With a requirement for new steam boilers with increased capacity, higher efficiency and more eco-friendly emissions when expanding their operations at a second facility in Romania, Universal Alloy Corporation had no hesitation in turning to heat transfer specialist Fulton, the supplier of steam boiler solutions already installed at its facilities in Romania and Vietnam.
Heat transfer specialist Fulton has supplied, assisted with installation and commissioned two gas-fired, horizontal RBC3000 steam boilers for Romania-based Universal Alloy Corporation (UAC), a manufacturer and fabricator of high-strength, hard alloy extrusions for aircraft structures or where precision-engineered products are critical. This is UAC’s second Fulton installation in Romania – at an all-new facility built to cope with increased demand from the airline industry – and third installation across its sites in Europe and Vietnam.
In accordance with strict Romanian regulations on the installation of new plant equipment, including steam boilers, as the OEM Fulton had to be in attendance at the system testing stage, ensuring reliable, maintainable steam could be provided ahead of a planned visit by several prestigious UAC customers. This meant that Fulton’s engineering services supplied support from the UK and, in line with current COVID-19 guidelines, had to self-isolate for two weeks following the test-fire visit.
Under normal operating conditions, the two RBC steam boilers at the new Romanian facility are setup for N+1, with steam being used to heat water in several large vessels via coils, with the water being used for quenching purposes during component processing. Steam is also being passed through coils for a heater-dryer system at the end of the same processing line.
For the steam boilers supplied to UAC, Fulton partnered with renowned burner manufacturer Weishaupt and supplied the RBCs with two low-NOx, fully-modulating burners and reconfigured the boiler steam outlet nozzles to run at just 2 bar. The use of a Siemens high integrity digital burner management sytsem means the boilers are capable of achieving at least 7:1 turndown, something not always achievable from large horizontal firetube boilers.
Additionally, unlike typical gas pressures in the UK of approximately 20 mbar or 60 mbar on the continent, the supply at UAC’s site in Romania was 1.6 bar, so Fulton and Weishaupt provided an over-protection rig for the gas components in the gas train. While the gas supply to the gas train is now regulated to 95 millibar, the over-protection rig ensures that a slam-shut system is enabled should the gas pressure exceeds 180 millibar, completely negating any possible component damage.
In addition to November’s test-firing visit, two of Fulton’s engineers visited Romania in September to service the RBC boiler at UAC’s original facility and commission the two boilers at the new plant. Again, both engineers followed COVID-19 guidelines on self-isolating when returning to the UK.
Both visits also provided an opportunity for the training of key boiler operators at UAC’s new manufacturing facility which, as well as the usual instruction and guidance, also ensured that operators were educated on the start-up procedures in both low fire hold and auto modulation modes for these particular boilers
Offering higher capacities than the 2500 kg/h maximum for its VSRT range of vertical boilers, with outputs to 4787 kg/h and a maximum working pressure of 10.34 bar, Fulton’s RBC range can be specified with matched multi-stage oil, modulating gas or dual-fuel burners as standard, with other burners available on request. The boilers are constructed to BS12953 standard, meet current and anticipated legislation and have been engineered to provide a substantial performance margin.
For further information on Fulton’s horizontal RBC and vertical VSRT steam boilers, call +44 (0)117 972 3322, email sales@fulton.co.uk or visit www.fulton.co.uk.
In this article, Fulton’s aftercare and business development manager Jeff Byrne takes a look at technical boiler house risk assessments, from their legalities to the potential savings that can be achieved.
It is strongly advised that all companies with a steam boiler have a technical risk assessment in place for its boilers and boiler house. It is required by law under the Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and is necessary to comply with the requirements of SAFed document BG01, HSE INDG 436 and HSE INDG 417 Rev1, under which steam or hot water plant should be operated.
Why do you need a Technical Boiler House Risk Assessment?
Besides the legal requirement, a faulty steam boiler brings with it the risk of a steam explosion. With significant stored energy, failure of steam (or pressurised hot water boiler plant) can produce a similar level of destruction and/or devastation as a bomb, potentially causing catastrophic damage, serious injury and possibly multiple fatalities. With around 100 pressure vessel failures and at least one fatality per annum in the UK (HSE RIDDOR 2014), the importance of a technical boiler house risk assessment (TBHRA) cannot be overstated.
So, a TBHRA is therefore essential for owners, operators and managers to ensure that staff are aware of the risks and their responsibilities for the safe operation and management of industrial steam and hot water boiler plant. It is also likely to be the first thing a HSE inspector would ask to see in the event of an inspection.
