Which is More Energy Saving? A Steam Boiler or a Thermal-Oil Heater？

Steam boiler vs thermal oil heater is arguably the most commonly used boiler system. However, many individuals face when choosing between the two boilers because of uncertainties concerning their energy-saving capabilities. Fortunately, this post provides information that will help you eliminate such doubts by answering some critical questions.

What exactly does energy saving mean?

Recently, the ability to save energy is one of the essential features of any boiler.  For the last four decades, Yongxing has excelled in producing the best energy-saving boilers in the industry. But, most current and prospective customers do not know what ‘saving energy’ means in an industrial boiler context. So, what exactly is an energy-saving boiler?

We can say that an energy-saving boiler retains more energy and puts it to good use. Still, one boiler may use more energy to generate heat and use less energy to transfer the heat. Another boiler may use less energy to create heat and more power for the transference of the heat.

A genuinely efficient energy-saving boiler produces maximum energy output with minimum energy input. Let us look at the more energy-saving option between Steam boiler vs thermal oil heater.

1. How Is The Working Of A Steam Boiler System?

Generally speaking, a steam boiler works through a complex ignition reaction that stems from the combination of fuel and air. First, the flame gravitates into top-of-the-line tubes that are underwater. Next, the thermal energy from the combustion process diffuses from the submerged pipe to the water. When this happens, liquid water transforms into steam.

A steam boiler system’s downside is its susceptibility to corrosion. A mixture of oxygen, blistering water, and other responsive noxious waste has a high probability of corroding steam boiler parts. Its inefficiencies may also quickly escalate when scale and mineral deposits accumulate on the surface of the boiler.

However, if you choose Yongxing’s boilers, you don’t have to worry about such inconveniences.  Our products come with a comprehensive manual that guides you on conducting frequent maintenance to eradicate such deposits. All you need to do is follow the guidelines and ensure that you carry out the steam boiler cleaning regularly.

2. What Is Your Thermal Oil Heating Design?

Our thermal oil heating design is based mainly on the customer’s commercial needs. Yongxing’s ultimate goal is to ensure that our boiler serves all your needs optimally. As a result, we have top-of-the-line thermal oil boilers characterized by innovative fluid and easy handling procedures.

At Yongxing, we have an infinite number of thermal oil boiler system designs. Our technical team will help pick out the best structure that suits your facility. At the very least, your steam boiler design comprises oil heater manufacturers and a pump expansion tank. Nonetheless, the general critical components of the thermal oil boiler include piping, flanges, gaskets, valves, pumps, and insulation.

A thermic fluid oil boiler spawns energy from the sizzling byproducts of ignition by firing over a helical coil. The boiler attains this by igniting the loop via particle emission and convection. The coil is responsible for firing up the fluid that goes through the oil boiler. Dissimilar to the steam-based boiler, this thermic process does not exert a great deal of pressure on the system.

Figure 1: A general diagram depicting the design of our thermal oil boiler

Yongxing thermic fluid boiler is almost constantly less expensive to operate and maintain. This is because it does not require high pressure, and it is safe. Other noticeable benefits of this boiling system include the absence of corrosion, lime deposits, and scale.

Furthermore, you don’t necessarily need any makeup water or efficacy exhausting steam traps for your thermal oil boiler. Also, you have to note that thermal oil systems enable you to operate at high temperatures at low pressures. Essentially, the operating conditions revolve around 300⁰ Celsius with organic thermal oils and 420⁰ Celsius with certain synthetics.

3. Thermal oil boilers vs. Steam oil boilers

To determine a boiler’s efficiency, you need to account for the stack, radiation, and convection losses. The factors listed below have a considerable impact on such readings and, ultimately, the energy-saving capacity of a boiler. By drawing comparisons between these factors, we shall help you determine which option is better in steam boiler vs thermal oil heater

• Comparison of corrosion resistance

As I mentioned earlier, steam boilers are prone to corrosion, but thermal oil heating systems are completely non-corrosive. Generally, corroded boiler parts harm their energy-saving capacity. So, in this regard, I think it is safe to say that a thermal oil boiler is better than a steam boiler.

Because water is a corrosive liquid, you have to treat it with several chemicals before using it in your steam boiling system. These chemicals have to be constantly supervised and controlled for the system to function correctly. You don’t have to worry about chemical regulation with hot oil boilers. The thermal heating fluid circulates in a loop throughout the design and does not require chemical control.

• Comparison of functionality under icy conditions

During winter, there is a significant chance that you will experience considerable problems with your boiler. The seriousness of such issues is heavily dependent on the type of boiler you’ve invested in. Generally, a steam-based boiler is more vulnerable to freezing temperatures that can cause critical damages to its components than a thermic fluid boiler.

Steam boilers require frequent maintenance of all critical components, including expansion joints and steam valves, especially during the winter. Even if freezing doesn’t damage the boiler’s components, defrosting and preparing the boiler for restarting causes expensive delays.  With a thermal oil boiler, you don’t necessarily have to worry about the negative consequences of icy conditions. Thermic boilers are more resistant to freezing than steam boilers.

• Comparison of boiler Operating Pressure

Steam boiler systems generate a high level of pressure, which rises exponentially as the temperature of the steam rises. All of your equipment in thermal fluid heating systems is non-pressurized or low pressure. This reduces the risk of dangerous explosions in your facility and eliminates the need for a dedicated operator, which most jurisdictions require.

