EDITOR’S CHOICE u BABCOCK WANSON
Unattended boiler operating systems: increasing in
popularity and length Unattended boiler operating systems have been in use for over 20 years, traditionally by organisations whose operational hours extend beyond the standard and may not have a full gamut of boiler house staff on site during these times, says Etienne Fourie, technical sales manager, Babcock Wanson
R
ecent years have seen a considerable acceleration in both the popularity of these systems (our customers now ask
for it as standard) and the length of time they are able to safely operate unattended, going from the usual three days up to seven. But what is driving the growth of unattended boiler operating systems? From our experience, the answer appears to be a combination of necessity, a greater awareness of the wide-ranging benefits to be had from these systems, and clear guidance on how they are to be safely deployed. Necessity stems from the lack of qualified, experienced staff to operate steam plant, which was amplified by the covid pandemic. Awareness of the benefits includes an understanding of the improved safety and cost effectiveness that these systems can bring to bear. The guidance comes in the form of BG01 Guidance on Safe Operation of Boilers. But before we look at these aspects in more detail, let’s recap.
WHAT IS AN UNATTENDED BOILER OPERATING SYSTEM?
An unattended boiler operating system, such as the Babcock Wanson BW3DAYS, permits uninterrupted operation for a set period (usually of up to six months) and unattended boiler operation, most commonly for up to three days.
BWD40 Fire Tube Boiler Boiler house schematic
The system can be set at commissioning for
daily or three-day checks depending on a risk assessment of the customer’s steam process and their degree of monitoring of the water treatment system employed – all in accordance with the latest BG01 Guidance on Safe Operation of Boilers. It’s important that these systems at the very least meet BG01 Typical Arrangement 2, which outlines the minimum equipment required for a boiler with critical alarms monitored on-site by a remote panel located in a manned area such as a gatehouse.
Ideally, they should also meet BG01 Typical
Arrangement 3, which is aimed at the lowest degree of supervision, where no boiler operators could be on-site for up to 72 hours, and with status monitoring and boiler safety shutdown by a remote location/telemetry system. Once set up for unattended operation, all the user needs to do is monitor for any operational alarms and undertake a very simple check every three days, which is completed without interfering with boiler operation and is acknowledged to the boiler control system, thereby ensuring the tests are completed to the operating schedule. Virtually all steam boilers can be adapted
to work with unattended boiler operating systems and nearly all manufacturers supply such systems. However, there are occasions when the introduction of such a system is not feasible or may not be considered necessary. Very old equipment – 40 or more years –
would involve changing so many components to make it compliant with BG01 that ultimately the expense and complexity of doing so would actually make buying a new system a better option. And, of course, sites that operate 24/7 where staff are always present are unlikely to
Continued on p14 12 June 2023 Irish Manufacturing
www.irish-manufacturing.com
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