Sacramento-The California Department of General Services (DGS) recently introduced a new natural gas boiler technology at its central heating and cooling plant in Sacramento that will significantly decrease pollutants.

 

"We're excited that our Central Plant is the host site for this first-of-its-kind demonstration project," said DGS Interim Director Cliff Allenby. "It promises to be an important part of the air pollution solution in Sacramento."

 

Retrofitting the plant's boiler with the "QLA Ultra Low NOx Burner" was done in cooperation with the California Air Resources Board (http://www.arb.ca.gov/newsrel/nr111899.htm), Southern California Gas Company, Gas Research Institute, and the Coen Company. The innovative natural gas burner design cools the burner flame resulting in a significant reduction in Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emissions, a major contributor to ozone pollution and photochemical smog. NOx emissions from the retrofitted boiler have been reduced some 70 percent (from 30 parts per million/PPM to 9PPM), the equivalent of 16 tons of emissions per year.

 

The Central Plant originally came on-line in 1968, and supplies steam and chilled water to heat and cool the Capitol and 22 other state office buildings in the downtown Sacramento area.