WASHINGTON - An industrial boiler that delivers 94 percent thermal efficiency and produces fewer emissions than conventional boilers has now operated successfully for a full year, producing high-pressure steam for a rubber parts manufacturer.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) helped to celebrate the first anniversary of the “Super Boiler” at Specification Rubber Products Inc., in Alabaster, Ala., where the new boiler has consistently produced a fuel-to-steam efficiency of 93 percent to 94 percent and has reduced the annual consumption of natural gas by 13 percent. The Super Boiler was produced through a DOE-sponsored research and development program by the Gas Technology Institute and its partner, Cleaver-Brooks Inc.

By 2020, DOE estimates that this technology could save more than 185 trillion Btu of natural gas, which is enough to fuel more than 2 million households.

Publication date: 12/17/2007