23 September 2011

MEASUREMENT OF TOTAL BOILER EFFICIENCY IN AN OPERATING FACTORY IN COMPARISON WITH HEAT PUMP APPLICATION

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Reduction of CO2 emissions and energy saving are at present urgent issues in many fields of industries. Steam, occupying a considerable energy consumption rate in the
entirety of the industry, is normally generated in boilers. Study on replacement of boilers with heat pump system based on measurement of efficiency is under way. In fact, boiler efficiency is generally thought to be approximately ninety percent. However, the rate of heat loss from steam pipes can not be neglected at times. Accordingly, we executed measurement of total boiler efficiency by considering heat loss from steam pipes in an operating factory. Two methods were employed for the measurement of heat loss from steam pipes. One is how
deference is calculated between steam flow rate at the boiler exit and that of machinery using steam. The other is how each drain flow rate from steam traps is measured. Both results are compared and discussed.