Evaluation of the pollutant emissions from gas-fired water heaters. Project EP-1-23: analysis of flue products from gas-fired appliances

Book · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1977

OSTI ID:6741398

Thrasher, W H; Dewerth, D W

Emissions from 24 different domestic commercial and instantaneous water heaters of 12 different manufacturers were analyzed for CO, NO, NO/sub 2/, CH/sub 4/, C/sub 2/H/sub 4/ and total aliphatic aldehydes with well-adjusted and poorly adjusted new appliance burners. The studies showed that two instantaneous water heaters had the highest NO/sub x/ (as NO/sub 2/) emission factor (0.278 lbs NO/sub x//10/sup 6/ Btu), followed by three multiport burner commercial water heaters (0.194 lbs NO/sub x//10/sup 6/ Btu), the domestic water heaters (0.120 lbs NO/sub x//10/sup 6/ Btu) and finally a single port burner commercial unit (0.084 lbs NO/sub x//10/sup 6/ Btu). Water heaters generally appear to emit more NO/sub x/ than other gas appliances (furnaces, ranges) because of the water-backed heat exchanger and the almost universal use of multiport-type burners in water heaters. In addition to providing useful new data, these studies showed that burner type has a significant effect on the NO/sub x/ emission level. A single-port burner had the lowest level of NO/sub x/ emission at 0.09 lbs NO/sub x//10/sup 6/ Btu while an instantaneous type water heater with multiport burner was the highest NO/sub x/ emitter at 0.204 lbs NO/sub x//10/sup 6/ Btu. In addition, this work showed that the NO/sub x/ emission during yellow-flame operation (which simulated long field use with minimal maintenance) was slightly lower in NO/sub x/ and significantly higher in NO/sub 2/ emissions than blue-flame operation.

• OSTI ID: 6741398
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AIR POLLUTION
ALDEHYDES
ALKANES
ALKENES
APPLIANCES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON MONOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
CONSUMER PROTECTION
CRYOGENIC FLUIDS
ELECTRIC APPLIANCES
EMISSION
ENERGY SOURCES
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
ETHYLENE
EVALUATION
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
FURNACES
GAS APPLIANCES
GAS FUELS
GASES
HEATERS
HYDROCARBONS
INFRARED SPECTRA
METHANE
NATURAL GAS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN DIOXIDE
NITROGEN OXIDES
OPERATION
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
SPECTRA
STATIONARY POLLUTANT SOURCES
STOVES
WATER HEATERS