Boilers operating in every sector of industry, from food and beverage to petrochemicals and industrial plants, are facing the double challenge of rising running costs, most notably the cost of fuel, and the introduction of global legislation and standards demanding a reduction in carbon emissions.
Reducing carbon emissions has become a business imperative.
With years of experience in the boiler and burner industry, Combustion Technology director, Grant Renecle, addresses these day-to-day challenges with the latest innovative products.
“The innovative technology and customized turnkey solutions that we offer customers play a huge role in bearing down their operational costs,” says Renecle. “Energy efficiency is the distinguishing factor at all boiler plants. It is also a questionable factor in South Africa with the country’s dependence on coal-fired boilers.”
How boiler management systems work
A boiler management system works in a similar way to a vehicle’s internal computer system. It monitors the engine’s performance and alerts the driver if it picks up any readings outside an acceptable range. Once aware of the problem, the driver can get assistance from a skilled mechanic.
Similarly, a boiler management system monitors the boiler’s functionality against specified parameters.
Boiler management services are critical in today’s environment. They provide real-time monitoring which is vital to understand how a boiler on a plant is performing.
For optimum efficiency, Combustion Technology’s boiler system interface enables 24/7 off-site monitoring. Monitoring the boiler plant’s performance and all the boiler’s key functions are standard features included in all the company’s containerised boiler rentals.
Remote monitoring
To ensure reliability and efficient performance, customers can track and monitor what is happening on-site in real-time, from the comfort of the office or home kilometres away from the plant.
The following functions are monitored:
- steam flow metering,
- water level control,
- fuel consumption compared to steam generation,
- fuel pressure,
- stack temperature,
- ideal emissions (O2, CO2, CO),
- tracking and monitoring of any element that interferes with production/output.
Built-in alarms alert engineers at Combustion Technology’s head office if setpoints drift off commissioned values. Immediate interventions maintain the highest efficiencies.
Fuel efficiency
Measuring real-time O2, CO and CO2 emission levels enables users to react immediately when fuel is being wasted and where and when problems arise. Monitoring the changing ambient conditions, the varying calorific values (CVs) and the conditioning of fuel, are all critical factors in an efficient operation.
“It is our commitment to deliver solutions that are real. Energy efficiency does not just happen on paper. It has to reflect on a business’s balance sheet. We guarantee to do exactly that,” says Renecle.
The company’s Autoflame Mk8 and Mini Mk8 controllers can manage up to ten boilers at a time.
“Our solution ensures that the boiler works at continuous levels of efficiency, throughout the boiler and burner’s firing range. We guarantee that our products and service achieve this and that saves our clients’ money,” says Renecle.
In testimonials, customers say that their business “has benefited from the monthly boiler management service reporting with key findings. Features that stand out are water temperature alerts, burner service reminders, monitoring and reporting of all key sensor values (stack temperatures) and if cleaning is required”.
The company is regarded as an excellent partner and at least one customer testifies to them helping to reduce their annual fuel consumption on an HFO-fuelled boiler.
Customers say that they find the boiler functionality and planned maintenance reporting in terms of boiler and burner performance very useful and that the service engineers who have excellent product and technical knowledge, are very quick to respond to site deviations.
“We have proven cost-savings and efficiency time and again,” says Renecle, citing a customer reporting a fuel saving of 30 – 40% in a month.
Contact us on:
+27 21 715 3171
info@combustiontechnology.co.za