What significance does the variation between the operating pressures of these boilers have on their overall energy saving capacity? Generally, high operating pressure translates to heightened energy loss. So, since the operating pressure of a thermal oil boiler is lower than that of a steam boiler, a thermal oil boiler system saves more energy.

• Comparison of operating temperature

When it comes to energy-saving efficiency, the operating temperature of a boiler is critical. A thermal oil heating system operates at elevated temperatures because sizzling oil has an advanced boiling point than water. Furthermore, thermal fluids can perform optimally at these overwhelming temperatures without additional pressure build-up on the system. So does a thermal oil boiler’s capacity to operate at a higher temperature mean it saves more energy than a steam boiler?

Boiler flue gas temperature measures the combustion gasses’ degree of hotness when exiting the boiler. What impact do they have on the overall energy saving capacity of the boiler? High flue gas temperature automatically translates to minimal energy-saving power.

Thermal oil boilers are famous for high-temperature energy generation processes. However, an industry-wide study recently revealed that the combustion gas temperature of a thermal oil boiler typically revolves around 350⁰ Celsius. This is way above the combustion gas temperatures of a steam boiler which often revolves around 200⁰ Celsius. An elevated flue gas temperature indicates that much energy produced during the combustion process is lost.

4. Which boiler wins in terms of energy-saving capacity?

Upon comparing a thermal oil boiler vs. a steam oil boiler, it’s clear that a thermal oil boiler is the wins. The critical reason thermal oil boilers win is that they can operate at high temperatures while maintaining low pressures. This feature is pretty helpful in energy conservation. Other reasons behind the thermal oil boiler’s superiority in energy conservation include;

• Optimum functionality under extreme conditions
• Resistance to corrosion which is a pivotal contributor to energy loss
• Low operating pressure even under extreme temperature.

While water can freeze, causing problems and hazards in boiler systems, thermal heating fluid will not. Another advantage of hot oil heating systems is that it eliminates the safety hazards and system operation issues that cold temperatures can cause.

Steam boiler SZL capacity datasheet

Oil Gas Fired Thermal Oil Boiler technical datasheet

5. Critical features of Yongxing’s thermal-oil boilers

Since our inception, Yongxing has strived to deliver unrivalled quality boilers. In our endeavour to satisfy your thermic oil boiler quality needs, we have incorporated several critical features, including;

• Our thermal boiler supports a cutting-edge regulation mechanism to regulate the medium with elevated heat efficiency and facilitate easy maintenance.
• Our manufacturing team develops boilers with compact structures to save the boiler’s floor space and promote maximum efficiency.
• Our thermic boilers have top-of-the-line automatic detection, regulation, and a linkage alarm system. You don’t have to operate the boiler on a duty basis, saving you some workforce.
• Yongxing’s thermal boiler’s heating system is pretty simple and doesn’t need water treatment. This feature helps to cut down your investment costs.
• The thermic boiler has an efficiency-promoting coil structure, ample heating surface, and an unparalleled energy-saving capacity.
• The air-preheater at the end of Yongxing’s thermic boiler elevates its overall efficiency.

6. What Are Your Thermal Oil Boilers Advantages?

For several decades, we have established a strong reputation as one of China’s leading steam boiler companies. Thermal oil boilers are relatively new entrants to the boiler market. Still, I can assure you that Yongxing is one of China’s leading thermal oil boiler manufacturers. Just as you’ve trusted us for quality steam boilers for several decades, you can count on us for top-quality thermic boilers.

Our thermal oil boiler can produce more energy than any other boiler manufactured by our competitors. Also, our thermic oil boiler is relatively less costly than other boilers and is maximally durable.

Do you have concerns about the sufficiency of your thermal boiler installation space?

If the answer is yes, we are the right company to deal with. Our experienced, dedicated, and highly professional technicians will help select the best thermal fluid boiler design that suits your space.

Frankly, this is the primary reason you should choose to invest in Yongxing’s products. We are always willing to go far and beyond to ensure that we satisfy all your needs.

7. Why You Should Choose Yongxing’s  Steam Boiler And Thermal Oil Boilers?

We’ve uncovered that a thermal oil boiler has a better energy-saving capacity than a steam boiler. What does this mean to you? It means that it would be best to go for a thermal oil boiler most of the time. However, the thermal option is not always the best choice. If your commercial needs call a massive sum of energy at a go, a steam boiler is an ideal option.

Most of your customers often consider the biomass pellet boiler prices when choosing an ideal boiler. At Yongxing, we are keen on delivering quality over the price point. Consequently, our technical team will review all your needs from an expert perspective before advising you on the most appropriate option. Of course, you also have to note that our consultation services are free of charge.

Also, if you desire to visit our factory and check out our boilers, we can easily arrange that for you. Our boiler factory is in China’s Henan province, Taikang industrial Zone in Zhoukou City. If you are travelling from overseas, you don’t have to worry about getting lost. Our dedicated staff will pick you up from the airport and give you a deluxe tour of our boiler factory and a look at all our products.

Yongxing boasts of over 40 years of experience in the boiler manufacturing and supply industry. Our vast experience has taught us that time is a valuable commodity in the commercial world.

Therefore, you can rest that we can deliver your thermal oil boiler or steam boiler within thirty days. Without a doubt, our delivery timeline is one of the best delivery timelines in the industry.

Contact us now to get them immediately.