3 Ways To Modify Temporary Boilers For Optimal Efficiency

Regardless of why you may need temporary boilers, what you need is the same as everyone else — a temporary source of power and heated water. Instead of renting the first temporary boiler you lay your eyes on, look for these 3 specific modifications or additions that will improve the overall efficiency of the boiler. These changes will increase the amount of output energy and heat each boiler can provide while reducing the input amount of electricity or fuel needed. If the temporary boilers you're interested in don't have these modifications, you'd be surprised at just how easy it is to make these changes yourself.

Installing Air Preheaters

Get the temporary boiler up and running quickly with air preheaters. Air preheaters are basically responsible for recovering waste heat produced from flue gas and using it to preheat the combustion air. There are two different types of air preheaters you can choose from: recuperators and regenerators. Recuperators are generally installed to the boiler stack and will transfer the heat from the outgoing gas to the incoming air. Regenerators tend to be a bit more complicated in design than recuperators. They have multiple parts to them. In particular, regenerators have heat storage sections that are responsible for transferring heat from the flue gas to the combustion air.

Generally speaking, regenerators tend to be more durable than recuperators. They may be the only option when the exhaust temperatures of the temporary boiler exceed the limits of the metal. Recuperators, on the other hand, are often chosen when the design must address certain limitations and issues relating to temperature, pressure drop, corrosion and more.

Recovering Heat with Blowdown Heat Exchangers

Almost all temporary boiler designs are susceptible to blowdown. A blowdown means that hot water is ejected from the boiler. The hot water ejected is wasted energy. This wasted energy can be somewhat recovered through the installation of blowdown heat exchangers. In fact, blowdown heat exchangers have been known to be capable of recovering approximately 90% to 95% of the heat that is normally lost depending on the type of system that is being used by extracting heat from the hot water. The fact that the blowdown heat exchangers will cool the water is also beneficial to the environment, as hot water will not be released into the sewer system.

Adding Turbulators to the Last Boiler Pass

Depending on the type of temporary boiler system you choose, you may or may not need to add turbulators to the last boiler pass. Turbulators are best implemented in fire tube boilers, and they are basically responsible for increasing the turbulence of the gas within the tubes. The turbulators are relatively easy to install, and these parts are easy to come by. The goal of this is to maintain a turbulent flow that will improve the efficiency of overall heat transfer. Turbulators are highly recommended because they can make a huge difference although they are considered to be extremely cost-efficient upgrades. 

Conclusion

There are plenty other modifications and changes that can be made to temporary boilers in order to improve their overall efficiency; however, the above modifications are the easiest to make and will have the largest impact on the boiler system. If you are going to be using the temporary boiler for long periods of time, it may be worth your time to make these modifications yourself on the boiler you are renting if the terms and conditions of your rental contract allow. This is because these modifications are relatively inexpensive, and you'll be able to reap considerable benefits from reduced energy bills and improved productivity and efficiency.  

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