PARAT IEH Electrode Boiler (photo: PARAT Halvorsen)

PARAT Halvorsen AS, Norwegian supplier of steam and heat energy systems for land-based industries, shipping and offshore applications, will demonstrate its innovative technology at this year’s prestigious All-Energy Exhibition 2018 which will be staged at Glasgow’s SEC Centre in early May. The move is a key step in the company’s strategy to target the UK energy market during 2018 and follows a string of order successes across Europe.

“We believe there is tremendous potential for our high-voltage electrode boilers in the UK market and the All-Energy show provides a great opportunity for us, both in the exhibition and at the conference. The timing could not be better,” declares Martin Løvland, Technical Director of PARAT Halvorsen, who has been closely involved in the development of the company’s latest boiler systems.

The company’s boiler technology has a wide range of applications – from grid frequency regulation at a national or regional level, to the effective use of surplus energy at individual industrial facilities and offshore installations. Companies which have a periodic requirement for high levels of power must often pay for this requirement all the time even though their normal power needs may be far less. PARAT Halvorsen’s boiler systems enable them to use surplus energy for other needs, or potentially make it available to third parties.

Løvland explains that power regulations are complex and vary widely from one country to another, but energy generating companies have faced similar challenges recently. Before, their concern was to have enough energy available to meet spikes in power demand. Now, their challenge is what to do with the surplus power that is often available when demand is low. Governments also want to make the most of energy generated from sustainable sources, whatever the prevailing level of energy demand.

“Our boilers provide an effective means of harnessing surplus power during periods of low energy demand. They ensure that conventional power generating installations continue to operate at stable load, without time-consuming and expensive shutdowns or the need to start big generators to offload surplus power for no good reason,” says Løvland. “It also makes sense to make the most of sustainable energy sources such as wind, sun and waves, rather than turn off such supplies when energy demand is low. As one of the leading renewable energy markets in Europe, but also with a significant supply of fossil fuel-based traditional power generation capacity, the UK is a fantastic opportunity for us.”

Customers’ requirements are usually quite specific and individual applications vary, but Løvland stresses that the company’s boilers are very adaptable to system needs. Recent installations in Europe have included a 10MW high-voltage electrode boiler for A2A Calore & Servizi, Italy’s largest district heating company. The boiler, due to start operation at the end of January 2018, will be used for peak load and grid regulation in Milan. Meanwhile, the Czech Republic’s first electrode boiler was recently commissioned in Škoda Energy’s power-to-heat system at a thermal power station in Mladá Boleslav. The 15MW PARAT Halvorsen boiler feeds heat into the district heating system and provides a buffer during peak loads in the public power grid.

PARAT Halvorsen electrode boilers themselves are notable for their “green” characteristics. Their compact design means a small footprint, even for the largest units. They generate no pollution, use only water to make steam and heat and have no moving parts. They are therefore cheap to operate and have long operating lives. The boilers, which are available in a power range from 5MW to 60MW and voltages from 6 to 24 kV, can be fired up to operate at full capacity in just 30 seconds, making them an instant solution for unforeseen power requirements.

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