Avoiding boiler downtime
Published: 09 August, 2007
Annual maintenance and strip downs happen every year and planning is the key. Working out when you can fit in that all-important service, is a vital part of maintaining a healthy boiler house, but can you really afford to have the downtime?
Novartis vaccines and diagnostic plant at Speke in Liverpool relies heavily on its three boiler houses, accommodating various sizes and makes of boiler. When your prime business is manufacturing vaccines to prevent and cure diseases, ease suffering and enhance quality of life, you need quality steam, and you need it running. So how do you plan for that all essential maintenance?
Novartis has recently signed-up to a term service agreement with Wellman Robey. Each contract is specifically tailored to each boiler's need and can vary between three, six, or twelve monthly checks, annual overhauls and refurbishments. The service contracts are specifically designed to take away the worry of any boiler house related maintenance, routine or emergency, with its one-stop boilers shop solutions.
A Wellman Robey trailerised boiler has been bought in to provide a back-up for one of the existing boiler houses on site. The hire plant, which will be operational between May and December this year, consists of a 3000kg/hr steam boiler with a maximum operating pressure of 10bar g. The unit is a complete trailerised boiler house, fitted with light oil and water tanks, and all the ancillary equipment you would associate with a bricks and mortar boiler house. It has been selected from a portfolio of hire units, which cover steam and hot water applications for planned or emergency maintenance and vary in size from 1.5t to 11t, in a range of formats from complete boiler houses to containers.
Tony Flynn, operations engineer for Novartis commented: "Steam is a vital ingredient in the production of vaccines here at Speke and as such we need a constant supply of steam and a company who can take the pressure off when its time for our annuals. With the back-up provided from Wellman Robey, I"m happy we can ensure all our boilers have vital services and our steam plant supply is not affected.”
For further information please visit: www.wellman-robey.com
