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Boilers used for domestic water and space heating are one of the highest
energy consumers in residential and commercial facilities. After the global
energy crisis in the 1970s, higher fuel prices prompted the search for solutions
to reduce energy consumption. Back then, conventional steam boilers were
the only option available. However, these boilers were very inefficient (due in
part to the unrecovered latent heat losses from the fuel combustion process)
which eventually led to the advanced development of high efficiency
condensing boilers.
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In the past, boilers were designed with only one mode of operation – on/off
burner control. As innovation was added into boiler designs, manufacturers
began offering units with multiple firing rates followed by units that could
modulate seamlessly between a fixed low and high fire rate based on
requirements. This reduces the number of on/off cycles resulting in increased
efficiency. On start-up and shutdown, the boiler goes through a pre-purge and
post-purge cycle that would result in heat losses affecting the boiler efficiency
– the extent of these losses depend on boiler construction, type of
application, and design of the system. How far the modulation goes from full
fire rate is determined by the turndown ratio.
The larger the turndown the closer the modulation can adjust to the required
heat load, however, flame stability becomes more difficult in lower turn down
as less fuel and air within the same sized combustion chamber become less
stable due to lowering the combustion chamber pressure. This is when
manufacturers have no other choice but to increase the excess air within the
given combustion process to maintain stability. To understand why this is
done, let’s look closely at the boiler combustion process.
Combustion Process
Boilers generate hot gases by combusting a fuel in the presence of air and
then transferring the thermal energy from the hot gases to water. The
combustion process is, therefore, an important factor in the efficient
operation of a boiler. Stable combustion conditions require the correct
amounts of fuel and air. In theory, there is a specific amount of air required to
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In boiler combustion, if excess air is not added to the process, unburned fuel,
soot, smoke, and carbon monoxide exhaust will create additional emissions
and surface fouling. From a safety perspective, accurately controlling excess
air reduces flame instability and other boiler hazards. The challenge presents
itself at the lower end of the firing range. In general, as the firing rate of a
boiler decreases, there is a corresponding increase in excess air
requirements, leading to lower efficiencies at the lower end of the firing
range. Boiler manufacturers usually provide boiler efficiency curves over
several firing rates (e.g. 100%, 75%, 50%, 25%) based on laboratory results.
These curves, however, rarely go below 10% of the firing rate (10:1 turndown
ratio) and if they do, it should be important to take note of the excess air
levels. So how does this relate to the turndown ratio?
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The return water temperature relative to this flue gas dew point is the most
essential factor in achieving condensing efficiency as shown in Figure 3.
Therefore, in order to begin achieving condensing performance, the return
water temperature must be below 130°F. If additional excess air is added with
the goal of improving turndown, the return water temperature will be altered.
By increasing the excess air level as required, which produces approx. 6% CO2,
in this example, the flue gas dew point now drops to 116°F. In order to achieve
the same level of condensing performance, the return water must be below
116°F. At a reduced firing rate, the demand on the heating system will be low.
This would suggest that, at a constant pump speed, the return water
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efficiency. If the combustion is consistent overall firing rates, then you can
determine the combustion efficiency and dew point of the combustion gases
will remain consistent. It is therefore important to request for the combustion
efficiency curves at the specific turndown ratios.
Let’s look at a more practical example, a hot water system with 10 boilers each
with a 20:1 turndown ratio would result in a 200:1 turndown ratio of the entire
system. Is this really necessary? How much turndown is too much? There have
not been many published studies evaluating the performance of high
turndown ratios and determining an actual turndown “sweet spot” for
condensing boilers. Johnston Boiler Company conducted a study in 2003 to
compare the energy losses and resulting impact on the boiler efficiency
between a boiler operating at 4:1 and 10:1 turndown ratio [1]. The result from
the study indicated that there was no significant advantage of operating a 10:1
versus a 4:1 boiler turndown based on the insignificant differences in the
energy losses and boiler efficiency.
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These are some of the more common solutions to meet these part-load
demands:
Multiple Boilers
A modular approach enables the increasing load to be met by more boilers
operating at part-load conditions, which, if coinciding with favourable system
temperatures, will allow high part-load condensing performance from the
boiler plant. As system demands increase, boiler load will increase towards
full capacity. At this point system return temperatures should be low, and the
boilers will continue to operate in condensing condition, delivering an
efficient energy supply. It also provides a level of redundancy in case of
equipment failures.
Buffer Tanks
Short cycling during low load conditions reduces the boiler’s thermal
efficiency. It also increases emissions, increases maintenance and shortens
equipment life. Another way to avoid short cycling is to provide adequate
thermal mass within the heating system. Because of its excellent heat storage
characteristics, adding water to the system is the best way to increase its
thermal mass. The device that contains this water is often called a buffer tank,
because it “buffers” (e.g., helps protect) the heat source against the
undesirable effects of short cycling. This will eventually result in a reduction in
the wear and tear of the burner components.
Acknowledgments
1. Johnston Technical Brief, Efficiency Comparison: 4:1 Turndown & 10:1
Turndown, Johnston Boiler Company, 3/17/03
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