Ultra-clean condensing gas furnace enabled with acidic gas reduction
By Gao, Zhiming; Gluesenkamp, Kyle; Gehl, Anthony; Pihl, Josh; LaClair, Tim; Zhang, Mingkan; Sulejmanovic, Dino; Munk, Jeffrey; Nawaz, Kashif
Published in Energy
2022
Abstract
Natural gas furnaces are the most common space heating equipment in the U.S. residential and commercial building markets. However, current residential natural gas condensing furnaces generate substantial acidic condensate as well as significant emissions of sulfur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), and methane (CH4) contributing to environmental degradation of air, water, and soil. This paper describes a novel solution to reduce the environmental impact of natural gas condensing furnaces based on the technology of monolithic acidic gas reduction (AGR) catalyst for SOx trapping, NOx redox to nitrogen, and oxidation of formic acid, CO, HC, and CH4. This technology offers a new condensing natural gas furnace with both ultra-clean flue gas and neutral condensate. A prototype of the condensing gas furnace with the AGR component is demonstrated to have condensate with pH = 7, NOx emissions of 1–2 ng/J, and an annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) of 96%. The AGR component and the AGR-enabled furnace were tested for long-term reliability and durability, as well as for SOx storage and regeneration activity. In addition, this paper provides new data on measurements of the specific acidic gas content in natural gas condensing furnaces.