During the normal operation of an industrial steam boiler, the water and the steam that circulates through its ducts will inevitably lose heat and cool down, simply as a result of friction against the walls of the pipes in the circuit. Calculations show that between 0.5 and 2% of heat loss is due to this cause, and this is not considered significant as long as this figure is not exceeded.
Energy is also lost through smoke from combustion. This can be identified when the gases leave at a higher temperature due to the operating pressure itself. This can happen for three reasons:
-The proportion of air in the combustion is too high (excess oxygen).
-Fouling by soot from the boiler
-Precipitations of sludge or lime inside the boiler
More than 5-10% of heat loss at this point suggests that the boiler is not being properly maintained.
Poor fuel quality, in the case of oil by-products, can also cause what are known as "unburned losses", which means that the fuel has not completely burned. This can be identified by the presence of CO and CO2 in the combustion gases.
At ATTSU, we design boilers thinking about ease of maintenance and minimising heat loss and obtaining the best possible energy efficiency.
