Brazing Finned Tubes Technology
Nickel-based brazing finned tube technology represents a significant breakthrough in power plant efficiency, particularly for deep retrofitting of low-pressure economizers. This innovation enhances heat exchange efficiency and reduces coal consumption through advanced design and material applications.
Market Context: Over the past two years, with coal prices exceeding ¥1,000 per ton, major power plants across China have actively sought energy-saving solutions, making nickel-based brazing finned tube technology highly sought-after due to its substantial economic benefits.
Current Applications: This technology has been successfully implemented in over a dozen power plants nationwide, with demand growing significantly in 2023.
Brazing Finned Tubes Economic Benefits
Energy Savings
- Installed at the tail end of boiler flues
- Reduces flue gas temperature from 130°C to 90-100°C
- Achieves 30-40°C temperature drop
- Saves 3-5g of standard coal per kWh
Economic Returns
- Example: 200MW power plant in Shandong (5,500 operating hours/year)
- Annual coal savings exceeding 4,000 tons
- Annual cost savings over ¥4 million
- Equipment investment recovered in just 1.5 years
Environmental Benefits
- 200MW unit reduces CO₂ emissions by 16,000 tons/year
- Equivalent to planting 900,000 trees
- Recovers 8-12 tons/hour of condensate water
- Complies with national energy conservation policies
Brazing Finned Tubes Technical Specifications & Production
Core Technical Advantages
Nickel-based brazing finned tube technology employs advanced vacuum brazing processes to create a metallurgical bonding layer between fins and base tubes, achieving near-zero thermal resistance for optimal heat transfer.
Technical Breakthrough: Through nickel-based brazing and diffusion layer technology, near-zero contact thermal resistance is achieved between fins and tubes, ensuring stable heat transfer, erosion resistance, and corrosion resistance.
Design Advantages: The finned tube heating surface significantly expands the economizers surface area, enabling compact and flexible layouts within the limited space of power plant flues, without requiring extensive infrastructure modifications.
Production Status
| Manufacturer | Production Capacity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Jiaozuo Guo Energy | 6 sets/year (300MW & 200MW units) | Output value ~¥900 million |
| Jiaozuo Zhongzhou | Expected 4 sets/year | Stable production |
| Tianjin Huaneng | Capacity unknown | Limited data available |
Supply Gap: Current production capacity falls significantly short of domestic power plant demands, with a supply gap exceeding 50%.
Finned Tube Technology Comparison
| Technical Parameter | Nickel-Based Brazing Finned Tubes | Conventional High-Frequency Welded Finned Tubes |
|---|---|---|
| Contact Thermal Resistance | ≈0 m²·K/W | 0.2~0.4 m²·K/W |
| Fly Ash Erosion Resistance | ＞15 Years | 5~8 Years |
| Low-Temperature Corrosion Resistance | Stable at pH 1~14 | Applicable at pH >5.5 |
| Heat Transfer Coefficient | 35~45 W/(m²·K) | 20~28 W/(m²·K) |
Finned Tube Market Outlook
Market Demand
- Product lifespan exceeds 10 years
- Driven by mandatory energy efficiency policies
- By 2025, flue gas temperature ≤100°C required for 300MW+ units
- Subsidy of ¥120-150 per ton of standard coal saved
Retrofit Potential
- 300MW units available for retrofit: 287
- 600MW units available for retrofit: 154
- Potential market value: ¥8.1 billion
- Huaneng Group plans to retrofit 42 units in 2024
Technical Collaborations
- Tsinghua University Thermal Engineering Institute
- Shandong University Energy College
- China Huaneng Clean Energy Technology
- Alexander Walter Environmental Engineering
- Jiangsu/Hangzhou Design Institutes
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