Blowdown Heat Recovery Systems for Boilers

• Recover 90% of the heat energy in continuous top blowdown that would be lost down the drain.
• Reduce temperature of blowdown discharge to drain to meet statute limits.
• Fast investment payback from fuel, cooling water and makeup water savings, Madden systems usually pay for themselves in less than 12 months.
• Durable, time proven designs, built to take the punishment of continuous, 24 hour a day service for years.

Hot, High pressure continuous blowdown water drained from the boiler, contains valuable heat energy. The continuous blowdown process helps control boiler water quality and operating efficiency by removing suspended and dissolved solids from the water in the boiler drum.

Recovery of up to 50% of the BTU's available may be accomplished by generating low pressure flash stream in a flash tank. This supply of stream can be used in boiler D/A tank or other low pressure steam applications. As the flash steam is generated, the blowdown condensate that remains is used to preheat the boiler feed water using a low pressure liquid heat exchanger. For smaller, lower pressure blowdown requirements, the HX Series heat recovery system utilize a higher pressure liquid to liquid heat exchanger without a flash tank to do the heat recovery job. The Madden sales representative will recommend the model you need to maximize your fuel savings potential.

• These vertical blowdown heat recovery systems are inexpensive, yet durable. The hot blowdown water passes through a self cleaning vertical heat exchanger coil. Fresh makeup water is the shell side counter flow cooling media. No flash steam is created in these simple heat exchangers. Designed for blowdown flows up to 3,500 lbs. per hour from boilers up to 150 psi. ASME 150 psi shell construction. Copper or Stainless Steel coils available.
• No Solids Buildup. Madden systems are self flushing, designed to use gravity flow to continuously clean itself. They operate without becoming clogged or fouled with solids contained in the dirty blowdown water.
• Low pressure heat exchangers in the Type HC and Type HV systems - this reduces stress on equipment and makes scale buildup unlikely on the cooling side of the heat exchanger tubes. This is because the temperature rise of the makeup water cooling medium will usually be no more than 20' Fahrenheit.
• Flash Tanks designed for blowdown - baffles on the blowdown inlet create water droplets and turbulence to enlarge the surface and increase flashing. Adequate vessel volume produces clean steam without water carryover. Surface area and retention time are engineered to facilitate flashing.

Click to request a boiler blowdown heat recovery system proposal.