Steam boilers supplier and services provider Steam Generation says clients are aiming to decarbonise their production processes by 2030 through cogeneration as part of integrating the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into their operations.

“The boiler industry is not immune to this trend and it is witnessing an increased demand for products that provide energy security and efficiency for clients,” Steam Generation commercial director Nkosinathi Hlophe tells Engineering News.

He explains that, on average, boilers account for up to 30% of process plant energy requirements. Industrial boilers, therefore, play an increasingly critical role in ensuring that plant heat and power supply is secure, clean and safe.

“This is of the utmost importance in African markets where businesses have to deal with the risk of power outages and water scarcity on a regular basis. Therefore, the heat recovery systems that Steam Generation supplies minimise production losses, increase plant energy efficiency and save on boiler running costs.”

Steam Generation offers a portfolio of the latest combined heat and power (CHP), or cogeneration systems, from the smallest installation to large, turnkey energy centres.

Hlophe explains that waste heat technology uses heat from the fuel gases of combustion processes, or hot waste air that flows, as a fuel source. The exhaust heat, which is a by-product of combustion equipment, such as diesel or gas power engines, is recovered in gaseous form by the boiler to generate saturated steam or hot water.

Steam Generation is the exclusive agent for industrial boiler specialists Cochran UK and the sales partner of green and clean biomass boiler designer Vyncke Biomass Boilers in Africa.

With Cochran’s waste-heat recovery plant solutions, the boilers are engineered to provide optimal steam output from power generating equipment such as engines and turbines.

“Our new composite technology has a built-in redundancy feature as the boiler can run standalone on a conventional dual-fired burner system when power equipment is down for maintenance or repairs. This ensures consistent steam output,” Hlophe mentions.

Additionally, with Vyncke products, biomass boilers can generate steam that would drive a turbine, which, in turn, would generate electricity and produce low-pressure saturated steam for process plant requirements. The energy comes individually or in any combination of steam, hot water, thermal oil, and hot gas.

“There are also several benefits of installing cogeneration or CHP boiler solutions from financial savings of up to 95% net overall efficiency to saving up to 40% in energy use, as the boilers run on waste heat,” concludes Hlophe.