Chemical Engineering May 2020 - 41

made up of a series of components,
each one dependent on the last.
Even the most basic train will feature
safety shutoff valves, manual shutoff
valves, high- and low-pressure
switches, pressure taps and inline
strainers. Add to this regulators,
valve-leak test systems, upstream
and downstream gages, and you
can recognize the potential for missing
parts, either by design or by accident.
Your plant manager's maintenance
records should indicate if
alterations to the original equipment
were made.
Two components that are often
missing from inspected trains are
a basic sediment trap and strainer.
These are typically installed before
other horizontal components in the
train. These devices protect the gastrain
components from pipeline debris,
such as pipe scale, teflon tape,
excessive sealant and condensates,
but some manufacturers do not include
them unless specified. Other
components that are commonly
omitted are high and low gas-pressure
switches. These switches shut
off power to the burner in the event
that gas pressure is below or above
the setpoint. Often, it is an untrained
maintenance member being pressured
to get a boiler or furnace up
and running immediately who may
bypass a switch.
4. Is the valve train vented or ventless?
Regrettably, unless valve-train
components are listed as " ventless, "
vent lines are necessary. These lines
must be correctly engineered, installed
and routed to appropriate
and approved locations. Even when
vent lines are properly installed,
building pressures can vary sufficiently
enough that they prevent
optimal burner performance. Vent
pipes have also been known to fill
with spiders, bees and other insects.
If plugged, the pipes will not allow
the devices to freely breathe, or for
venting gases to escape outside.
In short, vent lines are another
point of potential failure for a combustion
system. Lines must be
inspected regularly by the maintenance
staff for leaks or blockages.
When given the choice, always
go with correctly engineered,
ventless components.
5. How are emissions being controlled?
Reducing emissions has
become a major focus in many industries
and geographical locations,
especially in California. Often, meeting
new EPA or revised local requirements
necessitates modifications to
existing valve trains - for instance,
installing
www.ekato.com
a new low-NOx burner
nearly always requires a new valve
train to more precisely control the
flow of gases. If plants are not current
with the latest regulations, agencies
may issue hefty fines or shut down
production completely until modifications
are made.
Calculating and setting up air-togas
ratios, also known as " burner
tuning, " can significantly reduce the
amount of NOx, CO, CO2 and particulate
matter being released into the
atmosphere by a combustion system.
Switching fuels or changing the constituents
of the fuel also impacts environmental
performance. Natural gas
burns cooler than fuel oils and has no
nitrogen in it, making it a lower producer
of NOx. This is a major reason
why it has rapidly replaced fuel oils.
Valve trains are critical to the operation
of combustion systems. Despite
being used in thousands of industrial
facilities, awareness of their
purpose and function may be lacking
because onsite training is minimal
or informal. To many employees on
the plant floor, this series of valves,
piping, wires and switches is too
complex to take the time to understand,
and what is known can be
dangerously misunderstood.
■
Edited by Mary Page Bailey
Author
Robert Sanderson is the director
of business development for Rockford
Systems, LLC (5795 Logistics
Parkway,
Rockford,
IL
61109;
Phone: 815-874-7891; Website:
www.rockfordsystems.com). He is
a registered professional engineer
with over 25 years of industry experience.
Prior to joining Rockford
Systems, Sanderson started his
career as the primary thermal and applied process expert
for a global corporation building automotive and
aerospace assembly plants. Subsequent to that, Sanderson
continued as an industrial combustion and emissions
technology specialist for a Fortune 100 company.
At Rockford Systems, he has assembled a combustion
safety team with capabilities covering the initial sale,
through engineering and manufacturing and concluding
with installation, service and post-sale support. Sanderson
is a former member of the NFPA 86 Standards
Committee and holds a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering
from the University of Michigan.
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Chemical Engineering May 2020

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