The big buzz in the industry lately has been all about the Boiler MACT Rule. The Boiler MACT Rule was introduced by the EPA in March 2011, requiring emissions control technologies to be implemented for all industrial and commercial boilers by March 2014. The rule was created to ensure compliance with the EPA’s strict air requirements, aimed at reducing emissions of hazardous air pollutants (including PM, Hg, HCI, and CO) from boilers and process heaters.  This new requirement affects industries of all kinds, specifically companies who are labeled as major sources of emissions by the EPA. (Major sources are facilities that emit 10 tons per year or more of any single air toxin or 25 tons per year or more of any combination of air toxins).

The Department of Energy’s Clean Energy Application Center’s have devised a plan, the Boiler MACT Assistance Program, to help the more than 650 facilities affected by the Boiler MACT Rule. The program has been created to provide technical assistance to these facilities by promoting cleaner, more efficient boilers and presenting cost-effective clean-energy strategies for compliance. To learn more about the Boiler MACT Assistance Program, click here.

The Boiler MACT Rule has not only been a hot topic in industry, but also in Washington.  Some in Congress claim the rule as a “job killer” and debate that there are insufficient domestic manufacturing resources to comply within the time frames set by the EPA.  The American Boiler Manufacturer’s Association (ABMA) has diligently worked to educate politicians and the public on the truth about the Boiler MACT and a new website, www.boilermactfacts.com, has been developed to list the associations stand on the rule.

Despite claims, the Boiler MACT can be achieved with existing, affordable, state-of-the-art, technologically-advanced and fuel-flexible products, along with innovatively-designed-and-engineered application solutions, provided by members of the ABMA to meet boiler facilities that will be impacted. As stated online, “Implementation may not be cheap or easy, but it’s entirely doable – and critically important for long-term public health, environmental quality and business stability.”  ABMA members have the combined experience in meeting tough air-quality regulations with real-world solutions and are ready to help those affected by these rules to comply with them in a timely and affordable manner.  While doing so, jobs will be generated not only for the boiler and pollution control technology industry, but also for small businesses that install, repair and tune-up boilers and boiler systems.

Resources are available to assure compliance with the boiler MACT rule in an affordable and timely manner, and the members of the ABMA, including Nationwide Boiler, are here to help.

Adapted from Process Heating Magazine, March 21, 2012.

1. Periodically monitor flue gas composition and tune your boilers to maintain excess air at optimum levels.
2. If there is a continuous blowdown system in place, consider installing a heat recovery system.
3. If there is a non-continuous blowdown system, then consider converting it to a continuous blowdown system coupled with heat recovery.
4. Reduce operating costs through maximizing the return of hot condensate to the boiler.
5. If a condensate return system is absent, estimate the cost of a condensate return and treatment system (as necessary) and install one if economically justified.
6. Repair steam distribution and condensate return system leaks.
7. Insulate condensate return system piping to conserve heat and protect personnel against burns.
8. Review your blowdown practices to identify energy saving opportunities.
9. Examine operating practices for boiler feedwater and blowdown rates developed by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). Considerations include operating pressure, steam purity, and deposition control.
10. Consider an automatic blowdown control system.

Taken from http://www.process-heating.com/Articles/Feature_Article/2afcce64fe4fd010VgnVCM100000f932a8c0____

Nationwide regularly updates our New and Used Equipment Inventory List online with the most up to date equipment details and photos.  Once a boiler is selected, prospective buyers can visit Nationwide’s facility in Fremont, CA for a visual inspection of the unit.  We assure that every boiler is ASME code certified and meets or exceeds the current industry standards for emissions and controls.  In addition all units are internally inspected and hydrostatically tested, with all systems checked prior to final delivery.

If you are looking for a new or quality reconditioned boiler system, contact Nationwide Boiler today or visit our website to view our latest equipment offerings.   If you don’t see what you are looking for, we are happy to assist you find a solution that best suits your specific needs.

This month’s equipment spotlight: 700 hp Low NOx Skid-mounted Boiler (3 in stock for immediate delivery)

First on the list is the 44th annual Western Regional Boiler Association Conference, March 13-15th at the Davenport Hotel in Spokane, WA. Nationwide Boiler’s Rental Manager, Michael Medina, will be on site to answer questions pertaining to Nationwide Boiler’s complete line of rental boilers, new and used boiler systems for sale, emergency contingency planning and low NOx solutions.  The conference also includes presentations on topics including deaeration basics, steam turbine upgrades and emissions testing. Log onto WRBA’s website for additional conference details.

Nationwide will also be attending the 2012  Wester Turbine User’s, Inc. (WTUI Conference), held in Pasadena, CA at the Pasadena Convention Center from March 18 – 21st, 2012. Larry Day, Nationwide Boiler’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, along with Robert Remkes, Nationwide Environmental Solution’s Vice President will be in attendance and on hand to discuss the CataStak™-GT SCR system for natural gas-fired turbines.  The CataStak™ has never failed a 3rd party source test and can deliver NOx emission reductions as low as 2.5 ppm NOx.  Stop by Nationwide Boiler booth number 622 to learn about the latest product news and equipment offerings by Nationwide Boiler.

In addition to introducing attendees to new products and technologies, Power-Gen Middle East will provide technical sessions and presentations associated with the Gulf region’s power industry, specifically relating to generation, transmission and distribution.

For more information about the show, visit http://www.power-gen-middleeast.com/index.html

Nationwide Boiler’s Sales and Marketing team will be on hand in booth #436 to answer any questions relating to the company’s extensive product line of rental, new, and reconditioned boilers systems.  Be sure to ask about Nationwide Boiler’s CataStak SCR system and BPS boiler systems, designed to allow food processors to easily comply with strict emission reduction rules and fulfill energy efficiency goals for the New Year.

Visit Nationwide Boilers website to request a FREE visitor pass to the exhibit hall (eligible to processors and growers only).  We look forward to seeing you at the show!

Some common causes of low water conditions include:
•    Feedwater pump failure
•    Control valve failure
•    Loss of water to the deaerator or make-up water system
•    Drum level controller failure
•    Drum level controller inadvertently left in “manual” position
•    Loss of plant air pressure to the control valve actuator
•    Safety valve lifting
•    Wide variations or sudden changes in steam load

Avoiding the above conditions is critical to ensuring safe and reliable boiler operation. Maintenance, inspection, and operational logs are recommended and required by insurance companies.  These records not only help determine boiler performance trends, but also keep operators focused on the safe performance of the boiler and auxiliary plant equipment.  To this end, unnecessary boiler downtime (together with the loss of plant production) and lost time accidents are avoided.

Our main priority is to provide customers with safe and reliable rental and new boiler and steam plant equipment.  We have many operational procedures in place that help us achieve this goal.  For instance, each piece of rental equipment is thoroughly inspected before and after a rental project.  Our inspection and maintenance checklists cover all of the mechanical and electrical systems, including feedwater systems, water softeners, chemical systems, and the trailers themselves (for mobile equipment such as our mobile boiler rooms).  In addition, critical parts, including low water cut-offs, constantly undergo inspection and testing.  If found to be faulty, they are either immediately repaired or replaced.

The only way to avoid premature downtime and accidents (in the worst cases) is to make certain that operators and plant owners are committed to an on-going operational and preventative maintenance programs.  The Hartford Steam Boiler website www.hsb.com is a good resource.  Turning a blind eye to safe boiler operations puts operators, company employees, and equipment at unnecessary risk.