A TBHRA is also a vital link in the safety chain to identify risk and develop measures to mitigate those risks, thus ensuring the safety of all involved with the plant.
We simply cannot stress the importance of the TBHRA enough, because non-compliance with the law can result in substantial fines and the likelihood of a custodial sentence in the event of serious injury or a fatality.
The Fulton approach to TBHRAs
Fulton’s method with the TBHRA requirement is to take a very collaborative approach with its clients; and use only experienced steam boiler and steam system engineers with over 60 years’ knowledge of not just steam boilers, but steam, water and condensate systems.
This highly-experienced team will scrutinise and photograph every area of risk and will produce a full report proposing and prioritising mitigation measures. This will give owners, operators and managers peace of mind that their plant may be operated safely and that all relevant guidance and legislation is supported once any identified hazards are rectified.
What are the typical findings of a TBHRA?
Unlike a vehicle MOT, a TBHRA does not pass or fail a steam system, but instead highlights hazards and the potential risk and then proposes measures to rectify any issues.
According to INDG 436 “a risk assessment does not need to include excessive detail”, but issues highlighted can include boiler specification, location, operation and condition, poor record keeping, lack of suitable/relevant training or trained operator absence cover, shortage of plant drawings and manuals, control system reliability, ventilation issues, poor/no suitable operational procedures, water quality issues, etc.
Beyond the TBHRA?
Once its assessment is completed and delivered, there is no commitment by the customer to involve Fulton in any post-assessment remedial works. But the document does highlight areas of the steam system that require attention and will prioritise the risk they pose from high priority (red) to lower priority (green). The assessment must also be made available to the boiler operator and, in the event of the sale of equipment, the new owner/operator.
However, unlike a MOT, a TBHRA is a live document that should be updated on an ongoing basis when any changes or modifications affecting the operation of a boiler occurs. This can include personnel changes, additional training, physical changes including boiler/burner upgrades, legislation amendments, etc.
Fulton can offer support to the customer once the TBHRA has been completed, or during or after the annual review. This support can be provided onsite or via telephone or video conference assistance once the review is completed.
A TBHRA also offers excellent value for money because it not only highlights areas of potential risk for owners, operators and managers, but can also identify where enhancements to the steam system could lead to improved energy efficiency. For example, the cost to replace an old, inefficient or dangerous burner could easily be offset within a few years by the fuel savings achieved through the upgrade.
For further information on Fulton’s technical boiler house risk assessment package, call the office on +44 (0)117 972 3322, email aftercare@fulton.co.uk or visit www.fulton.co.uk.
With its management team constantly reviewing the performance of the wider market and current economic climate – which are showing signs that capital expenditure has dropped by approximately 40% [Monetary Policy Report August 2020] – heat transfer specialist Fulton has taken the unprecedented decision to introduce an initiative to cut the gross margin on its VSRT steam boiler to ensure that customers from key sectors, including the NHS and food & beverage processing, will benefit from its scheme.
Commenting for Fulton, managing director Carl Knight says: “Given the exceptional nature of recent events and the struggle many businesses find themselves in, we have decided to launch an initiative designed to help the many key sectors that have themselves been assisting the wider population during the recent COVID-19 pandemic.
“We know from a recent surge in demand for servicing and maintenance that many of our customers in these sectors are operating steam boilers that are ageing and, in some cases, need replacing; and others who need to expand their capabilities and facilities to meet current demand. However, we also appreciate that current trading conditions mean capital budgets have been affected, so opportunities to purchase new capital equipment is restricted.
“To assist these key sectors, Fulton has therefore taken the decision to sacrifice the gross margin on all models from its VSRT steam boiler range for the remainder of 2020. Additionally, with many other businesses struggling as a result of other sectors being impacted or shut down since March, we are extending these discounts to all of our customers!”
Fulton’s new scheme and the discounts on offer do come with some caveats, which include:
- Discounts apply to the cost of the VSRT steam boiler and excludes ancillary equipment and/or the full project value
- The order must be placed and paid for in full before 31st December 2020 with a Vesting Certificate being provided on receipt of the Final Payment. The discounted amount will be taken from the final payment balance
- The ordered boiler must be delivered or collected before the 31st March 2020. However, we will provide warehousing free of charge until this date
With outputs from 160 to 4,000 kg/h, Fulton’s VSRT is claimed to be the most radical change to vertical steam boiler design since the company pioneered the vertical tubeless boiler in 1949! It boasts industry-leading performance with up to 86% gross efficiency from a fully-water-backed design with no refractory; its architecture makes it durable and reliable, with up to 10:1 turndown through its fully-modulating burner; and, with a mesh burner and furnace designed as a single component, achieves typical NOx emissions of less than 20ppm.
