Danbury, CT – A boiler system functions as a critical component to the continuous operation of a facility. It is important to maintain safe, reliable, and efficient operation while minimizing any downtime of the boiler system to prevent disruption of operation and significant loss. A boiler system consists of many sub-systems working in harmony – the boiler, the burner and its controls, boiler […]
Considerations for Long Term Fuel Storage
–Joe Wallace, Danbury CT Many commercial and industrial facilities are required to have fuel oil bulk storage at their sites. Whether it is for heating applications or emergency power generation, the fuel must be available to use especially in mission critical operations, such as hospitals or data centers. If fuel oil is not your primary fuel or you […]
Automatic, Variable Ratio, Firing of a Blend of “Free” and Purchased Fuels
-Peter Lavelle, Danbury CT “Free” fuels are available from many processes: Digester Gas from wastewater treatment plants, Bio-Gas from agricultural and food processing plant waste, Hydrogen from chemical plants, Off-Gases from a Refinery, etc. The Challenge Firing these “free” fuels in a boiler, process heater, or engine-generator significantly reduces operating costs and can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. […]
“I know what Modbus is, but what is BACnet?”
-Rob Frohock See also: Modbus RTU verses Modbus TCP/IP: What’s the Difference? In industrial settings, Modbus is one of the oldest protocols for devices to communicate their data digitally to a central controller. It allows transmitters to send integer data to controllers…it allows controllers to send integer data to SCADAs…and it is very easy to use. BACnet is […]
Five Considerations for Pumping and Storing Liquid Biofuels
-Dan Wallace, Danbury, CT Why do you need to know about biofuel handling? End users, governments, and private enterprises are looking for ways to reduce carbon emissions while minimizing capital equipment costs, and the equipment impacted ranges from backup diesel generators to industrial boilers. While the customer needs for this fuel are becoming more pronounced, third party testing […]
Watchdog Circuits in Burner Management
-Howard Wells, Preferred Utilities, Danbury, CT Introduction Have you ever seen a PLC-based burner management system and wondered “Why are the inputs turning on and off every few seconds?” This “flashing” of the inputs is a type of error checking for the PLC discrete input channels and is required by NFPA 85 for all non-SIL3 rated PLC-based burner […]
The Importance of Sensing Lines to Performance of Boiler Room Instrumentation
-By David Eoff Sensing lines are everywhere in the modern plant, whether it be a boiler plant, refinery, chemical plant, or water treatment plant. Often the instrumentation problems that stump operators, contractors, and sometimes full-time service technicians are related to how sensing lines are installed and maintained. We’re going to examine some of the most common instruments that […]
Why Oxygen Trim Should Be Part of Your Boiler Room
by Joe Wallace Oxygen trim (O2 Trim) is a system that constantly monitors your boiler’s combustion. Unlike your car, your boiler has the ability to run properly without it, so what are the upsides to it? This system can adjust your air fuel ratio based on what it’s supposed to be and triggers alarms or lockouts should the […]
Letter to the Editor: Today’s Boiler May 2018: Warning–A Boiler Breakdown may be in your Future story
-Today’s Boilers This is a Letter to the Editor written by David Eoff of Preferred Utilities to Today’s Boiler regarding an article in the Spring 2018 edition called: Warning–A Boiler Breakdown may be in your Future story. “As Geoff Halley, the author of this article stated, the low water cutout switches that prevent a boiler from dry firing […]
Pressure Atomization vs. Air Atomization
While many boiler rooms and power plants have been swapping out old coal and oil-fired burners/boilers for natural gas and bio-fuels, there still will always be the need for oil burners/boilers in the world. With this need, come the multiple options of how to burn the oil. While there are many different variations, the two main methods of […]