Boiler Blog | Nationwide Boiler Inc.

As much as we sometimes wish they would just go away, compliance regulations are here to stay.  Overall, regulations are put into place by local governing agencies for the health and safety of the public, environment and plant operations.  These are all items which we agree must be top priority. However, the most difficult part of regulations is interpreting, comprehending, and staying current with new rules, revisions, and updates.  Combine that with the fact that the applicability of regulations can also be daunting -- things just get harder and harder.  

When it comes to NOx compliance, Nationwide Boiler has you covered.  We have helped hundreds if not thousands of customers meet both local and national NOx compliance regulations ever since the Clean Air Act passed in the 1980’s.   Our boiler rental fleet is equipped with the most advanced burners the industry has to offer and our new and reconditioned boilers all include energy efficiency upgrade options and CataStak™ SCR System component add-ons, proven to reduce NOx to levels as low as 5 ppm.

Our most recent compliance success story is a project we recently completed with NRG Energy Center San Francisco.  Nationwide Boiler provided a single Ammonia-Free CataStak™ SCR System for two 55,000 lb/hr natural gas-fired boilers that were required to operate at 9 ppm NOx levels as governed by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD).

Read more about this project and how it demonstrated a simple method of reducing greenhouse gas emissions without the use of a standard ammonia-based SCR in the fall edition of Today’s Boiler.

If you need help keeping up with compliance's, call us today at 510-490-7100.  We can help.

On December 20, 2012, the EPA finalized the Boiler MACT, a specific set of adjustments to existing Clean Air Act standards, for boilers and certain solid waste incinerators. These adjustments set standards to cut emissions of hazardous air pollutants, such as mercury, dioxin, and lead, from large boilers in a range of industrial facilities and institutions.

The DOE will offer technical assistance to affected sites currently burning coal or oil, highlighting strategies such as natural gas combined heat and power (CHP), and more efficient boilers, to cut harmful pollution and reduce operational costs. DOE will also provide site-specific technical and cost information to the major source facilities currently burning coal or oil through its regional Clean Energy Application Centers (CEACs).

The CEACs will visit these facilities to discuss strategies for compliance, including CHP, as well as provide information on potential funding and financing opportunities available for CHP, controls, boilers and energy efficiency assessments. Facilities that make use of this technical assistance can potentially develop strategies to comply with the regulations while adding to their bottom line.

Contact Nationwide Boiler today to discuss how we can help you come up with a solution that will cut emissions in your facility. Call: 1-800-227-1966.

Information on financial incentives available at the local, state, utility and federal levels to assist facilities with the costs of investing in CHP, boiler tune-ups, controls and/or energy efficiency assessments is available at:
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/manufacturing/states/pdfs/incentives_boiler_mact.pdf

Information about the rule, including links to the regulatory dockets, technical information on how the limits were developed, and impact assessments, is available at:
http://www.epa.gov/airquality/combustion/actions.html

Once winter arrives it is a good time to remind our customers about how to properly prepare for freezing temperatures.  This not only applies to when a boiler is in operation, but also when a boiler is down or in transport.  The guidelines below will help get you started, but contact Nationwide Boiler if you have any further questions: 1-800-227-1967.

Freeze Protection Guidelines

Freezing conditions pose a huge risk to boiler equipment if it is not properly protected from the harsh elements. In order to ensure that your unit continues to operate while facing freezing conditions, Nationwide Boiler recommends the following:

  1. Enclose both the front and rear of the boiler area and use an external heat source to minimize freezing conditions.

  2. Install heat tracing with insulation to protect exposed stagnant water lines.

  3. Utilize an appropriate heat tracing method (electric or steam tracing) to all of your main lines and piping components.
      This includes the following lines which should be heat traced regardless if the boiler is in operation or not
      (in freezing conditions): sensing lines (steam drum to CMR, high steam and steam gauge), auxiliary
      low-water-cut-off, water column and level control blowdown. Depending on the length of piping runs,
      the main and continuous blowdown should also be heat traced.

  4. In addition to heat tracing on stagnant sensing lines, drain the lines and fill them with a 50/50 (water/glycol) solution,
      making sure to re-connect the line.

  5. When an extended boiler down time is expected, completely drain the boiler and stagnant water lines.

NOTE: The above lines are considered stagnant lines and should be heat traced regardless if the boiler is in operation or not (freezing conditions).

Nationwide Boiler continues to gain worldwide presence and representation, signing ten new representative agreements just this year. The most recent companies to join the list include Campbell-Sevey in Minnetonka, MN, Illingworth Engineering Co. in Jacksonville, FL, and Gates Technology International (GTI) in Tulsa, OK.

Both Campbell-Sevey and Illingworth Engineering Co. have a history representing Nationwide Boiler in the past, but the newly signed agreements draw out exclusive territories of representation for the two companies. Campbell-Sevey’s exclusive territories include South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, and counties in Wisconsin, while Illingworth Engineering will be representing Nationwide Boiler in parts of both Florida and Georgia. Combined, the two companies have over one hundred and forty-five years of industry experience and expertise providing boilers and boiler related equipment to their customers. Like Nationwide Boiler, both companies are committed to providing excellent customer service and value to their customers.

Jack Gates, founder of Gates Technology International, is an independent consultant to the petrochemical and refinery markets with technical expertise in fired heater equipment and heat transfer. GTI recently secured their first CataStak™ Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system sale for a fired heater application located in Texas. With over forty years of industry experience, Jack Gates is considered a resident expert in the field, and he consults to most of the major fired heater manufacturers, specifically in Israel and the Middle East, on a variety of technical issues focused mainly on environmental emissions. GTI will be assisting Nationwide Boiler by providing key strategic initiatives regarding the application of CataStak™ environmental solutions.

We would like to welcome these companies to Nationwide Boiler and look forward to working together to provide superior steam and environmental solutions.