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Flue gas and stack draft

From fuel, firing rate and O₂, find how much gas leaves the boiler or furnace, the temperature at which it condenses and whether the stack has enough draft or needs an ID fan.

Pre-sizing and estimating tool: results do not replace design, calculations or reports signed by a licensed professional, nor verification against the applicable codes and standards.

Pre-sizing
Fuel and firing

Fuel energy entering the burner or furnace. An 18,000 lb/h steam boiler fires about 6,000 kW (20 MMBtu/h).

Stack

Required draft: suction the furnace, economizer and breeching need at the stack base. Forced-draft boilers with a pressurized furnace may use zero.

—Actual flue gas flow in the stack
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Draft versus stack height

Natural draft, friction and fitting losses and the net draft available at the base, for the diameter entered.

Tap the chart to see the values.

Flue gas volume versus O₂

Excess air increases gas flow, velocity and stack heat loss.

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Method, assumptions and references

Equations used

Theoretical air: A0 = (2.664 C + 7.937 H + 0.998 S − O) ÷ 0.2314; excess air EA = O₂ ÷ (20.9 − O₂); A = A0 (1 + EA)
Products per kg: CO₂ = 3.664 C; H₂O = 8.936 H + moisture + 0.01 A; SO₂ = 1.998 S; N₂ = 0.7686 A + N; O₂ = 0.2314 A0 EA; Nm³ = Σ(mi ÷ Mi) × 22.414
Actual flow: Q = QN × (Tg ÷ 273.15) × (101,325 ÷ p_local); p_local from the ISO 2533 standard atmosphere
Water dew point: Tsat(pH₂O) from IAPWS-IF97; acid dew point (Verhoff–Banchero): 1000 ÷ T = 2.276 − 0.0294 ln pH₂O − 0.0858 ln pSO₃ + 0.0062 ln pH₂O · ln pSO₃ (mmHg)
Draft: Δp = g H (ρair − ρg) − f (H ÷ D) ρg v² ÷ 2 − ΣK ρg v² ÷ 2; ID fan: P = Q · Δp_shortfall ÷ η

Assumptions and limits

  • Complete combustion, no CO or unburned fuel; combustion air carrying 0.01 kg of water per kg of dry air.
  • Gas at base temperature over the full height (no cooling along the stack); wall roughness of 1 mm (0.04 in).
  • Preliminary sizing for studies and budgeting. Final height and diameter depend on boiler design, the dispersion study and the air permit.

Standards and technical documents

  • EN 13384-1:2015+A1:2019: Chimneys — Thermal and fluid dynamic calculation methods — Part 1: Chimneys serving one heating appliance
  • ASHRAE Handbook — HVAC Systems and Equipment, chapter "Chimney, Vent and Fireplace Systems"
  • Verhoff, F. H.; Banchero, J. T. Predicting dew points of flue gases. Chemical Engineering Progress, 70(8), 1974
  • ISO 2533:1975: Standard Atmosphere
  • Baukal, C. E. (ed.). Industrial Combustion Pollution and Control. CRC Press

U.S. regulations

  • EPA 40 CFR Part 60, Subparts Db and Dc: standards of performance for industrial steam generating units
  • 40 CFR 51.100(ii): good engineering practice (GEP) stack height
  • EPA Method 1 and Method 2 (40 CFR Part 60, Appendix A): sampling sites and stack gas velocity

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate boiler flue gas flow?

Theoretical air comes from the fuel analysis, and measured O₂ gives the excess air. Adding CO₂, water, SO₂, N₂ and O₂ per kg (lb) of fuel and multiplying by the firing rate gives the flow in Nm³/h or scfm. Actual flow is larger because the gas is hot.

What is the minimum stack gas temperature?

With sulfur-bearing fuels, keep metal walls 18 to 36 °F above the acid dew point. With natural gas and biomass, the limit is usually the water dew point unless the stack is built for condensation.

When does a stack need an ID fan?

When natural draft, minus friction and fitting losses, cannot provide the suction the furnace and breeching require. An induced draft fan then makes up the difference.