Fuel Specification Affecting Natural Gas Steam Boiler Efficiency

Natural gas is a kind of clean fuel burning in gas steam boilers, producing high combustion efficiency and less emission. But still there are some factors affecting its efficiency, like radiation losses, emission losses and convection losses, in addition, the fuel itself specification also affects natural gas fired steam boiler efficiency.

In fact, a boiler fuel specification can have a dramatic effect on its efficiency. To solve this issue, we need to establish the right fuel specification and ensure that actual fuel meets the documented criteria.

Fuel specification should be of particular concern for industrial boilers that rely on natural gas, due to the typically high hydrogen content. Some of this hydrogen inevitably becomes water during combustion, which monopolizes energy that could otherwise be used in the combustion process.

The main combustible in “natural gas” is methane (CH4) but there are also often lesser traces of ethane (C2H6), propane (C3H8), butane (C4H10) and pentane (C5H12). The greater the hydrogen content in the gases being burned, the more water produced by combustion. This means that natural gas with higher methane content and the lower proportions of the other gases will burn more efficiently.

To improve a natural gas fired boiler efficiency, users should periodically inspect and maintain the boiler, if finding any part is worn, timely replace it. Also, a economizer equipped in the boiler rear does help much in improving the efficiency.
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