Boiler Blog Archive | Nationwide Boiler Inc.

Nationwide Boiler, established in 1967, has built a strong standing reputation by offering reliable rental boilers to assist industrial companies in both scheduled outages and unforeseen emergencies.

Featuring a diverse inventory of more than 100 boilers across various U.S locations, our equipment spans in size from 50 HP to 200,000 lb/hr and includes mobile package watertube boilers, fully equipped mobile boiler rooms, and skid mounted systems. Over the years, our company has expanded our capabilities, evolving into more than just a world-class rental boiler company. We are a stocking distributor, a UL-certified control panel design and manufacturing facility, and we provide sustainable solutions such as electric boilers, hydrogen blended fuel firing capabilities, and our CataStak™ Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) System.

As our company continues to evolve, we adjust to the changing times by providing environmentally friendly alternatives within the boiler industry. This involves the utilization of SCR and ultra-low NOx burners to manage NOx emissions, along with the integration of heat pumps and alternative fuel choices for the purpose of decarbonization.

Ultra-low NOx Solutions

Our journey into sustainable solutions commenced in the 1990’s with the introduction of the CataStak SCR to the market. The CataStak is an established solution for lowering NOx and CO emissions to single-digit levels, tailored for applications with package boilers, fired heaters, gas turbines, and other fired equipment. Equipment utilizing a CataStak SCR system has yielded source test results as low as 1 ppm NOx.

Even with the best pretreatment programs, boiler feedwater often contains some degree of impurities, such as suspended and dissolved solids. The impurities can remain and accumulate inside the boiler as the boiler operation continue, leading to carryover of boiler water into the steam, causing damage to piping, steam traps and even process equipment. The increasing concentration of suspended solids can form sludge, which impairs boiler efficiency and heat transfer capability.

One way to improve efficiency is to review your blowdown practices. This includes the use of an automatic blowdown control system by regulating water volume discharged in relation to the amount of dissolved solids present.  This system maintains proper water chemistry within acceptable limits, while minimizing blowdown and reducing energy losses. Cost savings come from the significant reduction in the consumption, disposal, treatment, and heating of water.

The U.S. Department of Energy's Industrial Technologies Program calculated annual cost savings associated with the installation of an automatic blowdown control system that reduced blowdown rate from 8% to 6%. The example below assumes a continuously operating natural gas-fired, 150 psig, and 100,000 lb/hr steam boiler. Makeup water temperature of 60 degrees, with boiler efficiency of 83%, with fuel valued at $3.00 MMBTU was used, and the total water, sewage and treatment costs are $0.004 per gallon.

The annual cost savings in the example above equals:

Boiler Feedwater:

Initial = 100,000 / (1-0.08) = 108,695 lbs/hr

Final = 100,000 / (1-0.060 = 106,383 lbs/hr

Makeup Water Savings = Initial - Final, or 108,695 lbs/hr - 106,383 lbs/hr = 2,312 lbs/hr

Enthalpy of boiler water = 338.5 Btu/lb; for makeup water at 60 degrees = 28 Btu/lb

Thermal Energy Savings = 338.5 - 28= 310.0 Btu/lb

Annual Fuel Savings = 2,312 lbs/hr x 8760 hrs/yr x 310.5 Btu/lb x $3.00/MMBtu / 0.82 x 106 = $23,007

Annual Water and Chemical Savings = 2,312 lbs/hr x 8760 hrs/yr x $0.004/gal / 8.34 lbs/gal = $9,714

Annual Cost Savings = $23,007 + $9,714 = $32,721
If you need additional information about feedwater systems or other ways you can decrease costs, contact Nationwide Boiler today and we are happy to discuss ways to improve your bottom line: 1-800-227-1966.

Nationwide Boiler receives progress update reports via email from the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE). Over the last few weeks the department has been busy promoting aggressive actions to promote new initiatives that they hope will save consumers money and create new jobs.

The cost to run electric auxiliaries should not be overlooked when considering the total cost to run a facility. The cost of auxiliaries can be found be determining the kilowatt - hours used and your cost per kilowatt - hour. Here is a quick "rule of thumb":

One horsepower (HP) of electricity is equal to 0.746 kilowatt-hours. A 1 HP motor running at full load for 24 hours would use 17.90 kilowatt-hours of electricity.

Now that you are able to determine your electric consumption for your auxiliaries, you can use that information to decide if additional energy efficiency upgrades are needed. Every little bit counts!