Electric industrial boiler

There are several types of commercially available industrial electric boiler systems. The most common are:

• Using an electric heating element that acts as a resistance (electric boiler)
• Using the conductive and resistive properties of the water itself to carry electric current (electrode boiler)

There are also infrared- and induction boilers available, but they are small-scale and not commonly available.

Electric boilers and electrode boilers mainly apply to utility-related processes (hot water and steam production). The implementation threshold is perceived as relatively low, as it does not require a complete redesign of primary processes (Berenschot, Matters, Delft, & Matters, 2017). Because of the working principle, electric boilers have lower thermal capacities than electrode boilers. Typical capacities of electric boilers are up to 5 MWe, whereas electrode boilers have capacities from 3 MWe up to 70 MWe.

Superheated steam with temperatures of up to 350°C and >70 bar can be produced with commercially available electric/electrode boilers (capacities of up to 70 MWe). Advantages of this technology are the following (Berenschot, Matters, Delft, & Matters, 2017; Berenschot, Delft, & ISPT, Power to products, 2015):

• An efficiency of up to 95-99.9%
• Robust
• Can be used as flexible capacity (at times of low electricity prices or as stand-by capacity for gas-fired boilers).

Industrial electric boilers are a drop-in solution for steam production. They are implemented on-site at industrial plants where they heat a fluid (typically water for steam production) and require no primary process alterations (Berenschot, Matters, Delft, & Matters, 2017).

Examples of electrode boiler manufactures and suppliers are PARAT, Vapor Power, Vapec, Allmech, Zander & Ingestrom, BVA Electrokessel.

Examples of electric element boiler manufacturers and suppliers are PARAT, Vapor Power, AB&Co, Danstoker (Thermax) ATTSU, Lattner.