For further information on the offer, please call the Fulton sales office on +44 (0)117 972 3322 or email sales@fulton.co.uk.
Process steam and heat transfer specialist Fulton has launched SCOPE, an all-new, PLC-based boiler sequencing control system that can optimise installations to ensure energy efficient operation and improve boiler longevity.
With many facilities operating multiple boilers for their processes, SCOPE is a universal control system suitable for sequencing up to four steam boilers, which can be retrofitted to existing vertical and horizontal fuel-fired boiler installations, including Fulton’s own range of existing and planned products and those manufactured by other boiler OEMs.
Commenting for Fulton, managing director Carl Knight says: “Using SCOPE’s intelligent sequencing to provide redundancy and reliability, significant savings can be made by automating start-up and shut-down procedures, controlling and optimising main steam header pressure or temperature, ensuring steam supply is controlled precisely for the required process and balancing the load distribution across the boilers, thus eliminating extensive losses from repeated start/stop cycling of burners.”
At launch, SCOPE features a high-definition touch screen used for system programming and displaying boiler status, with values presented including firing rate, fault history, TDS value logging. SCOPE also allows remote access so service engineers can review boiler status and/or alarm conditions and control system functionality according to process demand.
Additional features include lead/lag control of up to four boilers; multiple setpoints for lead, assist lag and banked control; steam header pressure monitoring with low/high alarm warning facility; automatic changeover of banked/lag boiler in the event of a fault or increased steam demand; automated slow-opening steam valve control to assist safe operation of boiler priority, emergency steam valve and/or boiler shutdown; hot-well temperature control; and boiler status, steam flow and hot-well tank temperature logging.
For further information on SCOPE email sales@fulton.co.uk, call +44 (0)117 972 3322 or click www.fulton.co.uk.
As a leading heat transfer specialist, Fulton is all too aware of the effect that COVID-19 has had on its customers and the wider industry and appreciates that many steam boilers have been shut down during this period. So, when operations are ready to resume, businesses need to make sure its boilers and steam systems are ready too and meet the Health & Safety requirements and operational demands required of its processes.
Fulton’s advice prior to restarting is that an initial steam boiler and system assessment is undertaken to ensure that steam processes or manufacturing operations restart without risk to personnel or the business in general.
To assist its customers, Fulton is therefore offering a Restarting Workplace Pressure Systems Safely package consisting of:
This service is available for all fuel-fired and electric steam boilers, including those from and installed by other manufacturers, but Fulton needs to consider boiler and system size before quoting. A discount is available for new and existing service contract holders.
For further information, please email service@fulton.co.uk or call the office on +44 (0)117 972 3322.
Having moved from a facility that was too small and would have been uneconomical to upgrade, the overriding requirements for Elis’ new, state-of-the-art Southampton-based facility were to increase and future-proof throughput by increasing capacity as and when required. Protecting their investment was also paramount, so manufacturer-backed aftercare solutions were also key to the long-term plan.
The existing facility used a combination of indirect steam from a horizontal steam boiler and steam-heated ironers and dryers during the laundry process. But with the new multi-service flat linen plant – which services the Southern region hospitality and healthcare industry – came a new approach for Elis and, because the company processes laundry for the healthcare sector amongst others, they instead opted for a heat transfer system that would pre-heat water for the washing machines to a minimum of 72 degrees centigrade by directly injecting steam into the water supply.
A number of steam raising methods and manufacturers were considered in the original tender, but, with a requirement for an energy-efficient boiler with a small footprint, Elis subsequently placed an order for a skid-mounted, 2 x VSRT-60 gas-fired steam boiler solution from heat transfer specialist Fulton, which was packaged with ancillary items including automatic blowdown, water treatment and a TDS energy recovery system.
Commenting for Elis, senior engineer Slawomir Barczewski says: “The old facility was capable of processing 60,000 to 70,000 items a day but, with Fulton’s skid-mounted VSRT vertical steam boiler solution and the new line in place, we are currently processing approximately 90,000 items with the ability to double throughput as required.”
The skid-mounted solution features two 600kW (960kg/h) VSRT-60 steam boilers, which boast ultra-low NOx emissions of less than 20ppm, achieve up to 10:1 turndown capabilities and industry-leading performance of 86% gross thermal efficiency and 99.75% steam quality at 8 bar. It features a multi-award-design design that is durable, long-lasting, enhances heat transfer rates and improves steam quality. Additionally, for applications where contaminated air can reduce boiler uptime – such as laundry and dry cleaning facilities – the VSRT’s cyclonic air filter effectively separates debris and damaging particles from the combustion air and, because it won’t clog over time, eliminates the need for replacement filters.
