Boiler Operating Costs with Natural Gas and #6 Oil

Dr. Herbert Eckerlin Center for Boiler Studies Raleigh, NC March 27, 2002

Why Measure Parasitic Losses?

Cost comparison based on stack loss only ignores parasitic losses and costs associated with oil-firing Important to quantify thermal losses and parasitic losses to determine the true bottom line efficiency and steam cost Bottom line efficiency helps in choosing the most economic fuel

Stack Loss

Tg % O2

l ue F

Fire Tube Boiler

Effects of Excess Air on Flue Gas Composition

15 CO2, CO, or O2 (%)
Incomplete Combustion Excess Air O2

10

CO2

CO2

5
CO

0 -50 0 50 100 150 200 Excess Air (%)

Typical Oil Firing Set-up

+ + +

Thermal Losses Common for Natural Gas and #6 Oil stack loss

Stack

+ + +

Thermal Losses Common for Natural Gas and #6 Oil

Stack Loss
Largest single loss Depends on flue gas temperature, ambient air temperature, excess air and type of fuel To determine stack loss, measure all above parameters

Thermal Losses Common for Natural Gas and #6 Oil CO and Un-burnt CH

Stack

CO CH

+ +

Thermal Losses Common for Natural Gas and #6 Oil

CO and un-burnt CH
Caused by incomplete combustion Lack of air to support complete combustion Poor mixing of fuel and air Poor atomization of fuel oil

Parasitic Losses for #6 Oil Tank Heating

Q

Stack

Oil Storage Tank

CO CH

+ +

Parasitic Losses for #6 Oil

Oil Tank Heating
Fuel oil is viscous and requires heating to facilitate pumping Generally heated to 140 F Heat loss can be quite high for single wall uninsulated oil storage tanks

Parasitic Losses for #6 Oil Pumping & Preheating

Q

Stack

Oil Storage Tank

CO CH

+ +

Oil Heater
Q

Oil Pumping

Parasitic Losses for #6 Oil

Oil Pumping
Pumps are required to circulate oil from storage tank to the burner

Oil Preheating
To ensure proper atomization, oil must be heated 200 220 oF Generally heated by steam or hot water In some fire tube boiler application, steam/hot water heating is augmented by electric heating

Parasitic Losses for #6 Oil Atomization

Q

Stack

Oil Storage Tank

Atom

CO CH

+ +

Oil Heater
Q

Oil Pumping

Parasitic Losses for #6 Oil

Oil Atomization
For proper combustion, oil must be broken up into small particles Done by injecting steam or compressed air into small oil supply at the burner

Parasitic Losses for #6 Oil Soot Blowing

Q

Stack

Oil Storage Tank

Soot Blowers
Q

Atom

CO CH

+ +

Oil Heater
Q

Oil Pumping

Parasitic Losses for #6 Oil

Soot Blowing
Soot is created by oil burning Soot leaves deposits on boiler tubes Reduces heat transfer to boiler fluid Generally cleaned by steam or compressed air Fire tube boiler generally do not use soot blowers Soot removal must be done by punching the tubes when stack temperature gets too high Should be done at least quarterly to prevent high stack temperature resulting in high stack loss Boiler must be shut down when tubes are punched

Flue Gas Temperature Over Time

450 400
#6 Oil High Fire
Deg F

350 300 250 200 0 5 10

#6 Oil Low Fire

Gas High Fire

Gas Low Fire

15
Days

20

25

30

Parasitic Losses and Cost for #6 Oil Inventory, Additives, Maintenance etc.
Q

Stack

Oil Storage Tank

Soot Blowers
Q

Atom

CO CH

+ +

$ Oil Inventory

Oil Heater
Q

Oil Pumping $ Maintenance

$ Corrosion

$ Fuel Oil Additives

Additional Makeup Water $ Chemical $ Water $ Preheating

Parasitic Losses and Cost for #6 Oil

Oil Storage Inventory
Storing oil on site ties up capital This investment yields no return

Oil Additives
Purposes
Reduce sludge in oil storage tank Improve combustion Reduce soot deposits reduce cold end corrosion

Parasitic Losses and Cost for #6 Oil

Corrosion and Maintenance
Sulphur in oil causes cold end corrosion Adds to maintenance costs Reduces boiler life

Summary of Thermal and Parasitic Losses

Q

Stack 12.4%

Oil Storage Tank 8.40%

Radiation 1.0% Soot Blowers

Q Q

Atom 0.93% 220oF

CO CH

+ +

$ Oil Inventory 0.30%

Oil Heater 0.35%

140 F

Oil Pumping 1.15% $ Maintenance 3.41%

$ Corrosion

$ Fuel Oil Additives

Additional Makeup Water $ Water $ Preheating

$ Chemical

Bottom Line Efficiency for Oil Firing

100 Stack Loss 12.4

Radiation 1.0 Oil Pumping 1.15 Oil Atomization 0.93 Corrosion & Maintenance 3.41 Oil Inventory 0.3 Oil Heating 0.35

Bottom Line Efficiency 72%

Oil Tank Heating 8.4

Bottom Line Boiler Efficiency Comparison

100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 82.5 90 72

N.G. Standard Boiler

N.G. High Efficiency Boiler

#6 Fuel Oil

Effect of Parasitic Losses on Cost of Delivered Steam

Average Fuel Cost Cost of Delivered Steam
(considering stack and radiation losses)

cents/litre $/GJ $/GJ

22.0 $5.27 $6.09 $7.32 30.6 $1.23 8.6

Cost of Delivered Steam

$/GJ (considering stack and parasitic losses) cents/litre Incremental Cost Increase $/GJ (due to parasitic losses) cents/litre

Conclusions
On average, parasitic losses can add about 9 cents per litre to #6 fuel oil price Take into account all parasitic losses and costs associated with #6 fuel oil firing while comparing costs with natural gas Keep boilers properly tuned for maximum efficiency