E3S Web of Conferences 263, 04024 (2021) https://doi.org/10.

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Use of condensing economizers with developed

surfaces to improve the energy efficiency of
conventional gas-fired heat generators in boilers
Dmitriy Kosorukov* and Andrey Aksenov

Moscow State University of Civil Engineering, Yaroslavskoe shosse, 26, Moscow, 129337, Russia

Abstract The current financial and economic programme in the Russian

Federation is aimed at increasing energy efficiency in all areas of society.
The most effective way of increasing the efficiency of boiler plant operation
is to improve the technology of deep heat recovery from the heated flue gas
from the chimney system of hot-water boilers. The physical essence of this
phenomenon consists in cooling the escaping high-temperature combustion
products of gaseous fuel, through contact with the cold surface of the heat
exchanger, to a temperature below the dew point under the pressure in the
convective bundle of the boiler. In this regard, we set a goal to develop the
most efficient design of condensing economizer, which would allow us to
obtain fuel economy of gas boiler at the level of operation of condensing
heat generators. A practical model of a condensing economizer for
increasing the efficiency of heat generators based on convection-type gas
boilers has been created. A study has been carried out, the results of which
allow us to conclude on the effectiveness of its use for individual and local
heating of residential and public buildings.

1 Introduction
The predominant method of heat energy provision in the form of heated water in most cities
of our country is the centralized power supply to the customers from different kinds of heat
generation points: CHPs, RTSs or the use of district heating boilers[1]. So far, the level of
technical readiness of heating networks for the heating season mostly does not meet the
requirements of the currently adopted national operating standards[5]. Connection to the
existing linear objects of centralized power supply in an individual residential area is
currently economically inexpedient. In this regard, it is inevitable to build independent heat

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons Attribution License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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supply sources - individual heat generators, allowing to establish and maintain a separate
temperature regime of each separate object. Such technological solution will be more rational
economically than the ones which are currently being used[8].
The flue gases from gas-fired hot water boilers contain suspended water vapor from the
high-temperature hydrogen oxidation reaction, which condenses on the heat exchanger
surfaces due to contact with the cold convective part and transfers the latent heat energy of
steam production (the heat of water vapor condensation) to the moving liquid inside it, thus
increasing the temperature of the moving liquid and decreasing the fuel consumption for
compensation for the engineering heat loss [7].
In most European countries the technology for recovery of latent heat from flue gases is
realized through the wide implementation of condensing technology in heating systems,
which includes an additional stainless steel, or silumin surface on which condensate from
natural and liquefied gas combustion products precipitates. Mainly in the EU countries,
decentralized and low-temperature district heating systems have been historically
widespread, which also characterizes the use of technology for utilization of excess heat from
boiler units in the form of equipping heating units with condensing boilers. The installation
of additional utilization tail surfaces behind the heat generating units is not performed. These
technological solutions are used in the USA, where the high-temperature heating system is
also widespread, and in the Baltic States, where the existing heating facilities left over from
the USSR are being modernized as part of the EU energy efficiency programme.
In Russia such technologies are not as common as in the EU despite the fact that the
construction of heat generators based on floor standing or wall mounted condensing boilers
has been going on for more than 10 years. There are several reasons why similar solutions
are not accepted for installation of heating systems in the Russian Federation but the most
important one which limits the wide dissemination is the prevalence of high-temperature
heating systems in the facilities built before 2010, for which such projects are physically
meaningless since the condensation of water vapors at boiler furnace pressure occurs at a
return water temperature not exceeding 55 0C[9]. Such a return temperature can only be
achieved by designing a low-temperature heating system, e.g. under-floor heating or warm
ceilings. Such an approach is simply not possible with the refurbishment of existing systems.
The global economic crisis has caused a dramatic slowdown in the construction of industrial
buildings. This situation has led to a reduction in the popularity of condensing hot water heat
generators[11].
In the current environment, there is a particular need to create a technological way to
increase the economic efficiency of the current high-temperature systems to the level of low-
temperature systems[10].
For this reason, the best solution for recovering the latent heat of water vapor
condensation from the flue gases is to install an additional heat exchanger - a condensing
economizer - in the heat generating plant. Condensing economizers are not yet used as a way
to increase the efficiency of individual heat generators, although the technological effect of
them is expressed in the reduction of the temperature of the heated flue gases, utilization of

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latent heat of water vapor condensation and increasing the efficiency of the heat generating
unit for higher heating value of fuel in numerical values prevails over the savings from the
installation of the condensing boiler. The financial gain is much greater as the price of such
a heat exchange device is several times lower than that of a condensing boiler[13].
In view of the need to prove rationality of using condensing heat exchangers in order to
increase efficiency of gaseous heat generators of convection type, we have developed and
produced a practical example of such a heat exchanger. The performed experiment and
valuable calculations indicated effectiveness of its application for individual boilers using
gaseous fuel in Moscow [15].