To protect its investment and ensure the steam boiler installation continues to operate efficiently, Elis also opted for a number of solutions from Fulton’s aftercare portfolio, including a service contract, water treatment package and boiler operator training, a requirement of Elis’ insurance provider.
Commenting for Fulton, aftercare and business development manager Jeff Byrne says: “Considerable investment has gone into this new super-laundry and Elis is keen to ensure that their return-on-investment is improved as much as possible, hence supporting the installation with manufacturer-backed service contracts and training.”
The service contract for Elis consists of two service visits per boiler per year, with one visit coinciding with the annual insurance inspection. As well as providing discounts on any spares and the regular chemicals orders, the contract also ensures 24h phone-based technical assistance from a dedicated boiler/service engineer and a 48h call-out response where required. The water treatment package consists of monthly feedwater quality inspections and an annual system inspection and report.
Fulton’s one-day boiler operator training courses – accredited by the globally-recognised City & Guilds of London – has satisfied the boiler operational training requirements of hundreds of clients and bridges the gap between straightforward ‘toolbox’ training and the more expensive courses that can cost thousands per employee. Carried out on-site and supporting both BG01 (SAFed) and INDG-436 (HSE) guidelines, the course looks at the practical operation of controls and test equipment using a customer's own boiler, introduces the principles of steam and boiler operation in the form of a presentation and includes both theory and practical assessments.
For further information on Fulton’s skid-mounted solutions, the multi-award-winning VSRT or its aftercare portfolio, call +44 (0)117 972 3322 or visit www.fulton.co.uk.
Fulton is delighted to announce the appointment of Stephen Finch as applications engineer. Stephen joined the leading steam boiler and heat transfer specialist just as the UK government announced its lockdown measures to combat Covid-19, but that hasn’t prevented Stephen, who has a degree in mechanical engineering and background in design engineering, from absorbing himself in his new role.
Commenting for Fulton, managing director Carl Knight says: “As we continue to innovate and look at new heat transfer solutions, like the multi-award-winning VSRT steam boiler, Stephen will play an essential role in product development. He will also be assisting the quality department in ensuring compliance for the company’s latest range of heat transfer equipment, including our fuel-fired and electric steam boilers; and providing engineering support for customers requiring bespoke skid-mounted boiler solutions featuring ancillaries including water treatment, chemical dosing and blowdown.”
Stephen’s career started as a project engineer at Eriks, but he joins Fulton from Renishaw where, as design supervisor, he was responsible for a team of engineers designing air preparation systems and automation projects for the metrology industry.
Outside of his work life, Stephen’s interest in automation means he likes to build his own machines and is also a keen woodworker. However, he is currently using his design engineering background and skills to assist a local community of engineers that are producing 3D printed face shields for essential workers at local hospitals and care homes in Bristol.
Heat transfer specialist Fulton will be using Foodex to showcase its range of fuel-fired and electric steam boiler solutions, launching its all-new boiler sequencing control system and promoting the many solutions on offer from its aftercare division.
Launched at Foodex in 2018, Fulton will continue to promote the many radical features and benefits of the multi-award-winning VSRT vertical steam boiler – including the VSRT-250 due for launch this year – with the stand featuring a cut-away demonstration model of the VSRT-30 and a typical example of a skid mounted solution for food and beverage processing facilities that features a VSRT-15.
Fulton will also be using its stand to launch the company’s all-new boiler sequencing control system which, with many food processing facilities operating multiple steam boilers, can optimise installations to ensure energy efficient operation and improve boiler longevity. Using sequencing to provide redundancy and reliability, Fulton predicts that significant savings can be made by automating start-up and shut-down procedures, controlling and optimising main steam header pressure or temperature, ensuring steam supply is controlled precisely for the required process and by eliminating idle time at low-fire.
Beyond its product portfolio, the company will also be showcasing the many solutions on offer from its aftercare division, which can support Fulton’s own installations and those from other boiler manufacturers.
Commenting for Fulton, aftercare and business development manager Jeff Byrne says: “Since launch, the VSRT has proved extremely popular, especially within the food processing sector. So, while we continue to push the VSRT and promote its low total cost of ownership, we must also promote the many aftercare solutions Fulton offers.”
