Development of an operator friendly boiler performance calculator

Abstract

Saving fuel by optimising the equipment performance has become a goal for almost all global organisations and boilers which contribute to a major share of global recourses consumption was subjected to the present study. This study was conducted to develop a boiler performance evaluation tool. Different performance indicators and methods of evaluating those indicators were studied. Performance calculator was developed based on British Standard, which can estimate performance of steam, hot water boilers and thermal fluid heaters with limited inputs and standard measurements. The calculator was used to estimate direct efficiency, indirect efficiency and evaporation ratio of selected cases using secondary data. Calculated values of respective performance indicators were compared with measured values. Calculated results of indirect efficiencies have 0.897 to 0.950 correlation and the excess air percentages were 99.5% agreed with measured values. This can be developed using advance software including an expanded version of the steam table.