2 Methods
A 38 kW LOGANO G234 WS wall mounted conventional double circuit gas condensing
boiler with a BUDERUS designed partial gas premixing burner and a condensing economizer
of channel-type heat exchanger design with horizontal finned flue gas passages were used as
equipment[14]. The unit in use represents a heat exchanger assembled from aluminium
profiles used for cooling various units and installations. At the rear, rectangular channels of
hard rubber seals are formed into which liquid flows. Connectors are provided for connection
to water systems. The heat exchanger is installed directly in the boiler flue gas venting
system. This surface enhances the looping of the liquid, creating a counter-flow system,
increasing the heat transfer from the flue gases to the water and increasing the heat flow. The
heat exchanger is connected to the chimney and flue gas system of the heat generator by
means of a direct installation in the draught diverter. The structure of the laboratory model to
perform the experiments is shown in Figure 1.

Fig. 1. Experimental installation of a condensing economizer

The nature of the operation of a condensing heat exchanger with a developed area can be
described as follows; when a gas-fired boiler is used to heat water for hot water supply up to
60 °C, high-temperature flue gases arise at an average outlet temperature of 80 °C[4]. The
flue gases pass through the draught diverter of the cast-iron atmospheric boiler and through

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the finned profile channels, where they increase the calorific value of the liquid flowing
through the corrugated stainless tubes with tcol = 20 °C (liquid from the HTW pipeline of the
building, which is slightly heated due to the passage through the heated rooms). The flue
gases are then inverted and discharged from the system into the chimney[8].
During the laboratory work, the following parameters were measured: temperature of
combustion products at the heat generator outlet - tvhcot °C, temperature of hot gases after the
economizer - tvhek °C, total fluid flow through the heat generator - Lvod m3/h, fluid flow
through the economizer - Lek m3/h, fluid temperature after the economizer - tvodpost.ec °C,
gas flow rate through the heat generator - B m3/h.
The following constant values were taken into account in calculations: fluid inlet
temperature to economizer - tcol=20 °C, net calorific value of natural gas at given composition
(Urengoi gas field) - Qrn=37310 KJ/m3.

3 Results
As a result, the study found that the proportion of heat energy received as a result of
condensation of water vapor from the heated gases to the total amount of energy given to the
fluid in the economizer was 15% and the proportion of heat energy from water vapor
deposition from combustion products in the economizer to the total energy from gaseous fuel
oxidized in the heat generator was 7%[9]. Such data are fully consistent with the data that
can be measured in energy efficient boilers, where the proportion is estimated to be between
7 % and 9 % at rated operation[10].
After performing an experiment with tube-in-tube economizer design [3], all the design
disadvantages of the previous model were taken into account, such as small contact of the
tube with liquid and the inner tube of the economizer, which reduced intensification of heat
exchange between the heated combustion products and the tube surface [12]. Other
disadvantages can be ascribed to a shortcoming of the heat transferring surface construction
itself, which caused poor flow around the tube by combustion gaseous fuel products and slow
removal of condensate drops from the heat exchange area and which led to surface drying
and increase in moisture content of flue gases[4]. In the new laboratory model all the
drawbacks of the old experiment were taken into account and in the new model similar
shortcomings are absent as the walls of the flue gas channels are vertical with trapezoidal ribs
that do not allow the condensate droplets to linger on the surface and increase the moisture
content of heated combustion products, reducing the efficiency of economizer. These
modifications allowed us to balance out the beneficial effects of the condensing boiler and
the economizer.

4 Discussion
Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that the use of an economizer with a
developed finned surface compared to a condensing heat generator is financially viable [2].

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For example, the price of condensing heat generator Buderus 38 kW capacity is 191 918
rubles, and the price of gas heat generator BUDERUS LOGANO G234 WS with atmospheric
burner partial premixed is 143 780 rubles, the price of condensing economizer, produced for
the customer in factory conditions is 10000 rubles[6].
The laboratory practice carried out allows us to conclude: the technological effect of these
two concepts is the same, however, the installation of the condensing economizer does not
require the mandatory use of low-temperature heat supply systems, whereas the economics
of the heat generator are greatly reduced when it is connected to an existing high-temperature
heating system[13]. If desired, the fluid heated in the condensing economizer can be utilized
for heating make-up water and cooling potable water heating in an indirect storage heat
exchanger, thus reducing the need to run the heat generator frequently for heating hot water
and saving fuel gas[10]. In addition, the heated fluid can be used as a heat transfer medium
for under-floor and wall heating, for which it is necessary to use an economizer with a larger
area and a smaller tube winding pitch. A version of the heat map for a gas-fired reconstructed
boiler house is shown in figure 2.

Fig. 2. An example of a thermal scheme for a gas-fired individual heating boiler with a condensing
economizer

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5 Conclusion
1. The problem of using condensing economizers in the construction of different types of
buildings and structures lies in the forthcoming expansion and adoption of a constructive
approach. It is established that the financial result of its operation will be achieved in the
initial year of its use, and the payback time of the installation is less than the one of the
condensing boiler.
2. The experimental dependencies found can be used to create a real production sample of
an economizer.
3. The methodology applied is effective for increasing the energy efficiency of heat
generating plants and for reducing emissions of carbon monoxide and high temperature
nitrogen oxides

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