How Will You Power Industrial Boilers?

If you have been contemplating replacing your industrial boilers, then you may have been considering whether you want a water tube boiler or a fire tube boiler. Perhaps you have been thinking about where you want the boiler located or which combustion technology would be best for your plant. These are valid questions and it's important to ask them, but there is something else which you also have you consider and which will have a significant impact on all of these questions. You must decide what fuel will be used to power the boiler.

Powering industrial boilers

Traditionally, the majority of industrial boilers have used fossil fuels to provide their power. It is still common to find many industrial boilers which rely on coal, but there is now a range of other options available and it is important to identify which fuel source is right for your company. If you opt to stay with a coal-fired boiler, then you will have the advantage of knowing that you have a tried and tested technology but you will also know that coal-fired industrial boilers are often required to fit scrubbers and precipitators to strip out fly ash and dangerous gases before they can escape into the atmosphere.

Other popular fuel options include oil and natural gas. Oil can have many of the same problems as coal fuel, but instead of buying fresh oil, you may be able to find a source of oil from elsewhere in the industry. One of the more environmentally friendly choices is natural gas, although you must consider how you would conveniently store it as it is a highly combustible substance. Finally, you could think about abandoning fossil fuels entirely and powering your industrial boilers with biomass. Biomass is a byproduct of existing industrial processes and you must be able to source it easily if you take that route.

Security of fuel supply

The choice of which fuel to use will depend on your storage facilities but more particularly on what is easily available in your area. Your industrial boilers should last for many years, so you must be certain that the fuel they need will remain accessible at a reasonable cost for the lifetime of the boiler. It helps to have the possibility of more than one supplier for fuel so that you don't find yourself 'hostage' to unreasonable fuel costs in the future if one supplier closes or moves away.

For more information, contact an industrial boiler service.