Boiler feed pumps are essential pieces of equipment for power generation plants. High energy requirements mean they need to be efficient as well as reliable. For one liquified natural gas (LNG) plant in South East Asia, nine boiler feed pumps needed urgent attention and Sulzer was called in to deliver the most effective solution. PWE reports.

Regardless of the season or external conditions, variable speed drives help make HVAC applications efficient, safe and informative while providing high levels of comfort, control and safety. ABB’s Carl Turbitt takes a tour around a typical plant and highlights the opportunities.

When looking around at various boiler operations and asking such question as “What would happen if you lost your boiler/boilers?” The common answer is “We would lose production,” or if it’s a hospital then it would be “We would have to close the operating theatres.” With replies of this nature it starts to become obvious that in the vast majority of cases the boilers and associated plant are the heart of the operation. Derry Carr – CEA Immediate past chairman – reports.

Last year’s unusually hot summer caused disruption for many factories and industrial facilities where overheating staff and customers resulted in drops in production and sales. While refrigeration systems are often considered too expensive and uneconomical for large space cooling, evaporative cooling offers a cost effective and reliable alternative. PWE reports.

Manufacturing is an energy-hungry industry, requiring huge quantities of both heat and electricity. This high demand for energy means that the manufacturing sector is ideally suited to take advantage of Combined Heat and Power (CHP) systems. However, making the investment requires some careful consideration, says Nigel Thompson, sales manager – Gas Power Solutions at Finning UK & Ireland (Finning).

The UK is once again facing some recording-breaking temperatures this summer. And so the main question on everyone’s minds will soon be, how do we keep our workplaces cool and comfortable, without wasting money, energy or resources? It’s a question that comes up every year. Humidity Solutions spoke to PWE to give some inside info on how to keep your environment cool by remembering one important factor – humidity.

The CEA’s “Industrial Gas Accreditation Scheme” (I-GAS) provides a comprehensive qualification for Maintenance Personnel, Technicians, Engineers and Designers of Industrial Gas Systems. CEA director, David Kilpatrick, reports.

Being held responsible for a facility where vital cancer research is conducted is no mean task for any facilities team. So having confidence that all specialist mechanical services are working at their optimum level is paramount. By streamlining maintenance of its steam systems, the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research has mitigated outstanding risk and freed up in-house resource to focus on what they do best. PWE reports.

Last year’s unusually hot summer caused disruption for many factories and industrial facilities where overheating staff and customers resulted in drops in production and sales. While refrigeration systems are often considered too expensive and uneconomical for large space cooling, evaporative cooling offers a cost effective and reliable alternative.

Manufacturing, warehousing and distribution businesses across the world are looking for ways to cut costs to remain as competitive as possible. And with productivity more crucial than ever, large warehouse doors are being left open for longer and used more frequently.

With so many variables to consider in the planning, management and upgrade of steam boilers, it’s important for professionals to have a solid grounding in the “fundamentals of steam”. In turn, this will help to achieve better efficiency and safety. Chris Coleman, Boiler house National Specialist at Spirax Sarco, provides some of the principles that should empower plant managers to ask the right questions and to get the right results.

PWE spoke to Fulton’s Carl Knight about the company’s new VSRT.

What does a historical building and an industrial plant have in common? For Malta’s Grand Master’s Palace, it’s a smart HVAC system. As smart technology develops, building managers are increasingly turning to automation systems to streamline their processes. Vincent Deguara, operations manager at building automation provider JMartans Automation, looks at what facilities managers can learn from industrial automation.

With the ever-increasing pressure to improve energy efficiency in the UK, car manufacturers are leading by example. PWE reports.

Industrial steam and hot water boiler manufacturer Cochran has made annual savings of £12,000 and reduced CO2 emissions by 28% since switching to liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Calor. PWE reports.

There has been a rise in the popularity of coil type steam generators in recent years with a wide variety of steam users requiring relatively small amounts of steam at short notice for their process. Coil type generators are ideal for this role, but users often have small numbers of staff who have little or no technical or safety knowledge relevant to steam generation and distribution. This is a gap in the industry that now has a solution. PWE reports.

Karl Lycett, product manager for climate control at Rittal, offers essential tips for enclosure temperature management in the food industry.

After the installation of a Nor-Ray-Vac system in the high bay and main locomotive shed at Orient Express 28 years ago, the system now needed to be replaced. Orient Express approached Multigas and asked them to assist with the replacement of the existing and also an additional two areas that were previously unheated. PWE reports.

In a move that sees Fulton fully embrace the requirements of the Medium Combustion Plant Directive (MCPD), the company has announced a series of plans – including a review of its product portfolio – to strengthen its position as a leading global provider of heat transfer solutions. PWE reports on the plans.

Modern Burner Management Systems need to be flexible, scalable and cost effective. As applications become more complex the demands on Burner Management controllers increase. Low-NOx burner technology and the popularity of biogas, off-gas, syngas and other exotic fuels require Burner Management controllers to offer the flexibility to enable users to configure them to meet contemporary application needs. PWE reports.

With the Medium Combustion Plant Directive (MCPD) now European law, Kevin Houlden, Industrial and Commercial Specialist at Calor, advises on the steps that operators can take to upgrade their existing boiler plant.

With the emphasis now very much on finding ways to manage energy more responsi-bly, both for economic and environmental reasons, using steam more efficiently is vital to reducing costs and boosting green credentials. David Bowers, product manager pressure and process flow for ABB Measurement and Analytics, explains why vortex and swirl flowmeters are ideal for steam measurement applications.

