Boiler Efficiency

Definition

The fraction of fuel energy that becomes useful heat delivered to the water, used to convert recovered or lost heat into fuel terms. A typical figure is 80 percent.

At 80 percent efficiency, every BTU of useful heat requires burning 1.25 BTU of fuel, so the fuel value of recovered condensate heat exceeds the heat itself. The same factor appears in blowdown fuel penalty calculations, where heat loss is divided by efficiency to find required fuel input. Scale and deposits lower efficiency by insulating the tubes.

Related concepts

Blowdown Fuel Penalty · Scale · Condensate Energy Value

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Part of The Blueprint of Water · 🔥 thermodynamics