Winter is coming! Thinking of your boiler replacement? Well, half of the UK is checking and replacing their boilers, if not you! The fact is boiler replacement is essential for saving energy and money, and the latest combi boilers with nanotechnology are just acing the path.
If you are wondering, how much the new boiler cost is going to affect your piggy bank, this article will help you to explore the cost of replacing a conventional boiler with a cutting-edge boiler powered by Nanotechnology.
If you are habituated to using a conventional boiler or biomass boiler; then the average price you are paying is £660-£2,750 [conventional boiler] and £4,000-£12,000 [biomass boiler]. However, if you are planning to install a combi boiler, then the price will be cut down to £500-£3,000.
Using nanotechnology in a boiler is a game changer and this is a green technology too! If you are not aware, most of the UK households are going to rely on boilers powered by nanotechnology soon. The future is here already, it is just not evenly distributed and therefore you need to learn the power of nanotechnology that can help in heat transfer enhancement in boilers.
How Does Nanotechnology Aid Boiling Heat Transfer Enhancement?
Many research papers are now published in support of the fact that nanotechnology can aid boiling heat transfer enhancement.
According to Chen et al [Department of Mechanical Engineering City University of Hong Kong], "Commonly-used nanotechnologies for boiling heat transfer are nanofluid and nanoscale surface modification. The fundamental mechanism is that nano-products can change the thermal properties of the heating surface or the working fluid, which eventually leads to better boiling heat transfer performance.".
According to another Conference paper, "Pool boiling heat transfer mechanism is a general phenomenon for understanding the heat flux enhancement. In this case, micro/nano surface modification over the plain surface play vital role for enhancement of heat flux."
In simple words, the fact is that a modified surface with nanotechnology can conduct heat better than the conventional technology we are using so far. Moreover, using nanotechnology will help in cutting the cost of the boiler.
UK's prominent boiler-selling companies are now throwing money into this nanotechnology development and mass production of boilers. We can hope that UK households are soon going to enjoy this green energy, which is efficient in every way.
Will Nanotechnology Help To Cut The Cost?
"With the advancement of nanotechnology, nanoscale surface modifications and nanofluids have shown great boiling enhancement potential." [Chen et al]
The research states that using a nanoscale surface [surface treated with copper nanotubes] can increase 30-fold of bubble generation than the untreated surface.
Boiling is an actual process of transferring heat. If you succeed in boiling liquids with less power, you are definitely saving some good money. Moreover, installing a boiler with a nanoscale surface will require less maintenance.
"If you can boil water using 30 times less energy, that's 30 times less energy you have to pay for," - Nikhil A. Koratkar [associate professor in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic].
Hence, it can be assumed that adapting nanotechnology for the new boilers will be a game changer for the users as well as for the environment.
The Environmental Impact Of Nanotechnology
Protect the environment! When it comes to new energy technology, this is the first cry out!
Well, the industry is now currently putting more weight on saving the environment than ever before. When it comes to nanotechnology, it is proven that if nanomaterials are used wisely, then it can make the world a better place.
For instance, nanomaterials and nanobots have already shown a powerful impact on waste management, providing clean energy solutions and even designing medicines. And now, you can use the very same nanotechnology in boilers to create better and energy-efficient boilers for households.
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are created by the scientists for remediation of water. Zero-valent iron (ZVI), silver nanoparticles, and zero-valent iron (ZVI), silver nanoparticles are now used as photocatalysts to oxidize organic pollutants and generate harm-free substances.
Another popular technology is nanofiltration. This technology is already available in households to filter water in a better way. In fact, nanotechnology can also be used to treat water with oil spills!
Making nanotechnology-powered boilers is just a matter of time as research works around the world are showing the feasibility of this technology. Cutting costs with nanotechnology boilers is now just a matter of time.
Conclusion
Now that winter is approaching, households are making their moves, or should we say making smart choices to replace old conventional boilers with new ones. You could be confused too as there are many options when it comes to choosing boilers such as electric combi, electric, gas, and biomass boilers. However, as the rumour is on the air there is some good progress on nanotechnology-aided boiling heat transfer enhancement. In simple words nanotechnology-aided boilers are now around the corner, It's time to be wise!
* This is a contributed article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of sciencetimes.com
