AHK
Senior Member
The steam which is created at the Enwave District Heating plants is distributed to the various buildings in their respective areas through their associated underground piping systems. The 'steam' or visible smoke which comes out of the chimneys is the result of the combustion in the boilers used to generate the steam. Over the past number of years, the primary fuel has been natural gas - which when burned creates the 'white smoke'. The main, but not the only byproduct of natural gas combustion is water, in the form of steam. There is also an amount of carbon based exhaust - carbon monoxide / carbon dioxide, along with any other trace impurities which were present in the natural gas when it was burned - but which are not generally visible within the steam exhaust.
The Pearl Street plant in particular can, or used to be able to, burn oil. Those times when oil was used as the source fuel, there was a distinctly black smoke emitted from the chimney - oil has a much higher ratio of carbon to hydrogen than natural gas and its associated products - propane, butane, etc.
I have not seen the Pearl Street plant using oil for a number of years now - originally the choice between fuels was basically economic - whichever was the less expensive at the time. I think that in this day and age, the increased pollution effects of using oil to fire the district heating plants would be very much discouraged for policy reasons.
The Pearl Street plant in particular can, or used to be able to, burn oil. Those times when oil was used as the source fuel, there was a distinctly black smoke emitted from the chimney - oil has a much higher ratio of carbon to hydrogen than natural gas and its associated products - propane, butane, etc.
I have not seen the Pearl Street plant using oil for a number of years now - originally the choice between fuels was basically economic - whichever was the less expensive at the time. I think that in this day and age, the increased pollution effects of using oil to fire the district heating plants would be very much discouraged for policy reasons.
Last edited:
