Electric boilers up to 175,000 pounds per hour: available designs and current applications

The types of, design, operation, and economics of electric boilers for industrial applications are discussed. A number of industrial electric boilers of the 100,000 16/h size are in operation in the U.S.. They have the advantages of less space requirements, no combustion systems, no fuel or ash handling, simplicity of operation, and fewer adverse environmental effects. The capital costs of an electric boiler is less than for a fossil-fuel-fired unit, but the cost of purchased Btus is greater for electric power than for coal. The capital cost savings and environmental advantages must be balanced against the great cost of purchasing electric power instead of coal. (LCL)