B100 heating is here

Image: NORA

Carbon-reduction policy is now the norm for the Northeastern States.

Renewable low-carbon and zero-carbon energy sources are being aggressively pursued.

Among them, solar and wind seem to get the most publicity and both provide exceptionally clean energy.

In the mix of clean-energy fuels are those liquid versions that work so well and effectively in liquid fuel-fired heating—primarily biodiesel (ASTM D6751).

Biodiesel has been used in liquid-fuel heating for close to two decades, blended with standard heating oil, and for each drip of biodiesel blended, the carbon emissions drop.

Since it is still a liquid fuel, the infrastructure, delivery, storage and management remain the same, requiring little to no modification—freeing the industry to move forward.

The transition to higher blends has been ongoing during this time, and along with it, the updating of codes and standards, like ASTM and UL, that ensure safe and effective operation.

The past year saw significant leaps in the heating systems available with the ability to be powered by the lowest-carbon liquid heating fuel, B100. 

Energy Kinetics, a boiler and integrated systems manufacturer from Lebanon, New Jersey, announced the 100 percent biodiesel blend listing for its complete line of residential and commercial heat and hot water boilers.

This followed the necessary preliminary step of having B100 burners.

During the past 12 months, both R. W. Beckett Corp. and Carlin Combustion Technology launched their respective lines of burners rated by UL to operate on 100 percent biodiesel, as well as blends of biodiesel and fuel oil.

Years of collaboration with these industry partners, along with NORA’s R&D division based in Plainview, New York, enabled the development and deployment of these burners on Energy Kinetics B100 boilers.

Biodiesel is a renewable fuel that reduces greenhouse-gas emissions and helps the oilheat industry meet aggressive decarbonization goals.

In addition to biodiesel and blends providing a significant evolution in the oilheat industry toward sustainability and a low-carbon future, energy savings can provide a remarkable force multiplier.

The NORA Report on its Equipment Upgrade Incentive Project demonstrates 25 percent average savings when upgrading from older boilers to systems that incorporate Energy Kinetics’ well-insulated, low-mass, thermal-purge design strategy.

Carbon emissions can be cut by almost 85 percent while reducing heat and hot-water costs when forward-looking fuel dealers offer biodiesel blends or B100 in combination with an upgrade of their customers’ boilers.

“Several decades of research on renewable liquid heating fuels, the advancements made with biofuels, updated UL and other standards, and many years of R&D and field testing have opened a unique and powerful pathway for remarkably clean low-carbon heat and hot-water systems,” said Energy Kinetics President Roger Marran. “Introducing our line of fully compatible B100-listed boilers means that clean and reliable operation is now available for all biodiesel blends from straight oilheat through 100 percent biodiesel. Combined with the efficiencies gained with our boilers, emissions and fuel use are reduced even further, achieving outstanding results with even lower fuel bills.”

Energy Kinetics’ boiler-design strategy begins at the heart of the heating system with a focus on exceptional burner combustion.

This is achieved with high-performance ceramic and high-temperature alloy combustion-chamber designs.

The company then builds a specially formulated low-mass steel spiral boiler around that heart of the system.

This provides near-perfect combustion for clean-burning operation with oilheat, natural gas and propane, and now seamlessly integrates with new burner technology with up to 100 percent biodiesel.

Additional technology enabling industry-leading energy savings includes the Energy Manager boiler control with thermal purge—a highly effective energy-recovery feature, and integration with a unique plate heat exchanger-heated hot-water storage tank.

The combination results in proven 30-year lifecycle boiler designs that optimize comfort, savings, serviceability and overall performance.