Advantages of High Voltage Electrode Boilers for Hot Water and Steam Production
As companies seek to reduce emissions to comply with the Paris Accord on Climate Change, the boiler plant is a good place to start. Electrode boilers can replace gas-fired or old old-fired boilers and produce hot water or steam at capacities up to 60MW, with zero emissions and nearly 100% efficiency. Please join me for a 45 minute session where I will introduce this technology and explain its operation and advantages.
- Event Type:
- Webinar
- Date:
- May 13th, 2021 at 11:00 AM (GMT -04:00)
- Venue:
- Online
- Location:
- Online
Opportunities for HV Boilers
Due to the threat of global warming as well as international
commitments to the Paris Accord on Climate Change, municipalities
and regions using district heating in Europe and North America are
tasked with significantly reducing their environmental footprint in
record time. With district heating, towns or large areas typically
receive heat and hot water, distributed to commercial, residential, or
public buildings at greater economies of scale than individual
heating systems.
In response, last year the 27-nation European Union (EU) agreed to cut greenhouse gas carbon emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. According to a recent report that has tracked the EU’s power sector since 2015, renewables surpassed fossil fuels last year (38% to 37%), indicating that municipalities relying on district heating are already pivoting away from often inefficient, outdated equipment that produces excess carbon emissions.
Even the U.S., which recently rejoined the Paris Agreement, has targets for American businesses to achieve a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035 and a net-zero economy by 2050.
While the interest of regions using district heating in electric boilers
has waxed and waned in the last century, suddenly it is in vogue
again. Whether to honor Environmental Social and Governance (ESG)
goals, meet regulatory commitments, or take advantage of
government credits and incentives, a growing number of
municipalities are installing new or retrofit high-voltage electrode
boilers that are compact, economical, and produce no emissions.
This is, in part, due to technological advances in electric boiler design
that increase the output to a level that rivals even large gas or oilfired
boilers. When utilized for district heating, electric-powered alternatives are sure to be a critical piece of the puzzle to meet future
emission reduction goals.
Transitioning from High-Emission Gas and Oil-Fired Boilers
With district heating, besides the notorious greenhouse gasses
carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), natural gas-fired boilers
and furnaces emit dangerous nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon
monoxide (CO), and nitrous oxide (N2O), as well as volatile organic
compounds (VOCs), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and particulate matter (PM).
However, many facility engineers familiar with gas-fired boilers
mistakenly believe that electric boilers cannot match the output of
the traditional, fossil fuel burning units. Due to considerable
advances in electric boiler technology, that is far from the case.
Today, such technology can match the capacity of large gas or oilfired
boilers in a much smaller footprint.
Electric boilers utilize the conductive and resistive properties of water
to carry electric current and generate steam. An A.C. current flows
from an electrode of one phase to ground using the water as a
conductor. Since chemicals in the water provide conductivity, the
current flow generates heat directly in the water itself. The more
current (amps) that flows, the more heat (BTUs) is generated, and the
more steam produced. Crucially, almost 100% of the electrical energy
is converted into heat with no stack or heat transfer losses.
As an example, the electrodes of the CEJS High Voltage Electrode
Steam Boiler by Acme, a Canada-based manufacturer of industrial
and commercial boilers, are vertically mounted around the inside of
the pressure vessel. This enables the unit to produce maximum
amounts of steam in a minimum amount of floor space, with boiler
capacity from 6MW to 52MW.
The boiler operates at existing distribution voltages, 4.16 to 25 KV
with up to 99.9% efficiency, and can produce up to 170,000 pounds
of steam per hour. With pressure ratings from 105 psig to 500 psig,
the boilers are designed to ASME Section 1, and are certified,
registered pressure vessels at the location of the boiler.
“There is an entire generation of district heating facility engineers
that grew up with oil and gas-fired boilers almost exclusively,” says
Robert Presser, Vice President of Acme Engineering, which, along
with North American facilities, builds in Europe to European
standards and has a network of CE-compliant fabricators for the
pressure vessel, as well as partners in France and the UK for local
equipment assembly.
“As a result of preconceived notions, most view electric boilers as
small underpowered units, like a hot water heater,” adds Presser. “So,
we frequently have to educate engineers that there is electric boiler
technology that can match the capacity of large gas or oil-fired
boilers available.”
According to Presser, the electric boiler technology is used for
residential and commercial district heating, which is increasing in
demand, particularly within urban centers. With district heating,
distributed heat is generated in a central location through an
insulated pipe system, and utilized for high-efficiency, low-pollution,
space and water heating. For central heating applications, electric
boiler technology quietly supplies ample power for its compact size.
This approach is currently being considered to install several 50MW
steam boilers in the center of Manhattan, replacing gas-fired boilers
to provide centralized steam to a number of buildings.
Typically, district heating upgrades are initiated due to high heating
costs that customers find unaffordable, often due to expensive fossil
fuels or an aging system that needs to be replaced. Increasingly,
such upgrades are pursued to minimize environmental impact.
The upgrades often entail retrofitting or replacing boilers (the heat
source) with cleaner, more efficient electric alternatives, along with
the heat distribution network (pipes/ heat exchanger stations).
In addition, electric boilers have several advantages compared to oil
or gas-fired boilers, including superior safety, ease of installation,
faster start-up and shut down time, and quiet operation. Electric
boilers do not have a high minimum operating level to make them
immediately available.
“Electric boilers do not need an operator because if anything goes
wrong, the breaker trips, preventing further escalation of the issue,”
says Presser. “With gas burning boilers, however, any gas leak can
increase the risk of an explosion. So, gas units must usually be
continually monitored or periodically inspected.” He notes that state
and municipal safety guidelines vary depending on boiler type and
the expected frequency of inspection.
With electric boilers, the energy input as well as adjustment is also
precise and virtually immediate. In contrast, increasing or decreasing
the temperature in a gas fired boiler is a slower process because it
takes time for the heat in the boiler to rise or dissipate before
reaching the targeted output.
The electric units are also exceptionally quiet compared to fuel fired
boilers. “Unlike gas-powered burners that throttle like turbine engines
almost continually, electric boilers keep operational noise levels
down,” says Presser. “Because the loudest boiler component is a
circulating pump motor, it is easy to have a conversation next to one
without having to raise your voice.”
As the EU and U.S. resolve to dramatically cut their greenhouse
gases to combat climate change, the urgency for areas using district
heating to similarly reduce their carbon emissions will only grow. In
this battle to protect the environment before the global climate hits
an irreversible tipping point, municipalities along with state and
federal government, and the commercial sector must do their part.
Fortunately, advanced, zero-emission electric boiler technology can
be a readily implementable part of the solution.
For more info, contact Robert Presser at Acme Engineering at e-mail:
rpresser@acmeprod.com; phone: 888 880-5323; or web:
https://acmeprod.com/high-voltage-electrode-steam-boiler/
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