Efficiency standards on the boil

Viessmann Werke GmbH president Dr Martin Viessmann.

The American Boiler Manufacturers Association (ABMA) has issued a statement calling for “meaningful economic incentives” to help the transition from old to new technology. This is in the wake of the expectation that the Obama administration in the US will take up the cudgel of boiler efficiency standards, according to ABMA president and CEO W. Randall Rawson.

Boiler efficiency is already well-established in the UAE, lead by such notable global players as Viessmann Werke GmbH. Some of the company’s flagship projects to date include a 2 000 square metre solar thermal system on the Palm Jumeirah, which has a yearly carbon dioxide saving in excess of a million kilograms. The company has also installed a 300 square metre solar thermal system in the Jebel Ali Free Zone for process hot water in a food plant. In one of the latest applications of its ‘green’ technology, the steam boilers at the wastewater treatment plant at Jumeirah Golf Estate will be run on biogas.

“Increased efficiency is not a subject or an objective from which ABMA members shy away in the least. Right now, if most commercial, institutional, and industrial boiler systems were replaced with existing state-of-the-art boiler and combustion technology, the efficiency — in economy-wide terms — would be ramped up by double digits. That’s just from replacement of old technology with current technology.

“We call on President Obama to provide some meaningful economic incentives to help this transition from the old to the new to take place across commercial, institutional, and industrial segments — practical incentives that recognise existing economic conditions, as well as need,” said Rawson.

Efficiency range

“Commercial, institutional and industrial boiler systems now routinely operate in an efficiency range from 80% to well in excess of 90% efficiency (condensing boilers), and ABMA members are all capable of meeting high-efficiency goals through responsive and innovative design. ABMA members are also involved in ongoing, public and private R&D efforts exceeding millions of dollars in investment value to find the most efficient and lowest-emission boiler technology possible over and above that available today,” said Rawson.

ABMA represents combustion equipment designers and fabricators in the >400,000 Btuh range, comprising commercial, institutional, industrial and power-generating systems. Boiler-generated steam and hot water remains the most efficient method of heat transfer for many, if not most, steam and comfort-heating applications. It is also highly fuel-flexible in that it can burn a full range of alternative and renewable fuels to generate steam, including biogas, biomass, animal wastes, municipal solid waste, methane and many others.

“ABMA and members of ABMA have worked closely with the US Department of Energy in the past, and we will continue to work with the Department in the future to forge and deploy realistic, meaningful, technologically-feasible efficiency targets. In doing so, we will encourage the Department to take into consideration the different applications, differing fuels, differing operational environments and all the other variables that are a part of any major boiler-generated steam and hot water system today.

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“The equipment sizes with which we work are not toasters that operate in a consistent and predicable manner and that are fabricated in an off-the-shelf manner. Not all boilers are created equal. Some basic design differences can reveal variations in expected efficiency performance levels.

Parameters

“The efficiency of any boiler relies heavily on the job it is intended to do (that is, customer expectations), on the environment in which it is called on to operate, the ongoing attention given to its operation by the owner/operator, and on a vigorous programme of maintenance, with the operational and maintenance parameters all in accordance with manufacturers’ recommendations.

“Efficiency is only useful if it is repeatable and sustainable over the life of the equipment and, although it may meet efficiency standards when it leaves the manufacturer, the owner/operator’s use and treatment of the equipment can decide whether that efficiency is ongoing or only temporary,” said Rawson.

“This is also a particularly advantageous time for boiler and combustion equipment replacement inasmuch as raw materials costs are down and factory backlogs at present are not exerting negative pressures on lead times. Again, the packaged boiler, either in firetube or in its various watertube forms, has proven to be highly efficient, fuel-flexible, and cost-effective in generating energy for many, if not most, process and heating applications.

“As the industry continues to ratchet up design efficiency on its own and in response to government regulation, we expect boiler-generated steam and hot water to continue to be the technology of choice for our customers,” concluded Rawson.

UAE is an important market

In the UAE, major players in the boiler market such as Viessmann – which is a leading manufacturer of boilers and solar thermal and renewable energy solutions in Europe – continue to see the region as an important market. “The UAE is very dynamic, and is exhibiting a great interest in green technologies. I think we have a great opportunity to bring new technologies to the region. This is a great chance for the UAE,” comments Dr Martin Viessmann, president of Viessmann Werke GmbH.

“We have a complete range of condensing boilers from 26 kW up to 6 600 kW which are able to operate at an efficiency of up to 98% related to the higher calorific value of the fuels. We now have several projects that have opted for this technology. Compared to a classical cast iron or steel boiler, you can easily save 15% in energy consumption.

“Our boilers are made out of stainless steel and are very reliable for condensing operations. The investment is very small compared to the gain that can be obtained. We also want to introduce dual systems where we can combine the advantages of the available technologies, such as solar thermal in conjunction with condensing boilers and heat pumps. We will introduce a new range of condensing boilers and heat pumps in the Middle East during this year,” reveals Dr Viessmann.

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