FEATURE HEAT TRANSFER DIRECT HEATING CAN DOUBLE THROUGHPUT
A direct steam-injection system from Fulton has been installed at Elis’ new super laundry, bringing with it the capacity for higher throughput and an aftercare service contract to protect the investment
H
aving moved from a facility that was too small and would have been
uneconomical to upgrade, the overriding requirements for Elis’ new 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. Because the company processes laundry for the healthcare sector amongst others, they opted for a heat transfer system that would pre- heat water for the washing machines to a minimum of 72˚C by directly injecting steam into the water supply. A number of steam raising methods and
manufacturers were considered, but, with a requirement for an energy-efficient boiler with a small footprint, Elis placed an order for a skid-mounted, 2 x VSRT-60 gas-fired steam boiler solution from Fulton, which was packaged with ancillary items including automatic blowdown,
BOILER IS A GOOD FIT FOR ARTISAN SPIRIT DISTILLER
Silent Pool Distillers, producer of handcrafted, artisan, spirits, has installed a Babcock Wanson VAP 400 Coil Type Steam Boiler into its distillery on the Duke of Northumberland’s Albury Estate in Surrey. The Boiler, which is being used to heat the distillation column, had
to meet a set of distinct criteria which narrowed the field considerably, as Tom Hutchings, Head Of Distillery Operations for Silent Pool Distillers, explained: “We looked at various options and, as well as coming recommended, for our requirement Babcock Wanson offered the best package. We had a slightly unique challenge in that we were replacing an old boiler located in a container, so space was a limiting factor. The pipework from the container was also already in place so linking into the system whilst limiting the requirement to alter too much of it was very important.” The boiler, which is compact in design and doesn’t require a large pressure vessel, met all the criteria for
Silent Pool Distillers. “The install was definitely on the tight side but it worked out very well, aided by the thorough support of the team at Babcock Wanson” commented Hutchings. The VAP 400 features three full gas passes, plus an in-built combustion air pre-heater to give high
operating efficiency. With availability of steam from cold start in as little as three minutes and a low volume of water under pressure, it combines efficiency with safety, even at very high working pressure. With Silent Pool Distillers producing its spirits in batches, the short time to produce steam and ease of use have both proved advantageous. It’s not just the boiler that has proven invaluable for Silent Pool Distillers, Babcock Wanson’s fast
response service, and the company’s Water Treatment Service, have both been beneficial. Babcock Wanson
16 JULY/AUGUST 2020 | PROCESS & CONTROL
www.babcock-wanson.com
water treatment and a TDS energy recovery system. Senior engineer at Elis, Slawomir
Barczewski, said: “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 a performance of 86% gross thermal efficiency and 99.75% steam quality at 8 bar. The design is durable, long-lasting, enhances heat transfer rates and improves steam quality. Additionally, for applications where
Because the company processes laundry for the healthcare sector amongst others, they opted for a heat transfer system that would pre- heat water for the washing machines to a minimum of 72˚C by directly injecting steam into the water supply
contaminated air can reduce boiler uptime – such as laundry and dry cleaning facilities – the VSRT’s cyclonic air filter 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, 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 said: “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 City & Guilds of London – are carried out on-site and support 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.
Fulton
www.fulton.co.uk
/ PROCESS&CONTROL
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
