CEAC-2022-03-March

put is required quickly, and to heat process water.
Furthermore, industrial electric boilers have several advantages
compared to oil or gas-fired boilers, including superior
safety, ease of installation, faster start-up and shut down
time, and quiet operation. Electric boilers do not have a
high minimum operating level to make them immediately
available.
“Electric boilers do not need an operator because if anything
goes wrong, the breaker trips, preventing further escalation
of the issue,” says Presser. “With gas burning boilers, however,
any gas leak can increase the risk of an explosion. So,
gas units must usually be continually monitored or periodically
inspected.” He notes that state and municipal safety
guidelines vary depending on boiler type and the expected
frequency of inspection.
With electric boilers, the energy input as well as adjustment
is also precise and virtually immediate. In contrast, increasing
or decreasing the temperature in a gas fired boiler is a slower
process because it takes time for the heat in the boiler to
rise or dissipate before reaching the targeted output.
Electric units are also exceptionally quiet compared to fuel
fired boilers. “Unlike gas-powered burners that throttle like
turbine engines almost continually, electric boilers keep operational
noise levels down,” says Presser. “The loudest noise
you are going to hear from an electric boiler is the circulating
pump.”
Besides industrial applications, electric boiler technology is
also used for residential and commercial district heating,
which is increasing in demand, particularly within urban
centers. With district heating, distributed heat is generated
in a central location through an insulated pipe system, and
utilized for high-efficiency, low-pollution, space and water
heating.
For central heating applications, electric boiler technology
quietly supplies ample power for its compact size. This
approach is being considered to install several 50MW steam
boilers in the center of Manhattan, replacing gas-fired boilers
to provide centralized steam to a number of buildings.
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“There is increasing interest in the U.S. for district heating.
We have spoken with utilities with massive boiler plants still
feeding steam lines throughout major city cores like NYC.
Many want to curb emissions associated with that in urban
centers,” says Presser.
He points out that electric boilers can replace a battery of
huge gas fired boilers. “Today, with a number of 52 MW boilers
we can produce 300 MW of steam power in the city core
with no emissions,” he says.
As industrial facilities and utilities consider alternatives to
boilers burning more costly gas, one of the most cost-effective
options will increasingly be zero emission, electric steam
and hot water boilers.
The sustainable choice not only helps companies fulfill their
environmentally friendly CSR initiatives with clean electric
power, but also can help to position their brand as one that
is serious about fighting climate change and honoring their
public commitments.
For more info, contact Robert Presser at Acme Engineering
at e-mail: rpresser@acmeprod.com, phone: (518) 236-5659, or
Web at acmeprod.com/high-voltage-electrode-steam-boiler/
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