Specifiers of commercial boilers do not have it easy. There are too many choices as Tajinder Heet (right), managing director of Wellman Robey explains.
THE specifier of commercial and industrial boilers does not have an easy task. There are many alternative methods and suppliers available; therefore the selection path is not always clear. However, the criteria for selection can be made on five basic questions. which are:

· Will the chosen plant be fit for purpose and provide the exact requirements, taking into consideration that no two installations are the same?

· Since the boiler(s) may last up to 30 years, can we be sure that maximum trouble free operation will extend throughout the life span?

· As fossil fuel costs escalate into the future, will we still get maximum efficiency?

· Will all foreseeable legislation on carbon emissions be met by the new plant?

· What assurances should we expect from the boiler supplier, including aftercare for full life expectancy?

An example of savings achievable from working in partnership is that of the Wellman Robey plant at Kellogg's which provides both steam and hot water for heating and hygiene purposes.

Kellogg's of Wrexham has recently undertaken a refurbishment of its boiler house. The revitalised plant is set to recuperate its capital costs with fuel savings during the next eight months.

The plant produces cereal, 24 hours a day, 352 days of the year. With virtually continuous high volume output, energy costs are correspondingly high; however a recent upgrade of the boiler house is set to reduce energy consumption in fuel oil and natural gas and meet foreseeable legislation on emissions.

When the Kellogg's plant opened in the late 1970s FKI Babock, now part of Wellman Robey, supplied two of the three steam raising boilers which are still in operation. However, in 1987 production increased and a fourth Wellman Robey twin furnace unit was installed. This boiler - rated at 46,000lbs/hr (20tonnes), 150psi (10 barg) working pressure, fitted economiser and firing on heavy fuel oil - then became the main steam supplier.

Although there have been several fuel saving innovations incorporated into the boiler-house refurbishment, the main contribution comes from the new Economizers which are fitted within the existing boiler shell.

The new Economizer tubes have 236 serrated fins per metre, which increase the net efficiency from 89.92% to 93.26% when firing on natural gas, with light oil now being the secondary fuel.

The life expectancy for this 20-year-old boiler is a minimum of ten years, yielding a saving of more than £100,000 a year for an outlay of less than £63,000.

In the 1MW-4MW range of hot water boilers, the Wellman Robey Ygnette has been well proven duirng several decades.

A recent application for the Ygnette range has been nine like- for-like replacement boilers following 30 years of service at RAF Marham in East Anglia.

The boilers are to replace and upgrade existing Wellman Robey Ygnette boilers originally installed in 1977. The new hot water boilers are due to be commissioned and consist of 3 x 2500kW LPHW (4.5barg) and 6 x 800kW LPHW (10barg) boilers, all fitted with dual fuel modulating burners supplied by Wellman's own burner company, GP Burners.

The Ygnette is known for its high performance on all fuel types and is of the horizontal, three pass, wetback, reverse flame design incorporating a large furnace within which the effective and efficient combustion of fuel takes place.