Marketplace Need

NOx standards have been lowered significantly in the last five years on new natural gas boiler installations. California is now seeing less than 10 vppm NOx and some other states less than 30 vppm. As over 40% of industrial natural gas is consumed in boilers, the impact of these low NOx standards and the choice of technologies to meet them could have a great impact on the industrial natural gas market.

Technology

Techniques to lower NOx emissions includes:

• air staging
• fuel staging
• enhanced heat transfer
• premixing of fuel and oxidant
• flue gas recirculation
• steam injection
• detached flame operation
• catalytic combustion
• oxy-fuel combustion
• and combinations of these

Low NOx burners have been available since the 1970’s, and a number of equipment suppliers provide low NOx burners to the boiler industry. Some of these suppliers include: Coen Co., Forney Corp., North American Manufacturing Co., and Todd Combustion (a Koch Industries John Zinc Co.). Further, the Gas Technology Institute and US GasTech have two new concepts ready for market introduction: ”Forced Internal Recirculation Burner” and ”Onera”, respectively. The focus for the Low Emissions Boiler Consortium is in both water-tube (40 MMBtu/hr to 250 MMBtu/hr) and fire-tube boilers (less than 50 MMBtu/hr) Target emission levels are ultra low NOx (less than 10 vppm) to low NOx (10 to 50 vppm)

Customer Benefits

Regional workshops, application guides, and technical assistance services that will help identify those new burner and boiler technologies that can enhance customer energy management and environmental compliance decision-making

Market Segmentation

Over 60% of boilers are concentrated in the chemicals, paper, food, petroleum refining, primary metals, stone, clay and glass market segments NOx emission control is important in almost every state in the US. The strictest NOx emission requirements are in California (sub 10 vppm),. Requirements in the East Coast Ozone Transport Region are sub 30 vppm. Canada is looking at standards between 49 and 76 vppm.

Market Potential

The current energy growth rate of industrial steam demand in the US is approximately 2% per year or 336 BCF per year. It is expected that low NOx boilers will capture a significant portion of that market.

Program Goals

To equip consortium representatives with the information and tools needed to target customers, and to work with government, environmental agencies, and local trade allies to increase awareness and accelerate deployment of clean-burning natural gas technologies for steam production.

Workshops: To deliver highly focused workshops to end-users and gas utility representatives.

Demonstrations: To obtain information, provide a technical screening, and assess the market advantages and commercial readiness of state-of-the-art low NOx burners that have been demonstrated at various customer sites. The Industrial Center will work with manufacturers and consortium members to identify funding opportunities for demonstrations in member service territories. Members may elect to provide additional funding for demonstrations within their service territories.

Go to the Consortium web site at www.CleanBoiler.org