Are there any fuel oil handling systems that don’t need return pumps? Are there any advantages to not having return pumps? While it is true that I have worked on system designs and executions that have not included return pumps, my general answer is “no,” there are not any advantages. And there are many different functional reasons why, […]
Lessons from an Oil Spill
Last summer a facility in Texas spilled 3,500 gallons of diesel fuel intended for one of their emergency generators. The fuel was pushed up through a day tank vent, ran across their parking lot, and into a pond adjacent to their property. The clean-up team recovered about 2,100 gallons of fuel out of the pond, but at a […]
Keeping the Data Flowing
What happened the last time your house lost power? That email you were writing might have had to wait an extra half an hour, and your refrigerator might have warmed a few degrees. At most, ordinary power outages represent a minor annoyance to the home or office. The situation is different at the massive data centers of the […]
Liquid Wood: The Renewable, Carbon-Neutral Fuel Alternative That Is Finally Ready to Burn
Discussions of sustainable energy don’t often include food flavorings. However, the same process that creates liquid smoke—the stuff you can buy at the grocery store to add a smoky flavor to just about anything—can produce liquid wood, a very environmentally friendly fuel. You may not have heard of liquid wood because, until very recently, it was quite difficult […]
NOx Emissions: Reduction Strategies
The Spring 2015 edition of Today’s Boiler magazine published Dr. Jianhui Hong’s article “NOx Emissions Reduction Strategies.” In the article Dr. Hong explains the importance of low NOx and provides solutions for complying with low NOx emissions regulations. He explains that “NOx is a term used to include two important air pollutants: NO (nitric oxide) and NO₂ […]
Preferred Utilities Featured in Today’s Boiler
Be sure to check out Preferred Utilities’ contributing article to Today’s Boiler written by Robert Frohock, PE. From “5 Things You Might Have Missed In NFPA-85″ “Reality isn’t always what you’d assume when it comes to boilers, their controls, and their plants. Several lesser-known aspects could prove useful, so take some time and crack the rest of the code.” You […]
![Draft Controls: Then and Now [Article]](https://www.thepyroscope.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/BurnerMate-Universal-Inside.jpg)
Draft Controls: Then and Now [Article]
By David Eoff Danbury, CT – In 1964, Preferred Instruments published an article in the Fuel Oil & Oil Heat magazine. During that time, draft controls were used primarily to control excess draft from tall chimneys and lower excess air to conserve fuel. (Heating oil was 25¢ a gallon in 1964!) Additional benefits included more reliable burner performance, reduced burner emissions, and increased […]