Reducing the Harmful Impact of Boiler Plants on the Environment

Abstract

World production makes an ever-increasing harmful impact on the natural environment. As a matter of fact, mankind is facing the problem of saving the natural environment. As for the production branches the energy industry has the strongest harmful effect, and as for the production facilities the boiler plants that emit heat and harmful substances into the environment are the most environmentally aggressive. The global fleet of boiler plants is huge and complicated. As the boiler plant wears out, the levels of its environmental, economic and general technical efficiency are increasingly decreased, and the intensity of the harmful impact on the environment is increased worsening progressively its condition. The self-healing process of the natural environment lags behind the process of harmful effects on it. As a matter of fact, the problem of reducing the harmful effects of boiler plants on the environment has arisen. The purpose of this study was to analyze the phenomenon of interaction between the energy sector, primarily boiler plants and the natural environment and search for the ways to resolve the existing contradictions of this interaction. The task of improving the environmental friendliness of worn-out power equipment and, above all, boiler plants is an urgent issue. The purpose of this research paper was to analyze the possibilities of solving the problem of ecological interaction of boiler plants with the natural environment through their partial, full or redundant renovations. This research is relevant, because the boiler plants of the domestic fleet are extremely worn out. Full or redundant renovation is highly resource intensive and appropriate resources are currently unavailable. A realistic way to solve the problem of reducing the harmful effects of boiler plants on the environment is to increase the environmental friendliness of worn-out boiler equipment by partially upgrading it using relatively simple and affordable methods, such as normalizing the boiler air mode, reducing heat losses with exhaust gases, rationalizing and implementing daily and weekly schedules of the boiler operation in order to extend the full load carrying mode. Successful implementation of the forthcoming program of partial renovation of worn-out boiler plants will ensure a significant reduction of their harmful impact on the environment.