Steam Boilers

[brandon8198]

Can anyone give me good recommendations on some natural gas steam boilers. I can't really seem to get in contact with any reliable sources or anyone who seems to now much about a distillery application. The requirements from our still manufacturer are:

Low Pressure with a net operating capacity of approx. 60 kg/h - 4BHP - 140,000 BTU/h.

We are looking to get one a little larger than the recommended specs for potential expansion.

Thanks,

Brandon

[MG Thermal Consulting]

What exactly is it they are having trouble sizing, pricing or installation?

The first two items are a matter for the boiler distributor.

The last item is a matter for the installing contractor who knows the local codes.

It is rare that a manufacturer can get involved when they do not know the local codes (they usually have a disclaimer, if you read fine print). In fact, most representatives are prohibited from making concrete recommendations- a legal issue that is taken up by consultants and contractors.

With that said, even if you get general knowledge from those here with steam boilers doesn't necessarily mean they are applicable in your locale.

Local codes have killed many a great idea, so beware,

Hope this helps.

[John McKee]

Brandon,

MG is spot on and here are a few other items to consider;

• You may need 140,000 btu/hr, but you need to know that steam boilers are rated at 80% of their nameplate capacity. So a 140,000 boiler will only result in 112,000 btu/hr
  
• If the boiler is using an atmospheric burner (not assisted by a fan enabled burner system) you will have additional de-rating due to altitude. For instance, we operate at ~5000ft elevation. Our atmospheric burner has an additional de-rating of 20% due to elevation. So to continue our calculation from above, if your conditions are the same, your final boiler rating will be 89,600 btu/hr.
  

Ok...so long story short, do what MG suggested, get yourself a good boiler contractor and let her take it from there. You can then pull up and spend more time on other items.

Cheers.