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ECONOTERM® Principle of Operation
Economizers have for a long time been
used to improve the efficiency of boilers. They invariably consisted
of an array of smooth or finned tubes connected at either end to flow
and return manifolds. These economizers were very effective when used
with clean exhaust gases such as natural gas or propane but quickly
became fouled when used with fuel oils or solid fuel. There is a tendency
to change boiler firing to a dual-fuelling capability and there is a
need therefore for an economizer, which can be used with all fuels.
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Schematic
diagram of ECONOTERM
The
ECONOTERM® heat recovery units/economizers is a radical new approach
to boiler fuel economy in that heat pipes are used to effect the heat
transfer from the flue products. This culminates in several distinct
advantages.
The main one is that by using heat pipes
only, one single manifold is required instead of the two normally used.
This means that the heat pipe is cantilevered out from the water manifold
with a major portion exposed to the exhaust products and a shorter portion
in the water manifold.
By incorporating a removable inspection
plate at the flue end of the unit, it is a simple matter to clean between
the heat pipes, which have plain surfaces.
Heat transfer is a function of the surface
area of the bundle of heat pipes exposed to the flue products. Heat
pipes act as individual heat transfer rods. Their length and number
can be varied so that the design of the unit should have a considerable
variability, totally suited to the customers’ specific needs.
Thus effectively, the same design criteria
can be scaled up or down to suit the largest industrial boilers on the
one hand, to the smallest domestic and commercial ones on the other.
Advantages:
- Uses
a single manifold.
- Uses
plain heat pipes.
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Water flows over a bundle of heat pipes rather than inside a bundle
of tubes. This results in a substantially augmentation of heat
transfer coefficients.
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As a result of using a single manifold and plain heat pipes the
unit can be easily cleaned.
- Can
be used with all fuels and does not require a bypass.
- For
the reason that all the heat pipes have isothermal surfaces the
“cold corners” do not
appear, thus reducing or eliminating corrosion.
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With only one manifold, thermal stresses - normally associated
with standard economizers - are eliminated.
Patented.
See List of Patents and List
of Trademarks.
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