Investigations on the energy ef fi ciency limits for industrial boiler operation and technical requirements-taking China ' s Hunan province as an example

Specially tailored energy efficiency standards are critical for the energy-saving of local industrial systems. We take the Hunan province as a concrete example, and select its industrial boiler as the study subject based on the survey results of Hunan's leading industrial structure. Effective energy and exergy quantitative analysis methods were applied to obtain the efficiency of the target industrial boilers. Combining the corresponding reference standards with the exergy & thermal efficiency, the analytic hierarchy process, and uncertainty analysis results, we propose a reasonable regional industrial boiler energy efficiency standard. Additionally, the main factors affecting the industrial boiler system were distilled and ranked: 1-exhaust gas temperature, 2-fuel volatile matter, 3-air coefficient, 4-boiler capacity, 5-cold air temperature, 6-slag carbon content, 7-slag temperature. These results could provide a theoretical foundation for designing further energy-saving renovation projects of the industrial boiler system. (c) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study focused on the industrial boilers in Hunan province, proposing a reasonable regional industrial boiler energy efficiency standard by combining energy efficiency, analytic hierarchy process, and uncertainty analysis results. The main factors affecting industrial boiler systems were ranked, providing a theoretical foundation for further energy-saving renovation projects.