Boiler Blog Archive | Nationwide Boiler Inc.

In the boiler industry, there are three main types of watertube boilers: D-type, O-type, and A-type (see the graphic). Boilers can be designed for either saturated or superheated steam, and they can be packaged or field-erected. Package watertube boilers are designed to be small enough for highway transportation and are factory assembled. Field-erected boilers are just as they sound; multiple components are assembled and installed in the field.

For each boiler type, there are differences in superheater design and performance. Before diving into those differences, let’s review each of the main types of watertube boilers. 

D-type boilers have one steam drum and one lower drum, centered over each other with the furnace offset to one side. These boilers are designed with only one generating bank. 

O-type boilers also have one steam drum and one lower drum, however, they are centered over each other with the furnace in the center. These boilers are designed with two generating banks (i.e. the flue gas flow splits into the two sides at the end of the furnace). 

A-type boilers are similar to O-type and include two generating banks. The major difference is the number of drums and placement. A-type boilers include one steam drum at the top center, and two lower drums; one placed on each side of the furnace.

Nationwide Boiler has been on the forefront of innovation in our industry since 1967. Our founder, Dick Bliss, pioneered the mounting of a 20,000 lb/hr package watertube boiler onto a highway-legal trailer signaling the start of an entirely new business on the West Coast.

The rising of truly mobile rental boilers provided time and cost savings for those in need of temporary steam, as well as a reliable, purpose-built option for rent. Prior to this development, temporary steam supply was sourced from steam locomotives or “jury-rigging” obsolete boilers that had been scrapped. None of these early systems were efficient or easy to get to a job site.

Throughout the years we have continually upgraded and enhanced our offerings and have been a leading innovator in our industry. We were the first rental boiler company to convert our entire fleet to low NOx levels of 30 ppm back in 1995, and in 1999 we demonstrated the first SCR system for ultra-low NOx performance on a package boiler. Just two years later, we began offering our CataStak™ SCR system which has now been installed in over 200 applications.

Today, our product offerings include many one-of-a-kind systems, including the world’s largest mobile saturated and superheated steam boilers. Take a look at the list below for a complete overview of the products unique to our company.

40-75,000 lb/hr Trailer-Mounted, High-Pressure Saturated Steam Boilers
110,000 lb/hr Trailer-Mounted Superheated Steam Boiler (World’s Largest)
125,000 lb/hr Trailer-Mounted Saturated Steam Boiler (World’s Largest)
225,000 lb/hr Skid-Mounted, High-Pressure Rental Deaerators
Complete Mobile Feedwater Vans
Urea- and Ammonia-Based CataStak™ SCR Rental Units
DataStak™ Emissions & Efficiency Monitoring System

Tomato season is here, and we already have a 70,000 lb/hr, 400 psi design trailer-mounted rental boiler on location at one of our customer sites to support peak season steam demand. This boiler is rented annually in the Central Valley of California for three to four months during the tomato processor’s short but critical production season. To meet the requirement of 5 ppm NOx, the boiler is supplied with an ultra-low NOx CataStak SCR System. This solution allows the facility to operate their own boilers without overworking them, while complying with local air regulations and satisfying seasonal demand.

Some years ago, the company identified a bottleneck in its evaporation system that hindered peak production capacities. The bottleneck was easily resolved; however, it would take more steam to fully realize the increase in production. Although the existing boilers were capable of running the newly found evaporation capacity, the increased production required the existing boilers to operate at 100% output continuously, leaving no room for margin and no buffer against any process anomalies. After evaluating the cost of investing in a new boiler, the detrimental effects of operating the existing boilers at 100 percent output, and the process vulnerabilities of having no excess steam capacity, the decision was made to rent a supplementary steam boiler on an annual basis.  

Many industries face periods of increased process steam requirements and to satisfy demand, steam can be supplemented with a temporary rental boiler. This practical solution allows facilities to maximize the resources needed to meet current, short-term and long-term steam needs. A short-term or long-term rental solution can save time, conserve capital, minimize risk and maximize available resources.

Check out our past article from Today’s Boiler Magazine to learn more about how temporary boilers can support seasonal steam demand, and contact us today if a rental boiler may be the solution to your peak season needs!

Last year, Nationwide Boiler had to make the hard and necessary decision to postpone our 40th Annual Charity Golf Tournament due to the rapid growth of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, however, is a different story. We were able to coordinate a safe and successful event earlier this month, once again in support of Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area and the ABMA Scholarship Fund. With about two-thirds of our normal attendance, more than 50 sponsors and donors, and no in-person banquets, we are happy to announce that we raised a total of $40,000 for these two outstanding organizations!

The tournament began with a practice round, 4-man scramble at The Links at Spanish Bay, followed by tournament play at the renowned Pebble Beach Golf Links. The weather was near perfect for the two days of golf and after their round at Pebble Beach, guests enjoyed lunch and drinks on the patio right off of the 18th hole.  To comply with local COVID restrictions around gatherings, no in-person banquets were held. While this eliminated multiple revenue streams, it did provide the opportunity for us to incorporate a virtual / online auction for the first time in the history of our event. This new feature allowed those not in attendance with the opportunity to participate, support, and purchase items from our auction. In addition to the virtual auction, we presented golf awards, announced the raffle winner, and played a game of Jeopardy in a virtual fashion via a Zoom meeting. Overall, it was a great week, a successful event, and our guests were happy to be back at Pebble Beach after a year off. 

Congratulations to our tournament winners:
Low Gross Champion - Jim Lohmeyer, Blue Cross Blue Shield
Handicap Flight Champion - Vern Eriksen, Nooter/Eriksen
Callaway Flight Champion - Miles Freeman, Heat Transfer Specialists (HTS)

A huge thank-you out to everyone involved! We wouldn't be able to make this happen without the many sponsors, donors, and guests who support us year after year. We are extremely fortunate to be able to continue this tradition of giving back to  organizations that do so much for our community. We did $40K, with 40 golfers for our 40th Anniversary - here's to another 40 years!

Visit our Facebook Album to see photos from this year's event, and check out our recent press release to learn more.