Fully Automatic High-pressure Boiler Operation
21 July 2008
In many countries, high-pressure, high-capacity boiler systems are often only operated under constant supervision with a boiler attendant, for historic reasons. Operating and maintenance staff members have to be present in the boiler house around the clock. Many operators shy away from investing in safety equipment, or there are national requirements that make unsupervised boiler operation difficult. And yet boiler systems with fully automated equipment and operation have a number of major advantages over manually operated boiler systems as regards fuel consumption, efficiency, working life, environmental safety and emissions.
The introduction of the European Pressure Vessels Directive laid the foundations for the 72-hour unsupervised operation of steam and hot water boiler systems in Europe, but it is difficult for operators, authorities and test bodies to change their attitudes, and this is still taking far too much time in many countries.
LOOS INTERNATIONAL has played a pioneering role in the equipping of fully automatic boiler systems. Back in the 1970s, with increasing automation and the drive towards operation without constant supervision, LOOS played a decisive part in the development of self-monitoring water level regulating and limiter devices. Since these were introduced as standard at the beginning of the 1980s, all LOOS steam and hot water boiler systems have been fitted and supplied with safety equipment for operation without constant supervision. The company has now built up a stock of expertise based on the delivery of over 30,000 high-pressure boiler systems.
The fitting of boilers as standard with a high-grade safety package has become a trade mark of LOOS INTERNATIONAL and is becoming increasingly popular in the international market. Depending on the national regulations applicable in the countries of use, unsupervised operation can be arranged for the operator in question, or is subject to local regulations. Acceptance of the principle of unsupervised boiler operation is becoming increasingly apparent in many countries.
The market launch of the LOOS Water Analyser (LWA) in 2004 marked the next step for LOOS, towards full automation of boiler operation. It is now possible, for the first time, for various water parameters to be measured, monitored and logged automatically and continuously in combination with the LOOS Boiler Control (LBC) system. The unsupervised operation of boilers over longer periods of time thus seems a viable possibility in the future, particularly with the use of further technical services such as Teleservice connections.
