In this article, I will share some of the simple things you can do to increase the efficiency of your boiler without breaking your bank account.
When it comes to the efficiency of the boiler it’s necessary that it’s increased to allow maximum production output.
Also, a boiler with a higher efficiency can handle demanding processes at ease and very fast.
If you want to increase the efficiency of your boiler, let us say it’s 65% and you want to push it to 75% there are somethings you will need to do.
You will spend money when you want to improve your boiler’s efficiency.
For instance, when you install wet steam accumulator, installing variable frequency drive and other equipment that you might think of to increase the boiler efficiency, it’s going to cost you a lot of money.
When we also talk about the kind of fuel you will use in your boiler is something that cost so much money.
If you consider going for high quality fuel to increase the combustion system of your boiler, that is going to improve the efficiency of the boiler, but the question is, will you be able to sustain the operation?
There are some things you can do to increase your boiler efficiency even without spending so much money.
This is how to increase your boiler efficiency without spending so much money
1. Install an economizer
An economizer is an essential boiler accessory that can increase the efficiency of your boiler so fast.
If you want to learn more about the boiler economizers and how they work then you should read the article below.
You might like this: Boiler Economizers: Function, Types, Design And Operation
What you need to know is that heat loss is a problem that decreases the efficiency of a boiler.
If most of the heat produced in the combustion system is lost to the atmosphere, this clearly indicates that the efficiency of the boiler will drop.
So, know that if your boiler system doesn’t have an economizer installed, and you are seeking to increase its efficiency then you should think installing one.
The boiler economizer will ensure that the heat from the combustion system is used to the maximum.
The flue gasses that are exhausted out of the boiler system, usually carry a large amount of heat.
You might like this: Type Of Heat Losses In a Steam Plant (+How To Minimize Them)
By installing a boiler economizer you will ensure that the heat from the fuel gasses is used to the fullest.
The heat absorbed by the economizer can be used to heat the feed water that is taken to the boiler.
The feed water will eventually contain a considerable amount of energy when entering the boiler and this will boost steam generation.
You might like this: Feed Water Heaters: Functions, Types, Advantages And Operation
The thermal energy will be higher, steam generation will happen so fast without maximum use of fuel and this will end up increasing the overall efficiency of the boiler.
2. Install air preheaters.
Air preheaters are also boiler accessories that can sky rocket the efficiency of your boiler.
If you want to know more about air preheaters you should check the article below.
You might like this: Air Preheaters in Steam Boilers: Function, Types and Working Principles
The air preheaters are one of the significant boiler accessories that your boiler should not miss.
If your boiler has a low efficiency and yet you know that you don’t have an air preheater installed you have to do so.
Air preheater enables maximum usage of the heat from the combustion system just like the economizer.
It’s uses heat from the flue gasses to preheat the air entering the combustion system.
Steam generation in the boiler mostly depends on the amount of heat energy produced by the combustion system.
And for the combustion system to be effective, it’s has to be stable and provide complete combustion.
The air preheaters will heat the air before it’s taken to the combustion system, this will increase the stability of combustion thus making the combustion efficient.
And as a result, high amount of energy will be produced from the combustion system.
Also, with the air preheater installed in your boiler, it will help you so much when it comes to combustion of fuel with poor quality.
You can use poor quality fuels and yet get the most out of your boiler because of the air preheaters.
If you lack air preheater in your boiler, you are actually losing money because you will be be forced to use much fuel and more heat will be lost to the atmosphere.
Installing an air preheater is a one time thing that will improve your boiler efficiency effectively.
3. Tuning the burner regularly
Tuning the burner regularly won’t need you to spend money doing it. It can increase your boiler efficiency incredible.
Tuning the burner involves running it up and down through its full firing range to properly maintain the ratio of air to fuel.
This is a very essential practice that can improve boiler efficiency and save you from the carbon monoxide disaster.
Trust me, you don’t want carbon monoxide accumulating in your boiler room since it’s very dangerous.
You might like this: Are Boilers Dangerous? (+What Makes Them Dangerous)
If there is no tuning of the burner, there is a great chance that the combustion rate will be low due to the wrong balance of air and fuel ratio in the burner.
This will result in carbon monoxide being produced which will eventually affect the amount of heat produced also.
The practice of tuning your burner regularly is going to help you increase the boiler efficiency by increasing the amount of energy produced from your combustion system.
4. Insulation of steam pipelines and valves
To increase boiler efficiency, we need to increase the amount of heat absorbed by the boiler and reduce the amount of fuel used.
Heat loss is something that you should expect when working with your boiler.
There are so many types of heat losses in boilers, but the one I’m talking about is “radiation.”
A large amount of heat is lost to the atmosphere from the metal surfaces through radiation.
The steam pipelines should be lagged to reduce the amount of heat lost to the atmosphere.
You might like this: 6 Design Requirements Of Steam Distribution System
If the steam being generated losses about 20% of the thermal energy this will eventually reduce the efficiency of the boiler at a very high rate.
