Applying appropriate firing rates to improve operating efficiency of oil-fired steam boilers used in local hotel buildings

Energy consumed for generating steam and hot water in local hotel buildings might account for upto 40% of total energy consumption. Boiler plants in local hotel buildings might have been very often oversized due to various reasons. Oversized boilers are often on-off cyclically operated, particulariy in part load conditions, reducing thermal operoting efficiency and reliability for the plants. With most modern boilers used in local hotel buildings equipped with provisions for adjusting fuel firing rates, this paper discusses the relationship between the operoting efficiency and various fuel firing rotes of a boiler based on a detailed theoretical analysis. A cose study which demonstrotes the applicotion of the theoretical analysis in a quality local hotel is included. It concludes that using appropriate fuel firing rote will reduce the negative impact of plant oversizing thus raising plant efficiency and operating reliability. Although the discussion is mainly based on the operating condition in hotel buildings, the principles should have wider application for boilers used in other types of buildings.