Chemical plays an integral part in the development and advancement of any economy. Various sectors such as oil refining, energy, medicines, military, petrochemical, food processing, etc., depend on the chemical industry. The chemical industry itself depends on efficient steam boilers for its processing. Steam boilers have a crucial impact on the processing operations of chemical plants in terms of quality and productivity. Chemical industries require an ample amount of high-temperature steam for effective operations. Secondly, chemical industries tend to generate a large amount of emissions and waste heat. Therefore, it is essential to check that every requirement is met, before selecting a boiler manufacturer for a chemical plant. Let us have a detailed look over the applications, requirements, and types of steam boilers used in chemical industries.
Application of Boilers in Chemical Industries:
Boilers play a vital role in both the processing operations of chemicals and for the process plant itself. The main functions of a boiler in the chemical plant are,
Heating and Cooling Reactors:
Generally, chemical processing operates in a cyclic mode. Chemical reactors need to be heated at some stages, and at some stages they need to be cooled down. Such fluctuating demand occurs in almost every processing operation starting from raw materials to finished products. Steam plays an important part in accomplishing this requirement. Hot steam is pivotal in increasing the heat in the process that facilitates the chemical reactions with heat.
On the other hand, steam boilers need to be turned off or reduce the steam generation when the process requires cooling of chemical reactors. Hence, it is advisable by leading boiler manufacturers to ensure the resilience of the boilers that can effectively handle the changing demands during chemical processing operations for efficient productivity.
Disinfecting and Sterilizing:
Apart from the heating and cooling of reactors, chemical processing also requires consistent disinfecting and sterilizing of the plant and the equipment used during the operations to ensure the high quality and precision of the chemical components. Steam is essential for complete disinfection and cleaning of the process plants.
Heating and Cooling of Process Plant:
Chemical plants operate for 24 hours, and therefore, it is important to heat and cool it as required for both the operating team and the chemical reactors. It is natural to conclude that since the steam heats and cools the chemical reactors, it is capable of heating and cooling the plants as well
Challenges Faced in a Chemical Industry:
Although steam boilers are indispensable in chemical processes, it faces its share of challenges during process operations. The most common ones are as follows,
Fluctuating Load Demands:
As mentioned earlier, chemical plants require heating and cooling of the system to accomplish the chemical reaction. Therefore, the load and steam demand change rapidly, affecting the operational cycle and efficiency of the steam boiler.
Downtime of the Boiler:
Although chemical plants operate day and night, it does not require steam 24/7 as the processing requires the boiler to be heated and cooled. Boilers in the chemical industry face the issue of heating and cooling with minimal downtime. It is because boilers don’t have to be operating throughout the day, even when steam is not required.
Excess Waste and Emission:
Chemical Industries generate a large amount of waste and harmful emissions, and controlling it is one of the major challenges faced by the chemical sector.
Requirements that need to be fulfilled by Steam Boilers in Chemical Industries:
Considering the challenges stated, it is prudent to choose a boiler manufacturer that ensures that the boilers provided are efficient and meet the criteria of,
Resilience to meet the Fluctuating Needs:
When chemical reactors need heat, a high amount of steam is required. However, when it requires cooling, the temperature needs to drop. Since the chemical industry demands for heating and cooling changes rapidly depending on the stage of operation, a steam boiler must be resilient enough to handle the fluctuating loads and demand of the process plant.
Reduced Greenhouse Emission:
Chemical Industries are monitored to ensure their compliance with the waste emission laws. That is because of its excess release of harmful wastes generated during the process operations. Therefore, a steam boiler must operate at a lower temperature, releasing a reduced amount of CO2 and O2 emissions. Although the harmful emission in chemical industries is inevitable, it can be controlled with efficient boilers.
Easy to Maintain:
The reason that steam boilers do not run to their rated efficiency is the overlooked maintenance of the system. If the boilers are not regularly maintained, it is likely to malfunction and not operate effectively. It is necessary to ensure that the steam boilers are easy to maintain and are regularly serviced.
Safe and Reliable:
It is important to be assured of the safety and reliability of the boiler system with regular servicing under the guidance of the boiler manufacturer. Also, it is essential to check the safety valves and other equipment are functioning properly for seamless operations in the chemical industry.
Types of Boilers Used in the Chemical Industry:
Although different boiler manufacturers shall suggest different types of boilers for chemical industries, two of the most commonly preferred boilers used are:
Fluidized Bed Combustion Steam Boiler:
Steam Boilers with Fluidized Bed Combustion or FBC are an ideal choice since it has a large capacity of generating steam (approximately 10 to 280 tons per hour) that helps in the hassle-free operation of chemical plants. Secondly, it is effective for the proper combustion of fuels like coal and biomass that result in meeting the high heat demands, saving excess cost and energy.
Waste Heat Recovery Boilers:
As we are aware, chemical industries generate ample amounts of waste heat, the ideal boiler for chemical plants is Waste Heat Recovery Boiler. The system would extract the excess heat and reuses it for other process operations or power generation, thus ensuring optimal use of heat energy and preventing harmful emissions in the environment.
Rakhoh Boilers manufactures highly efficient and reliable steam boilers preferred and trusted by various chemical process plants. Rakhoh’s Optipac and Waste Heat Recovery Boiler is the preferred choice for many chemical plants.