For the steam to be of the required quality to improve efficiency, the amount of energy in the steam should be to the maximum.
The valves that are directly mounted on the boiler also should be lagged to reduce the amount of heat energy lost through radiation.
This is a simple practice that you won’t use so much money doing that can end up increasing your boiler efficiency at a rate you have never imagined.
5. Proper maintenance of the boiler.
Maintenance of the boiler is another simple practice that can increase your boiler efficiency.
Whereas, neglecting your boiler, is something that will decrease the efficiency of your boiler and making it even more dangerous.
When it comes to maintenance of the boiler there are so many things that you will need to take care of.
I will not be able to talk about everything, but I will share with you some important things to take note of.
Cleaning the fireside is one the maintenance practice that you should consider if you want to improve the efficiency of your boiler.
The fireside of the boiler does a lot of work when it comes to steam generation.
If there is any fault in the fireside, the entire combustion system will be useless.
So, clean the fireside and ensure there is no soot at all. Soot is your enemy since it will reduce the amount of heat produce in your boiler.
Soot hinders heat transfer to the boiler which has a major negative effective in the steam generation.
Also, you have to ensure that your steam distribution system is working perfectly.
Ensure that there are no leakages of steam and the steam pipelines are clean from any deposits.
These are some of the maintenance practices the can increase your boiler efficiency. Don’t ignore them.
6. Recover heat from the boiler blowdown.
Blowdown of the boiler has to be performed whether you like it or not.
The boiler will always contain sludge or solid contaminants at the bottom, and to get rid of them blowndown should be carried out.
Much energy is lost during boiler blowdown since hot water is also released with the contaminants.
To ensure that the heat that from the boiler blowdown is not lost, you have to recover the heat.
You might like this: Heat Recovery Blowdown Of A Boiler
The blowdown can be passed through a heat exchanger that can absorb the heat and use it to heat the feed water.
This will increase your boiler efficiency since no much heat is lost from the boiler.
The other thing you can do when it comes to the blowdown of the boiler is to control its rate.
Controlling the rate of boiler blowdown will ensure that considerable amount of boiler water is released.
Automatic blowdown control valve can be installed in your boiler to help you control the rate of the blowdown which will end up saving energy and also prevent your boiler from being damaged.
7. Reuse the condensate in the boiler.
The condensate from the condenser and the heat exchanger can be collected and channeled back to the boiler for steam generation.
You have to know that the condensate contains heat energy thus it will require less amount of heat for it to be converted into steam.
Using the condensate back in the boiler will increase the boiler efficiency since steam will be generated quickly and the amount of fuel needed will be less.
So, don’t dispose the condensate because it can save you a big deal when it comes to improving the efficiency of the boiler.
The act of using the condensate in the boiler will also save a lot of water thus saving you so much money.
8. Control the amount of air in the combustion system.
There has to be a balance of the amount of air being used in the combustion system.
If the air to fuel ratio isn’t appropriate, then the combustion system will surfer.
When the combustion system is affected the boiler efficiency will also be affected.
Too little amount of air in the combustion system will result in low combustion rate thus decreasing the amount of heat produced.
If the amount of heat produced is less then steam generation is going to be lower thus decreasing the efficiency of the boiler.
On the other hand, if the air is access in the boiler this lowers the flame temperature resulting in less heat being produced.
There is a need to find automatic combustion control system that can regulate the amount of air needed in the combustion system.
9. Feed water treatment.
If you want your boiler to be effective then you will have no choice but to treat the feed water.
You might like this: Feed Water Treatment: Types And How They Work
The efficiency of the boiler is also contributed by the quality of the steam being produced.
The steam comes from the feed water that is heated up in the boiler.
If the feed water is not treated, the problem of foaming, scaling and carryover will be experienced.
All these issues lower the efficiency of the boiler by hindering heat transfer and low quality steam generation.
You might like this: Effects of Impurities of Feed Water In Boiler (+Prevention)
Treating feed water will also save you from constantly maintaining the boiler which will save you money and time.
This is a very important thing you should consider if you want to improve the efficiency of your boiler.
The feed water treatments won’t break your bank account, just select the one you can afford.
If the feed water quality is high, the quality of the steam generated will also be high.
Final thoughts
If you check keenly the points I have shared in this article, you will find that to increase the efficiency of the boiler you have to focus on the amount of heat being used.
If the moment the amount of heat produced by the combustion system within the boiler is used to the maximum, then the efficiency of the boiler will improve.
But if a large amount of heat is lost to the atmosphere, then the efficiency of the boiler will drop.
Ensure that less amount of heat is lost to the atmosphere if you want to improve the efficiency of the boiler.
The other thing you should not neglect if you want to improve the efficiency of your boiler without using money is to maintain your boiler.
Ensure that the boiler is in good working condition if you want it to operate smoothly.
The other essential things like feed water treatment and controlling the steam produced are things that can also increase your boiler efficiency.
Thank you for reading, if you have question you should leave a comment. See you in my next article.
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