most thermal recovery during the process, you need to make sure the economizer is installed as close to the furnace breach as possible. This will help avoid thermal loss and cooling.

At Nationwide Boiler, we offer our EconoStak economizer as an optional addition (or a standard addition in some cases) on our fleet of watertube rental boilers. The EconoStak consists of the economizer as well as all of the associated piping and structural supports required for very efficient and safe operation. In addition, we are a West Coast representative for E-Tech Heat Recovery Systems, a leading provider of economizers for new, replacement, and retrofit applications.

Contact Nationwide Boiler today to see if an economizer is the right option for you, and be sure to check out our previous Boiler Basics 101 blogs. We review various topics each month, so stay tuned for the next edition!

With California having the most stringent emissions requirements in the country, it is important to be well versed on any and all rules and regulations when buying a new boiler or renting a temporary boiler. This is our final installment of the 3-part series on air permit compliance for boilers in California (be sure to check out part 1 and part 2 if you haven’t already).

Nationwide Boiler maintains a fleet of rental units that are sub-9 ppm NOx and pre-permitted for use in the SCAQMD. We take care of the bulk of the permit work saving our customers an exponential amount of time (no waiting for the application to be approved), and we pay for any processing fees. This allows for quick installation and start-up of a temporary boiler, which is extremely valuable in an emergency outage. The only requirement of our customer is the source testing of the equipment, if the source test is due. Most of these pre-permitted boilers require source testing on an annual basis, and the source test must be done at a job site within the county’s jurisdiction.

The SJVAPCD does not allow the pre-permitting of rental boilers, but they do have a program called the Temporary Replacement Emissions Unit (TREU) which can be utilized when a rental is needed  in a pinch. This program contains an application shield provision which allows renters to install a temporary boiler in place of an existing permitted boiler that is down for repairs without having to get a new permit for the rental boiler. In order to qualify for the TREU Program, the rental boiler being installed must have a heat input equal to or less than the unit it is replacing. Plus, it must not have the potential to produce more emissions than the current permit allows. There is a time limitation to this program; the temporary boiler can be on-site for a maximum of 180 days within a 12-month period.

If you are outside of the two territories listed above, don’t fret! Nationwide Boiler can assist with the permitting process as needed. In addition, utilizing a pre-permitted boiler in a location other than the SCAQMD does have its advantages and can help expedite the permitting process.

With our headquarters being located in California, it is important to us that we are up-to-date with emissions regulations throughout the state. And with other areas of the country starting to experience a similar push for emissions reductions, we have the expertise and experience to help. Nationwide Boiler is proud to take the lead in helping customers everywhere understand and comply with current and future air regulation standards.

Nationwide Boiler attends over twenty industry events each year – from meetings to conferences to full blown tradeshows. These events are chosen strategically to keep us up to speed on the market changes in each industry, as well as provide support to clients seeking solutions. As we move into the fourth quarter of the year, we are wrapping up our 2019 tradeshow travels.

Next week, Pacific Combustion Engineering’s Mike Dorthalina will head to Yakima, WA for the Washington State Society for Healthcare Engineers (WSSHE) Annual Conference. Scheduled for October 15 – 18, the vision this year is “Transforming the Health Care Industry; Improving Patient Outcomes”. We will have a table display with literature that provides solutions for healthcare facility personnel. Whether a new boiler, rental boiler, emissions & efficiency control, or control system upgrade, Mike will be available to discuss the best solution to improve your facility process. Stop by table #4 to meet with him.

The week of November 18^th, we will have coverage at two important events, the first being the API Fall Refining and Equipment Standards Meeting in Atlanta, GA. Project and Sales Engineer, Brett Barnes, will man the Nationwide Boiler table to provide information on our products and services, with a focus on our environmental solutions, for the Petroleum Refining industry. He will also be in attendance at the Technical Standards Committee Meetings to learn about industry changes and provide valuable input during each discussion.

The second show that week is Power-Gen International in New Orleans, LA, November 19 – 21. This is typically our largest show of the year, with over 900 exhibits and thousands of attendees from the Power Generation industry. This year, Nationwide Boiler will have a team of leaders at the show, including Larry Day, Sean McMenamin, Bill Testa, Jack Valentine, Tim McBride, and Jim Barbeau. Be sure to visit us at booth #3738 to learn about the full array of product offerings available from Nationwide Boiler Inc.

And that will be a wrap for 2019 – until we begin our tradeshow tour again in the new year!

Be sure to read Part I of this series to learn about emissions requirements in the SCAQMD.

In the last edition of Boiler Blog 101, we discussed air permitting rules and regulations in the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD). In part II, we will cover the basics of air permitting for boilers in another California district that leads the country in air pollution control; the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (SJVAPCD).

The SJVAPCD was founded in 1991 with a mission to improve the health and quality of life for all Valley residents through efficient, effective and entrepreneurial air quality management strategies. The SJVAPCD is made up of eight counties in the Central Valley of California; San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare, and Kern.

The rules that have been set forth specifically for boilers, steam generators, and process heaters are outlined below:

	QUALIFYING UNITS	NOx LIMIT
Rule 4306	Units Greater Than 5 MMBtu/hr Units Greater Than 20 MMBtu/hr	15 ppm 9 ppm
Rule 4307	Units 2.0 MMBtu/hr to 5.0 MMBtu/hr	30 ppm
Rule 4308	Units 0.075 MMBtu/hr to Less Than 2.0 MMBtu/hr	20 ppm
ADVANCED EMISSION REDUCTION OPTIONS
Rule 4320	Units Greater Than 5 MMBtu/hr Units Greater Than 20 MMBtu/hr	9 ppm 7 ppm
*NOx limits listed are standard options for existing gaseous fuel-fired equipment. Enhanced options as well as limits for new and replacement units will differ. Click each rule to review the full details; certain exemptions may apply.

 

Starting at the beginning of 2019, the SJVAPCD implemented a new rule titled, Best Available Control Technology (BACT). This rule requires that all new permits meet the lowest NOx limits that have been achieved, regardless of what is mandated. In addition, due to Assembly Bill 617, boiler owners in the SJVAPCD are mandated to meet Best Available Retrofit Control Technology (BARCT) for any existing equipment retrofits. This means that when your boiler needs to be upgraded or replaced, it must meet more stringent NOx limits, which can be as low as 7 ppm.

These rules can be overwhelming, which is why Nationwide Boiler’s AQMD experts are capable and ready to assist you with the permitting process needed for your facility. Furthermore, we can help you reduce NOx to comply with your air emissions regulations. Nationwide Boiler’s CataStak™ SCR system is proven to reduce NOx levels to as low as 2.5 ppm. Contact us today for more details.

Stay tuned for Part III, where we will discuss renting boilers in California.