Veotec has overcome a series of environmental and operational difficulties to successfully design a HVAC solution for an Ingersoll Rand compressor to be used at the new helium production plant in Qatar, meeting a bespoke range of criteria.


Steve Hughes, managing director of REO UK, explains how to keep your HVAC running cool when things get hot.

The Energyst Event (17-18 April 2018 at the National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham) brings a much-needed focus on energy and the changing face of energy management and the effect it has on the bottom line - as opposed to broader environmental concerns. PWE reports.

The Energyst Event (17-18 April 2018 at the National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham) brings a much-needed focus on energy and the changing face of energy management and the effect it has on the bottom line - as opposed to broader environmental concerns. PWE reports.

When looking around at various boiler operations and asking such question as “What would happen if you lost your boiler/boilers?” The common answer is “we would lose production,” or if it’s a hospital then it would be “we would have to close the operating theatres.” With replies of this nature it starts to become obvious that in the vast majority of cases the boilers and associated plant are the heart of the operation. Derry Carr, CEA immediate past chairman, reports.

Gianluca Fanchini* and Poonam Walid* look at power monitoring and why it is a vital facet of any company’s modus operandi, especially when faced with the multiple negative implications of wasteful consumption.

Oil and gas-fired boilers have been providing the heating requirements for many industrial and commercial premises for over 100 years. In that time the energy efficiency of these installations has increased steadily, however there is a way to significantly reduce energy consumption that is still not universally applied and yet has a typical payback period of less than 18 months.

Buying a new boiler soon? Some new rules will probably affect you. Paul Whitehead, of the Combustion Engineering Association (CEA) reports.

Boiler operators are reminded of water hammer & thermal expansion threat as heating season approaches. PWE reports.

With potential payback periods of under two years and typical energy savings of 20 and 40%, Richard Johnston, national business development manager at Elta Group Building Services, outlines why it’s time industry took another look at destratification

With the tightening of NOx regulations there are clear advantages to utilising the latest technologies to reduce emissions. Bernard Dawson of Riello Burners considers options such as flue gas recirculation in pressure jet burners.

The UK’s schools and educational facilities are regularly experiencing problems with their heating system which increases the risk of unexpected closure, according to a new report published by Bosch Commercial and Industrial.

Plate heat exchangers instantaneously generate hot water at the required temperature with flow rates measured in hundreds of litres per minute. Paul Sands, director of Stokvis Energy Systems, reports.

Portsmouth City Council has been able to make significant energy saving costs of nearly £30,000 per annum as well as permanently reduce the energy demands of the council’s Civic Centre building following the replacement of the aged boiler plant with three Ferroli Prextherm RHS Tonda 1400kW steel shell boilers. PWE reports.

Pumping applications account for more than 20% of global electric motor energy consumption and conscientious plant owners have been trying to maximise the efficiency of this equipment for many years. This task is made more difficult for older equipment for which the full specification data is no longer available or has been re-appropriated for a new task. Jerry Ruc, field engineer with Sulzer, looks at some common causes of poor performance and suggests methods of improving efficiency.

PWE spoke to Andy Jones, managing director at Mattei to answer questions on compressor energy efficiency.

Following a late rush of UK companies seeking to comply with the requirements of the Energy Saving Opportunities Scheme (ESOS) earlier this year, it is estimated that around two-thirds of approximately 10,000 eligible organisations are now registered. However, meeting the registration deadline should be seen only as the beginning, not as the end of the process. Dirk Ville (pictured), general manager, Atlas Copco Compressors UK and Ireland, reports.

CHP plants that meet the requirements of the CHPQA scheme qualify for a number of valuable benefits. Alan Hunt, product specialist for ABB Measurement & Analytics in the UK, explains how measuring CHP plant performance through good instrumentation is the key to gaining them.

PWE looks at a single-source HVAC and building-management control system for an oil sands project that is helping to improve maintenance, streamline the supply chain and keep production running.

Maintaining effective control of humidity is essential in industrial environments for both the health of the building and its occupants and, very often, supporting optimum performance of manufacturing processes. John Barker of Humidity Solutions explains.

Forthcoming European regulations will have an impact on the choice of space heating equipment in the future. Melanie Sadler, Engineering Manager with Powrmatic, provides an overview of the changes to come

Improving the efficiency of electrical conversion and new methods of thermal management may mean that in future motors run far cooler than they do today. But until then, heat dissipation remains a major consideration for designers of motor-driven systems. Bill Bertram, of motor maker Marathon Electric, looks at the state of the art and casts one eye into his crystal ball.

Improving the efficiency of electrical conversion and new methods of thermal management may mean that in future motors run far cooler than they do today. But until then, heat dissipation remains a major consideration for designers of motor-driven systems. Bill Bertram, of motor maker Marathon Electric, looks at the state of the art and casts one eye into his crystal ball.

From 16-17 September, the NEC Birmingham will host the UK’s leading energy efficiency, management and procurement exhibition and conference, The Energy Event. PWE reports.

Amin Almasi examines integrally-geared compressors for HVAC and plant applications for PWE

Over a five-year year period, a properly focussed maintenance plan will save at least half the cost of unplanned production stoppages caused by thermal fluid breakdown. However, the frequency of gathering sampling data for a heat transfer fluid, on which the maintenance plan depends, is determined by whether the fluid is mineral or synthetic. Clive Jones, managing director of Global Heat Transfer explains.

With the UK facing pending shortages in energy reserves on the national grid, Leslah Garland spoke with Billy Durie, critical services development manager at Aggreko Northern Europe, about the company’s key services and focus.