Exploring the role of economisers in heat recovery: the environmental and financial benefits

Globally there is an increasing demand to meet objectives around energy efficiency and sustainability. Especially those where intensive fossil fuel steam operations are in use such as in the chemical and petrochemical, food and beverage processing and manufacturing sectors.  

Which is why, according to research from Market Report Analytics (MRA) the market for boiler economisers is set to grow in the coming years, as more companies invest in the technology to enhance thermal efficiency and reduce emissions. 

What is a Cochran economiser? 

Essentially our boiler economisers are a compact, high-efficiency type of heat exchanger, that operates as a heat recovery system. They have been designed and developed by the extensive skills of our engineers to reduce boiler fuel consumption and carbon emissions by capturing heat from exhaust gases.  

A boiler economiser is a high‑efficiency heat recovery system that captures residual heat from boiler exhaust gases and uses it to pre‑heat feedwater before it enters the boiler. 

Rather than allowing waste heat to escape up the stack, recovered energy is transferred into incoming feedwater. This reduces exhaust gas temperatures and significantly improves boiler thermal efficiency—often to as much as 95%, whilst carefully managing exit to remain above dew-point. 

What are the benefits of Cochran boiler economisers for heat recovery? 

The thermal efficiency of a boiler is dependent on the heat lost in the exhaust gasses. Thereby, improving thermal efficiency cuts fuel use, resulting in significant cost savings and reduced emissions. Each Cochran economiser delivers an increase of 5% in efficiency, increasing to 6% at turndown. And, in fact, the capital cost of fitting a Cochran economiser is often recovered within a payback period of 12 months. 

With ongoing fluctuations in the price of fossil fuels driven by geopolitical events, our energy saving economisers, which reduce a boiler’s overall fuel consumption by more than 6% can help to stabilise operational costs. 

The reduction in fuel consumption is also beneficial in enabling companies to meet regulations and international agreements to reduce energy consumption, improve efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions. These can also be further improved when paired with our UltraNOx burners – which have been designed to deliver low NOx and CO2 in response to the EU Medium Combustion Plant Directive (MCPD).  

What boiler upgrades do I need to achieve fuel and efficiency savings? 

The good news is that to benefit from an economiser you don’t have to replace your existing boiler. With more than 135 years’ extensive expertise in the design, manufacture and installation of industrial boilers and economisers, we can supply economisers to fit every make and model of boiler, new or old.  

In addition, our economisers can be designed and manufactured to fit the space of your environment, overcoming challenges of limited available space in industrial facilities. And can be fitted to suit varying heat sources.  

As a full system integrator, we can tailor bespoke solutions to ensure maximum compatibility with any existing boiler, inclusive of pumps, valves, and controls that may be required. Thus, ensuring the maximum benefit possible. 

Read more about our range of economisers here, and get in touch with the team to discuss your project and see what benefits and savings you can make.