Dennis Williams | Commercial Director | Associated Energy Services (AES) | mail me |
Although fuel cost has a significant impact on steam generation, it forms only a part of the overall value chain. It is just one piece in a broader puzzle. Keeping all elements aligned requires expert oversight.
It is an ongoing task to ensure that awareness, interrogation, insight, foresight and focus remain high at all times. Combustion is an exothermic chemical reaction. Therefore, the ingredients for this reaction, namely air and fuel, must be combined in a way that optimises the process and delivers the desired output.
– Gavin Evezard, Projects Director at AES
Solving the thermal combustion puzzle through experts
The key question is whether a company running its own steam plant can achieve the same outcomes that an expert delivers. Ultimately, this depends on whether the company has the required resources, time, knowledge and experience. These can be developed internally, but this typically comes at a significant cost.
In practice, this is rarely viable. When the primary goal is manufacturing products to generate income, the production process becomes the priority. As a result, peripheral processes tend to lag behind.
No single client operates more boilers than we do. Even those with multiple sites often struggle to share information and technical knowledge. By contrast, we operate all sites to a single standard and share learnings across our entire network.
Success relies on identifying and leveraging critical components. From a cost perspective, people and fuel are the most important. This focus enables experts to offer cost-effective pricing.
For example, selling steam to clients is always the best model. We factor all operational commitments into the price and provide performance guarantees. If we fail to meet our targets, we cover the costs ourselves.
A process of elimination
Many problems only become clear once we are on-site. For instance, if a client uses a heavy fuel oil storage tank, sludge eventually builds up at the bottom. Without proper cleaning, this sludge reaches the offtake point for the pumps and clogs the filters, either at the tank or the burner.
We often find that critical issues go unaddressed because plant operations are below standard. For example, under-grate dampers on the stoker may not be working. The draft across the boiler might not be correctly set. Problems may also exist in the emission abatement system. In such scenarios, equipment may either not function properly or be worn out.
One of the most serious issues is air ingress into the boiler system. Air is a key control input in achieving complete combustion. When excess air enters the system, energy is lost as it escapes up the stack.
In some cases, optimised thermal combustion delivers immediate results. For example, we achieved efficiency improvements of 21% on one site and 35% on another. However, further improvements often require a methodical process of elimination. This may involve partnering with clients to tackle complex issues such as optimising water consumption, improving condensate return usage and refining boiler water treatment.
Often, these underlying issues are only discovered when a boiler is taken offline. This downtime reveals technical and operational gaps that present opportunities for optimisation.
People, safety and the thermal combustion puzzle
Data collection and analysis are critical for enhancing efficiency and productivity. Without measurement, there can be no management. Without analysis, action becomes impossible.
By interpreting data effectively, experts can make real-time improvements and solve problems with greater precision. Remote monitoring is useful, especially in more automated liquid and gas fuel systems. However, applying artificial intelligence and digital tools to optimise the thermal combustion puzzle may still be a long-term goal. This is especially true for traditional fuels like coal. Here, human operators must make manual adjustments to accommodate frequent changes in fuel specifications.
Safety is closely tied to this process. Ground-level protocols and procedures must align with the principles of thermal combustion. These include regular inspections, proper maintenance, skilled operators, and well-designed and correctly installed systems.
Putting the thermal combustion puzzle together
For pressure vessel (boiler) equipment, certain maintenance and statutory requirements are fundamental. These cannot be compromised. Maintenance is greatly improved when a site has excess boiler capacity, allowing for the rotation of equipment.
The most challenging sites we serve often lack this additional capacity. At these facilities, every piece of equipment runs almost continuously.
Despite these challenges, our core mission remains clear. We aim to be a trusted partner in optimising energy plants. Our goal is to successfully assemble all the pieces of the thermal combustion puzzle and deliver maximum performance for our clients.
