Techniques for Reducing NOx

Emissions from Industrial Boilers

More than 60,000 industrial boilers exist in the United States. In contrast to
large utility boilers, industrial boilers have received little focus for NOx
emission reductions. However, several alternatives to reduce NOx emissions
currently are available, and others are under development.

Most NOx emissions are derived from nitrogen in the fuels used or from
nitrogen in the combustion air (thermal NOx). For natural gas-red and No. 2
oil-red boilers, thermal NOx represents the majority of NOx produced from
industrial boilers. Thermal NOx emissions increase with increasing peak
ame temperatures and are affected by oxygen availability in the boiler
combustion zone. Several measures to reduce NOx emissions in industrial
boilers are listed in Table 1 and discussed below.

Tune-up and Burner System

Table 1
Modications. Any prudent
NOx reduction measures NOx Reduction Approximate
should begin with a boiler tune- Technique NOx
up to verify and optimize Reduction
current boiler operating Potential
parameters. The ne-tuning of
oxygen and fuel content in the Tune-up and Burner 10-30%
combustion zone can improve System Modications
eciency and reduce NOx
emissions. Beyond simple tune- Burners Out of Service 10-40%
ups, systems can be installed to
Boiler De-rating Up to 30%
automatically monitor and trim
oxygen and fuels for peak Low Excess Air 10-25%
performance. These procedures
must be performed by a Stage Combustion Up to 50+%
qualied individual because
serious hazards can result if Low NOx Burners 40-60%
controls are applied
inappropriately. Alternate Fuels Up to 50%

Burners Out of Service (BOOS). Boilers with multiple burners sometimes

can use BOOS techniques to reduce NOx. By taking one or more burners out
of service, peak ame temperature and the resulting NOx emissions are
reduced by a number of combustion mechanisms.
Boiler De-rating. In some instances, when a facilitys steam demand has
dropped because of phased-out equipment or the implementation of more
energy ecient processes, a boiler can be de-rated to re at lower loads.
Under these circumstances, lowering the ring rate will effectively reduce
NOx emissions.

Low Excess Air. For boilers that use ring or spud

burners, several modications can be made that
control ame length, delay combustion, delay
fuel/air mixing, and reduce peak ame
temperature to reduce NOx. Sometimes air
registers around the burner can be adjusted to
also help reduce NOx.

Stage Combustion. Usually stage combustion can

be achieved only in boilers with large furnace
volumes. Stage combustion allows air and fuel to
react in multiple zones or stages instead of at
once. This process produces lower peak ame
temperatures and other combustion properties
favorable for low NOx emissions.

Low NOx Burners. Available for both new and retrot applications, all low
NOx burners use staged combustion techniques and can reduce NOx
emissions 20 to 40 percent.

Alternate Fuels. Many facilities have modied their boilers to burn natural
gas, which generates less NOx than fuel oils. Methanol and ethanol are other
alternative fuels that can reduce NOx. Also, they may be used as back-up fuels
during natural gas supply shortages. Figure A ranks the NOx emissions for
several fuels.

When considering any measure to reduce boiler NOx emissions, follow these
guidelines: 1) select a qualied consultant, vendor, or service provider, 2)
conduct a boiler characterization, 3) perform the lowest-cost procedures rst,
4) select appropriate NOx reduction measures, 5) implement measures, 6)
retest boiler, and 7) continue proper operation and maintenance.

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