Plant Services - January 2008 - (Page 15) UP AND RUNNING ‘Super Boiler’ technology passing the test Three sites get positive results with more testing planned this year “S uper Boiler” technology is up and operating at three locations with the hopes of adding additional sites before commercialization of the process in 12 to 18 months. Successful operation of the technology for more than one year at Specification Rubber Products, Inc., a subsidiary of American Cast Iron Pipe Company, in Alabaster, Ala. was recently recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). “It has operated virtually troublefree for the past 18 months and we’re recognizing a savings in gas of about 13%,” says Philip Robertson, president, Specification Rubber. “Also, we’re using considerably less water. It’s been a very successful venture for us. It’s doing what they said it would do and saving us money.” The Super Boiler can reportedly deliver better than 94% thermal efficiency, while at the same time producing fewer pollutants than conventional boiler technology. By 2020, the technology could save more than 185 trillion Btu, estimates DOE. This is equivalent to the natural gas consumed by more than 2 million households. “Steam generation accounts for about one-third of all the energy consumed in U.S. manufacturing,” says Alexander Karsner, assistant secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. “The Super Boiler is expected to help save energy, increase efficiency and improve environmental performance throughout the manufacturing sector.” The Super Boiler is the culmination of more than seven years of DOEsponsored research and development by the Gas Technology Institute, Des Plaines, Ill. and its partner, CleaverBrooks, Milwaukee. This work has also been supported by Utilization Technology Development, Des Plaines, Ill.; the Southern California Gas Com- pany, Los Angeles; the South Coast Air Quality Management District, Diamond Bar, Calif.; the California Energy Commission, Sacramento, Calif.; and the California Air Resources Board, Sacramento, Calif. In July, 2006, the Gas Technology Institute and Cleaver-Brooks installed a 300 hp high-pressure steam Super Boiler which has been running 24 hours a day, five days a week with excellent results. After more than 6,000 hours of operation, fuel-to-steam efficiency has been consistently in the 93% to 94% range, and NOx levels have been less than 9 ppm. Annual gas savings have averaged nearly 13%. Additional field tests are underway at Clement Pappas & Co., Ontario, and Third Dimension, West Jordan, Utah. Cleaver-Brooks’ goal is to have five test sites up and running before the product goes to market. “Approximately 80% of the boilers out there are 25 years old,” says Dan Willems, vice president product engineering, Cleaver-Brooks. The company hopes to be able to replace 25% of those boilers with the new technology. “It can be applied to existing boilers,” Willems says. “You can get very close to 90% efficiency.” A brief video about the Super Boilers is available at www.deangroup.com/ clients/superboiler/. INDUstRy bRIefs Syclo/IBM relationship redefined Syclo recently updated and expanded its partnership with long-time ally IBM to give Syclo direct responsibility for support, and Maximo Mobile SE has been renamed SMART Suite for Maximo. Organizations can now purchase Syclo mobile software pre-integrated to Maximo versions 4, 5 and 6 (plus 7 and beyond when available) through either IBM or Syclo, and receive January 2008 services and support directly from Syclo, giving them a closer relationship and better access. For more information visit www.syclo.com. the performance of FDT/DTM and EDDL technologies for asset management of intelligent field devices in process automation systems. FDT/DTM and EDDL are the two standard technologies for integration of device information into process automation systems. The test confirms the extended benefits that FDT technology brings to configuration and maintenance of intelligent field devices. The 15 Test confirms value of FDT/DTM technology WIB, the International Instrument Users’ Association, has completed its test comparing www.PLANTSERVICES.com http://www.deangroup.com/clients/superboiler http://www.deangroup.com/clients/superboiler http://www.syclo.com http://www.PLANTSERVICES.com
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