Section 4. Water Chemistry Parameters

The maintenance of specified feedwater and boiler water chemistry must be well regulated and documented by frequent analysis and record keeping. Normally, a combination of online analyzers and grab sample measurements is used to ensure proper chemistry control. Guidance on sample collection and conditioning is provided in “Consensus on Operating Practices for the Sampling and Monitoring of Feedwater and Boiler Water Chemistry in Modern Industrial Boilers” [7].

Consensus on Operating Practices for the Control of Feedwater and Boiler Water Chemistry in Industrial and Institutional Boilers

The Water Technology Subcommittee of the ASME Research and Technology Committee on Water and Steam in Thermal Systems, under the leadership of Mr. Robert D. Bartholomew has revised the Consensus on Operating Practices for the Control of Feedwater Boiler Water Chemistry in Modern Industrial Boilers, first published in 1979 with prior revisions published in 1994 and 1998. The task group consisted of a cross section of manufacturers, operators, chemical treatment contractors and consultants involved in the fabrication and operation of industrial and institutional boilers. Members of this group are listed in the acknowledgments. This current document is an expansion and revision of the original, with reordered and modified texts where considered necessary. While significant revisions have been incorporated, it is recognized that there are areas of operating practice not addressed herein. Additional information is available from the references. It is the plan of the ASME Research Committee to continue to review this information, and revise and reissue this document as necessary to comply with advances in boiler design and water conditioning technology.

Electrification Potential of U.S. Industrial Boilers and Assessment of the GHG Emissions Impact

Electrification is a key strategy for decarbonizing the industrial sector. Industrial process heating, which still relies heavily on fossil fuel combustion and accounts for the majority of sector wide GHG emissions, is a particularly attractive electrification target. Electrifying industrial boilers represents a cross-cutting opportunity for GHG emissions reductions, given their widespread use in most manufacturing industries. Yet, there are gaps in the understanding of the current population of conventional industrial boilers in the United States that preclude a characterization of boiler electrification’s technical potential to reduce fuel consumption and GHG emissions. In this study, we develop an up-to-date dataset of the industrial boiler population in the U.S. and quantify the county-level electricity requirements and net changes in fuel use and GHG emissions under the current electric grid and theoretical future grid scenarios. Our results show an increase of 105 MMmtCO2e and 73 MMmtCO2e in GHG emissions from boiler electrification, with and without the replacement of byproduct fuels, respectively, under the current electric grid. GHG emissions savings are currently possible only in certain regions of the U.S. unless future grids are decarbonized. We also provide recommendations for policy makers and manufacturing facilities that would advance the electrification of industrial boilers in locations and industries toward fuel savings and GHG emissions reductions.

Waste Heat Recovery of Biomass Based Industrial Boilers by Using Stirling Engine

Industrial boilers by using biomass for electricity generation have received significant attention recent years. However, during the process, a significant fraction of thermal energy is often lost to the environment as flue gas. The exhaust flue gas heat loss which ranges from 150-180°C (423.15-453.15K) has led to discovery of importance of recovering the waste heat of the flue gas to overcome the reliance on fossil fuel. Stirling engine as an external combustion engine with high efficiencies and able to use any types of heat source is the best candidate to recover waste heat of the exhausted gas by converting it into power. Thus, in this study Stirling engine was introduced in order to evaluate the possibility of recovering waste heat from industrial boilers to produce power. For this reason, Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) simulation test was performed to design an initial computational model of Stirling engine for low temperature heat waste recovery. The CFD model was validated with the experiment model and shows 4.3% of deviation. The validated model then connected to a lower temperature. It shows that when the heat source is 400K, the work done by the engine is 8.4J compared to when heat source 773K the work done is 17.0 J. The computational model can be used to evaluate the performance of Stirling engine as waste heat recovery of biomass-based industrial boilers for low-grade temperature heat source.

Numerical simulation of the processes of atomization and combustion of a coal-water slurry in different-scale installations

Numerical simulation of atomization of a coal-water suspension (CWS) by a pneumatic nozzle is carried out, taking into account the processes of secondary breakup of droplets. The characteristic parameters of atomization were obtained (the dispersed jet opening angle, the size and velocity of the droplets). The data obtained were used to simulate atomization and combustion of the CWS on the firing stand. The results obtained are in good agreement with experimental data. The proposed numerical technique allows research on the introduction of advanced technologies and the improvement of existing different-scale installations (from stands to pilot industrial boilers).

Combustion Characteristics of 0.5 MW Class Oxy-Fuel FGR (Flue Gas Recirculation) Boiler for CO2 Capture

A 0.5 MW class oxy-fuel boiler was developed to capture CO2 from exhaust gas. We adopted natural gas as the fuel for industrial boilers and identified characteristics different from those of pulverized coal, which has been studied for power plants. We also examined oxy-fuel combustion without flue gas recirculation (FGR), which is not commonly adopted in power plant boilers. Oxy-fuel combustion involves a stretched flame that uniformly heats the combustion chamber. In oxy-natural-gas FGR combustion, water vapor was included in the recirculated gas and the flame was stabilized when the oxygen concentration of the oxidizer was 32% or more. While flame delay was observed at a partial load for oxy-natural-gas FGR combustion, it was not observed for other combustion modes. In oxy-fuel combustion, the flow rate and flame fullness decrease but, except for the upstream region, the temperature near the wall is distributed not lower than that for air combustion because of the effect of gas radiation. For this combustion, while the heat flux is lower than other modes in the upstream region, it is more than 60% larger in the downstream region. When oxy-fuel and FGR combustion were employed in industrial boilers, more than 90% of CO2 was obtained, enabling capture, sequestration, and boiler performance while satisfying exhaust gas regulations.