Magnetic fuel treatment
Using magnetic fuel treatment technology to increase energy efficiency
September 2008
With fuel costs rising, industry is looking towards innovative technologies to improve energy efficiency. Nicola Martin discovers how magnetic fuel treatment can help companies to cut costs and reduce CO2 emissions.
Improving the efficiency of systems that process heat from furnaces, ovens, kilns, industrial boilers and so forth has become a priority for many businesses. However, most existing equipment was not designed with energy efficiency in mind. Companies are looking for technology that can cut fuel costs without the huge capital investment of replacing their boilers or furnaces. Retrofitting with an add-on technology is a clever compromise, allowing businesses to embrace energy efficiency without completely overhauling their heating systems.
Paul Finnegan, Commercial Director of energy efficiency technology specialists Maxsys Ltd, comments: “More and more companies are looking to energy-saving technologies to help them achieve the efficiency improvements they need in order to stay competitive. However, with budgets under ongoing and sustained pressure, whatever energy-saving technology they opt for has to be capable of delivering payback in less than 24 to 36 months.”
After more than ten years of working with researchers at Midlands Universities, Maxsys sought to develop an energy-saving device that was also a low maintenance investment. The result was the Maxsys Fuel System, patented in 2003. Although the Fuel System involves complicated magnetic fuel treatment technology, it is simple to install and use. It has no moving parts and an electrical supply is not required.
The key benefit of the Maxsys Fuel System is the substantial savings that it generates: end-users can expect a minimum 5% reduction in fuel consumption. Over the last five years, Maxsys has installed its Fuel System at commercial and industrial sites across a range of sectors – food and drink, automotive, chemicals and paper. Companies have found that the Fuel System typically delivers payback in less than two years. Some businesses, such as Findus and Dow Chemicals, report that the payback time is even shorter.
But what’s the technology behind this energy-saving measure? The Maxsys Fuel System is a magnetic fuel treatment device that affects nanoparticles (particularly Fe00H – iron oxyhydroxides) within fuel. It causes them to aggregate (or cluster) together based on a number of complex factors, including the strength of the magnetic field, the dwell time, fuel type, pressure and how the magnetic field is applied.
The aggregation of nanoparticles is a widely observed phenomenon in scientific research, in industry and in the natural world. Perhaps less well known is that a magnetic field can also affect the aggregation of particles, even when they are not highly magnetic. Under normal conditions, nanoparticles cling to and foul surfaces (heat exchangers, burners, etc.) before and after combustion, which reduces heat transfer efficiency. Magnetic fuel technology makes it difficult for the larger, aggregated fuel particles to deposit on surfaces, and so prevents fouling and increases efficiency. Kevin Kendall, Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Birmingham, confirmed that the Maxsys Fuel System causes ferrous nanoparticles in fuels to aggregate from a size of 20 nm to a size of approximately 200 nm.
Fitting a magnetic fuel treatment to a boiler increases its thermal efficiency, allowing the fuel input to be reduced for a given steam output. This improvement is achieved via a combination of factors. Firstly, flame temperature rises, increasing the efficiency of radiative heat transfer in the firebox and ultimately reducing stack temperature. In addition, there is evidence that the (admittedly small) levels of unburnt fuel in the stack gas are reduced, a fact manifested most significantly by the measured reduction in CO2 levels in the flue gas.
This reduction in unburnt fuel clearly increases the heat output per unit of burnt fuel, while the reduction in CO2 levels opens the potential to reduce excess air levels without generating dangerous amounts of carbon monoxide. With an increasing amount of government pressure on industry to reduce its carbon emissions, the Fuel System provides a timely solution for improving a company’s environmental profile.
Even for environmentally sensitive companies that are already alert to their energy efficiency, the Maxsys Fuel System can still be an effective add-on. Dow Chemicals is one such company that had already taken great measures to reduce its gas consumption. Andrew Culshaw, Dow Maintenance Leader, explains: “To be honest, I felt we had done as much as we could until I saw a flyer in a magazine promoting the Maxsys Fuel System. I was immediately intrigued. I’d not seen or heard of anything like it before.”
The distinctiveness was the selling point and, as a result, the Fuel System was fitted to the boiler at Dow’s King’s Lynn facility. Fuel meter readings confirmed that average gas consumption was 5.2% lower following the installation of the Fuel System. Mr Culshaw comments: “In total, the Fuel System is saving Dow substantial monies. It has exceeded our expectations and will provide payback on the investment inside 10 months.”
Although Maxsys predicts a 5% fuel reduction, this is actually a modest claim. Many businesses, such as Findus, have experienced even greater savings. Findus, a leading name in frozen foods, has a plant on Tyne & Wear that employs more than 400 people. Its operations are large scale and, in order to provide steam generation for both food processing and heating, the busy plant uses three boilers fuelled by natural gas.
Kevin Prior from Findus comments: “Trials and calculations conducted before and after the installation of the Fuel System concluded that we had gained a 6.6% reduction in gas consumption. Naturally we are delighted with this outcome and it will enable us to achieve payback within 12 months. The reduction in CO2 output is also welcome. The site is constantly seeking ways to reduce our environmental impact as part of our Climate Change Levy agreement.”
Magnetic fuel treatment systems, such as the Maxsys Fuel System have not only allowed industry to reduce carbon emissions, but have also provided much-needed fuel savings for companies across Europe. Yet Maxsys is not content to accept the high performance of its current Fuel System. Research continues. The ultimate ambition for Maxsys is to develop a deeper understanding of the effects of the magnetic field on fuel. Watch this space: Maxsys wants to increase the operating efficiency of industries heating systems even further.
The article was published in Energy Management Solutions Magazine, Aug/Sep 2008, p12.
The article can be looked at the Connectingindustry.com/Energy Management website>
