Autumn weather and backyard bonfires go hand-in-hand. The chill night air is the perfect complement to a roaring fire. There’s a threshold though; build the fire up too high, and everyone rushes to escape to the cooler air outside the corona. It can be a struggle to find the perfect balance, because we lack control Read More
Category Archives: Combustion Comics
The Importance of Burner Tuning
If you’ve ever been to a rock concert, you know that the folks wailing on the guitar need that guitar kept in tune. That’s why they travel with a good guitar tech. The tech makes sure that guitar player can achieve peak performance. Tuning is the key. It’s the same for combustion systems! Burner settings Read More
Posted by
b-olstrad
; Published
September 25, 2024
Keep Temporary Fixes Temporary
Emergencies can throw your whole operation into a tailspin if you’re not prepared. In a manufacturing facility, where being “down” means an idle workforce and lost revenue, the tendency is to use any means necessary to continue running production. Sometimes this means finding temporary solutions. Unfortunately, a temporary solution might become permanent for lack of Read More
Posted by
b-olstrad
; Published
August 21, 2024
Qualifications are Paramount
A worker who commits to a task and sees it through is a valuable asset, but they ought to realize when the task exceeds their qualifications, and seek guidance. Especially when the task involves important safety equipment, where making the wrong decision could create a dangerous situation for personnel and property. Parachutes and safety shut-off Read More
Posted by
b-olstrad
; Published
July 31, 2024
It’s Not Alive!
It’s common for an industrial plant to have openings to in the roof, especially when these plants have furnaces or ovens. A vent line allows excess combustible gases to exit to atmosphere, and a flue might allow the same for products of combustion inside the furnace chamber. Placement of these vents and flues should be Read More
Posted by
b-olstrad
; Published
June 26, 2024
Don’t Choke Your Furnace
Industrial furnaces require periodic maintenance to ensure efficiency and continued operation. Much of this maintenance can be performed by properly trained plant technicians, rather than relying on outside support. Depending on size and design, your furnace probably has two main input lines: one for natural gas (or some other combustible gas), and one for air. Read More
Posted by
b-olstrad
; Published
May 22, 2024
How Low is Your Purge Time?
The purge sequence is essential to the safety of personnel and the continued integrity of equipment. Purging the furnace of combustible gases from the furnace atmosphere considerably reduces the risk of an “event.” Safety should always come first, but it’s not uncommon to find purge timers in old panels with the dial pegged at zero. Read More
Posted by
b-olstrad
; Published
May 1, 2024
If At First You Don’t Succeed…
…try it maybe a couple more times and then reassess the situation. If a burner goes out, you hit the reset button. Sometimes, the burner lights and everything is fine. Other times, the burner stays cold, because there’s an issue that requires attention. Trying the reset button a couple of times makes sense! Pressing it Read More
Posted by
b-olstrad
; Published
March 27, 2024
Commissioning Shouldn’t Take a (Literal) Lifetime
In the past, everything took forever. Lifespans were shorter, the world was larger, and mysteries were everywhere. We’ve progressed to the point where we can hardly stand to wait for anything, and yet, one still hears stories of excruciatingly lengthy furnace commissioning. The progression from construction to useful production on your new industrial furnace should Read More
Posted by
b-olstrad
; Published
February 28, 2024
The Proper Way to Light a Burner
Something we share in common with most other animals in nature is a drive for individual survival and the survival of the species. If your environment happens to include industrial furnaces and/or ovens, employing the proper way to light a burner is key to the safety of yourself and those around you. Our ability to Read More
Posted by
b-olstrad
; Published
January 16, 2024
