Are you Boiler MATS Compliant?

Boiler tune-ups are a work practice standard that is required by law in the EPA Boiler MATS (Mercury Air and Toxics Standard) rule. The rule requires that tune-ups be performed every 3-4 years depending upon under which category the boiler falls. The following is a brief outline of the requirements for a boiler tune up.

Boiler MATS Tune-up Requirements:

1. Inspect the burner, and clean or replace any components of the burner as necessary. This may be delayed until the next unit outage, but is not to exceed 36 months since the most recent inspection.
2. Inspect the flame pattern and adjust the burner as necessary to optimize the flame pattern. The adjustment should be consistent with the manufacturer’s specifications or best engineering practices.
3. Inspect the system controlling the air-to-fuel ratio and ensure that it is correctly calibrated and functioning properly. This may be delayed until the next unit outage, but is not to exceed 36 months since the most recent inspection.
4. Optimize total emissions of CO. This optimization should be consistent with the manufacturer’s specifications or best engineering practices and with any nitrogen oxide requirement to which the unit is subject.
5. Measure the concentrations in the effluent stream of CO in parts per million, by volume, and oxygen in volume percent before and after the adjustments are made.
6. Maintain on-site and submit, if requested by the Administrator, a report containing the following information:
   1. Concentrations of CO in the effluent stream in parts per million, by volume, and oxygen in volume percent measured at high-fire or typical operating load before and after the tune-up of the boiler
   2. A description of any corrective actions taken as a part of the tune-up of the boiler
   3. The type and amount of fuel used over the 12 months prior to the tune-up of the boiler
   4. Dates of the initial and subsequent tune-ups.

Boiler MATS Energy Assessment:

All existing coal-fired, biomass-fired, or oil-fired boilers (units with heat input capacity of 10 MMBtu/hr and greater), not including limited-use boilers, must have a one-time Boiler MATS energy assessment completed. The energy assessment for the area sources as laid out in Boiler MATS is a qualitative analysis of the existing boiler system. The goal of the assessment is to ensure that the smaller area sources that are regulated by Boiler MATS are running as efficiently as possible and have sufficient modern technology to ensure efficient operation. Up to this point, these area source boilers have not been strictly regulated, and therefore this one-time assessment is to evaluate the efficiency of these boilers prior to the implementation of the Boiler MATS regulations. This assessment should simplify the process of compliance with Boiler MATS for area source boilers.

Boiler MATS Energy Assessment Requirements (Summarized):

Visual inspection of the boiler system (i.e. cracks, corrosion, leaks, insulation)
Boiler walk-down noting areas where excessive amounts of heat/steam are lost
Effectiveness of any steam traps
Ensure that no heat/steam is needlessly lost in any of the equipment
Evaluation of operating characteristics of the affected boiler systems, specifications of energy use systems, operating and maintenance procedures, and unusual operating constraints
Boiler system includes components such as feed water systems, combustion air systems, fuel systems (including burners), blowdown systems, combustion control systems, steam systems, and condensate return systems
Review of plant data, specifically emissions, and steam and air temperature data
Need to evaluate the efficiency of the turbine
Determine areas where air flow/temperature adjustment would improve overall efficiency
Evaluation of excess air
Reduce blowdown frequency; plant may waste heat by blowing down before it’s necessary
Ensure plant is recovering as much heat as possible from stack gases and hot condensate
Discussion with engineers and operators to evaluate operating/maintenance procedures currently in place with emphasis on any unusual procedures and recurring issues
Inventory of major systems consuming energy (i.e. energy use systems) from affected boiler(s) and which are under control of the boiler owner or operator
Ensure all major consumers of energy generated from the boiler are operating efficiently
Recommend ways to improve energy efficiency of major systems
Review of available architectural and engineering plans, facility operation and maintenance procedures and logs, and fuel usage
Locate areas that are over-engineered or that have improper equipment that increases energy consumption
List of major energy conservation measures that are within the facility’s control
List of the energy savings potential of the energy conservation measures identified
Estimate energy savings of each recommendation based on price of power saved
Comprehensive report detailing the ways to improve efficiency, the cost of specific improvements, benefits, and the time for recouping those investments