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U.S. Department of Energy Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

    Energy Efficient "Super Boiler" Reaches Its First Anniversary

    November 30, 2007

    An industrial boiler that delivers 94% thermal efficiency and produces fewer emissions than conventional boilers has operated successfully for a full year, producing high-pressure steam for a rubber parts manufacturer. DOE's Industrial Technologies Program helped to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the "Super Boiler" on November 30th at Specification Rubber Products, Inc., in Alabaster, Alabama, where the new boiler has consistently produced a fuel-to-steam efficiency of 93% to 94% and has reduced the annual consumption of natural gas by 13%. DOE estimates that this technology could save more than 185 trillion Btu of natural gas by 2020—enough to fuel more than two million households.  

    The Super Boiler was developed through DOE-sponsored research and development in partnership with Gas Technology Institute of Des Plaines, Illinois, and Cleaver-Brooks, Inc. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The project received support from Utilization Technology Development Company, a not-for-profit research partnership formed by natural gas distribution companies, as well as the Southern California Gas Company and three California state agencies. The Super Boiler is an interconnected boiler system that combines innovations in combustion, heat transfer and recovery, vessel engineering, and controls in a highly efficient steam generation system. To learn more about this innovative new technology, view the Super Boiler Overview video. Also see the DOE press release.  

    The U.S. industrial sector accounts for more than 32% of the nation's energy use, and boilers account for approximately one-third of this energy. DOE regularly works with manufacturers through its Save Energy Now assessments, a part of the DOE Industrial Technologies Program in which Energy Experts assess, analyze, and identify energy-saving opportunities at some of the nation's most energy-intensive facilities. Since 2005, DOE has conducted more than 300 industrial energy assessments and identified more than $645 million in potential energy savings. Learn more about Save Energy Now.

    For more information, contact the EERE Information Center at 1-877-EERE-INF (1-877-337-3463).