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Show Industry will respond to international efforts to reduce C 0 2 and other greenhouse gas emissions by developing advanced, environmentally friendly process heating and burner technology and alternative system fuel capabilities, and adopting other techniques to reduce greenhouse gases. Emissions of criteria pollutants and air toxics will be minimized. STRATEGIC TARGETS The industry has established a number of strategic targets for boilers, furnaces, and other process heating equipment by the year 2020. These targets, like the future combustion systems described earlier, are ambitious. Their development requires the availability of adequate research resources; their adoption often requires favorable economics. Boilers Users and manufacturers of boiler systems agree on the need to improve equipment performance, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. Gains can be realized in overall system efficiency and productivity. Environmental Quality. By 2020, those emissions that cannot be eliminated will be reduced to the lowest level possible. For gaseous fuels, the industry has targeted reducing • NOx to less than 2 ppm, C O to less than 5 ppm, Volatile organic compounds and unburned hydrocarbons to less than 1 ppm, and Particulate matter to less than 0.003 pounds per million Btus of fuel burned. The industry will approach these targets as closely as possible for liquid and solid fuels, but will make allowances for differences in fuel types. Coal is likely to remain the primary solid fuel. Industry recommends the removal of more than 9 8 % of the sulfur dioxide (S02) emitted during combustion of both liquid and solid fuels in boilers. Water use and solid waste generation are also of concern to the industry. Water reuse will be maximized, with boiler facilities approaching zero discharge. Minimizing solid wastes will become increasingly important in the future. Fuel Flexibility. Waste fuels, biomass, and other renewable fuels represent potentially important sources of energy that will be tapped by industry in the future. Up-front processes may be used to convert these fuels into a form more compatible with combustion equipment. Energy Efficiency. The efficiency of a boiler system is affected by fuel characteristics (e.g., moisture), design considerations (e.g., operating temperatures), and controllable operating variables (e.g., excess air). Industry regards overall system efficiency (rather than combustion efficiency) as the standard industry measurement of the future; operation of a system as a whole presents significant opportunities for improvement. Currently, those factors over which ,the operator has the least control typically have the greatest influence on system efficiency. Moreover, the boilers of the future must be adaptable to potentially complex process systems. 8 |
