Tag Archives: combustion

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

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

The Mysterious Art of Burner Tuning

Burners should be tuned on a regular basis to capture peak performance and efficiency. Referencing the manufacturer’s literature and keeping a log of past settings makes tuning the modern burner a straightforward and scientific task. Once you know how to tune burners, watching the uninitiated try their hand at it can be amusing at best, Read More

Posted by b-olstrad ; Published December 27, 2023

Heat Rises?

There’s a common misconception that heat rises. It does not. Heat radiates equally in all directions. The misunderstanding comes from the true and observable statement that, relative to cooler air, hot air rises. That’s why hot air balloons work, also why many politicians have excellent posture. For commercial and industrial heating, knowing that heat and Read More

Posted by b-olstrad ; Published November 15, 2023

Ratio Regulator FAQ

What is a ratio regulator? You might be more familiar with another name. These are sometimes called cross-connected regulators, proportional regulators, or zero governors. Or any mix of those words, like proportional governor. Each of these names can give us an idea of what the device does. When working with combustion, you want a specific Read More

Posted by b-olstrad ; Published June 28, 2023

FAQ: Gas Filters

A gas filter is installed upstream of all other components on an industrial combustion system. It’s a simple item with a big job. What does a gas filter do? A gas filter is commonly provided with a cast aluminum housing, and the filtration is performed by the media inside. Depending on your application and the Read More

Posted by b-olstrad ; Published March 30, 2023

FAQ: How do you wire devices with metric electrical connections?

Conduit For many years, the use of rigid or liquid-tight conduit was the standard for running wires to field devices, such as safety shut-off valves, pressure switches, and flame safety devices. Rigid conduit is thin walled metal tubing that helps to protect wires from mechanical damage and some environmental factors. Liquid-tight conduit is flexible and Read More

Posted by b-olstrad ; Published January 6, 2023

Tag Archives: combustion

Combustion 911