Fulton is renowned for its many gas-, oil- and electric-fired heat transfer solutions, but its service doesn’t just stop after a boiler is installed and commissioned. A food processing facility depends on its heat transfer equipment to maintain a regular supply of steam and, in many cases, during every hour of every day. So, when a boiler needs start-up, aftermarket parts, repair/maintenance or your operators require training, it’s essential that you use professionals that understand the often-complex capabilities of your processing equipment.
Using an analogy, Jeff explains that having invested in a new fleet of vehicles for its business, a company would be ill-advised to use unqualified mechanics or technicians to service them. “In the automotive industry, doing so would likely result in the manufacturer’s warranty being invalidated.” says Jeff. “But this is exactly what we’re seeing at facilities where boilers operators are often given little, poor or no training and are therefore unqualified and certainly unprepared when a fault occurs, or regular maintenance is required. A poorly maintained and serviced boiler could result in failure, significant process downtime and potential revenue losses.”
As well as offering boiler spares and repair service for all makes and types of heat transfer equipment, Fulton’s aftercare portfolio also includes accredited boiler operator training to INDG436 and BG01-R2, technical boiler house risk assessments, boiler and water treatment service contracts, water treatment training to BG04 and EN12953, steam trap surveys, site mass balance assessments and system design, etc.
For further information on the VSRT, boiler sequencing system or Fulton’s aftercare solutions, visit stand R269 at Foodex, call +44 (0)117 972 3322 or click www.fulton.co.uk.
Having recently announced a series of appointments for its aftercare/service department, leading heat transfer specialist Fulton is continuing to strengthen its UK team with a number of senior roles changes.
Having joined Fulton in May 2017, Leigh Bryan has assumed the role of national consultant specialist at the company.
Commenting on the new role, managing director Carl Knight says: “In his previous role, Leigh was instrumental in successfully integrating the VSRT into Fulton’s current portfolio and introducing it to the UK market as the most radical change to vertical steam boiler design since Fulton pioneered the vertical tubeless boiler in 1949.
“In his new role, Leigh will remain an integral member of the management team and, thanks to the success of the ultra-low NOx VSRT steam boiler since its launch, will provide specification support, documentation and CPD training to specifiers and consultants across numerous markets.”
Ruth Price, who joined Fulton in 2012 as area sales manager for the North of England and North Wales, has also been promoted and, in her new role as senior sales engineer, will work closely with new and existing customers across the UK to advise on optimum boiler and steam systems specifications for their project.
For further information on the VSRT steam boiler or training available from Fulton, call +44 (0)117 972 3322, email sales@fulton.co.uk or visit www.fulton.co.uk.
Fillongley Spring Water boasts one of the UK’s most efficient bottling facilities and offers a high-speed and cost-effective way for bottled water cooler distributors to access the high-quality product demanded by their customers. But with the demand for bottled cooler water increasing, Fillongley needed a new bottling line. However, with the two existing Fulton boilers not having the capacity to reach the target temperature for the new plant’s washing line, Fillongley started looking at alternative steam raising solutions.
Commenting for Fillongley Spring Water, technical and quality manager Martin Whitehead says: “We looked at several alternatives – including vertical and horizontal firetube boilers – but, with advice from our main contractors and installer, a decision to specify one of Fulton’s recently-launched VSRT-30 steam boilers was taken and, overall, the results have exceeded expectations!”
Instead of running two boilers for the washing line, a single VSRT boiler is now being used to achieve an increased target temperature of 60°C for the detergent. The combination of the new line and Fulton’s energy-efficient VSRT also means the company has been able to increase the throughput of the line by 40% – from 1,200 bottles per hour to 2,000 – and Fillongley has reduced its gas consumption by about a third.
“A reduction in gas consumption wasn’t something we set out to achieve, so this is a real bonus for the company and means the payback period for the bottling line is reduced.” says Martin.
It is within the bottle washer that, via a heat exchanger, steam from Fulton’s VSRT vertical boiler is used to heat the detergent. The company also took the decision to retain the existing vertical steam boilers for duty-standby purposes.
The VSRT is the first steam boiler to emerge from Fulton’s new ‘PURE Technology’ approach, an initiative that’s resulted in a world-first design that is durable, long-lasting and boasts the highest efficiencies and ultra-low NOx emissions as standard. This new approach aims to enhance heat transfer, provide class-leading efficiencies, improve steam quality and reduce NOx emissions.
Rather than further-improve products like its J Series to achieve these goals, PURE Technology – the culmination of Fulton’s clean slate approach to design – challenges the industry status quo on conventional boiler design by engineering solutions that are fit-for-purpose and fully-optimised for all applications.
