Why you need help to regularly service your industrial boiler

Because prevention is better than cure! 

You can rely on the experience and knowledge that our engineers have gained from many years on the job and as a manufacturer of steam boilers we know how the boilers work from the ground up. Using this important knowledge, not only can we ensure your service exceeds the requirements of your insurance company, but we can also suggest upgrades and fixes that could prevent downtime in the future and improve your efficiency.

Why things go wrong

Industrial boiler maintenance is essential to keep your boiler working safely and at maximum efficiency. Things like rust and scale build up can quickly begin to affect the operation of your boiler and can lead to catastrophic boiler failure.

Unplanned boiler failure will have a significant impact on your workflow and process and can result is costly repairs and loss of revenue. This is why we strongly suggest you ensure your boiler is serviced by the experts with a Byworth Service Contract.  

Packages

At Byworth we understand that there is no such thing as a one size fits all solution, which is why we offer different levels of service packages to meet your specific needs and requirements. These range from additional service visits to packages that use our award-winning Unity system to help identify ways you could run your boiler more efficiently saving money on water and fuel. We also offer longer term contracts that give you peace of mind not having to worry about renewals each year and include pre-inspection preparation for your 5-year NDT.

Contact our Team on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information or to discuss the options that will best fit your needs.

this article can also be found in the issue below.

Peacock Engineering, a class-leading specialist in managed cloud enterprise asset management (EAM) and field service management solutions (FSM), has announced the appointments of two highly skilled additions to its technical team. The latest round of hires also includes further growth in its sales division, as Lee Turnbull joins as Business Development Manager.

The announcement comes as Peacock Engineering continues a period of impressive growth which has seen its team grow 20% in the last year. Over the last few months, the firm has won a series of new high-profile customers and also opened a second technical facility in Pune, India.

Expanding on its technical capabilities and to support the recent expansion, Tom Johnson joins the firm as a Solution Architect. Tom brings with him ten years of practical experience with IBM Maximo, both as a lead consultant and Solution architect. Tom has worked in a variety of industries ranging from Oil and Gas, to the Automotive industry.

Joining Tom is Principal Consultant, David Shaw. David also has over a decade of experience in the digital solutions space, is a highly skilled IBM Maximo developer and has expertise in the plant and engineering industry sector. 

Tom Johnson said: “I’m delighted to join Peacock Engineering. The company is renowned in the industry for both its technical IT capabilities and engineering knowledge. I am looking forwarded to adding my expertise to its diverse mix, helping to expand the teams' technical capabilities further and support our clients with best in industry digital EAM and FSM innovations and solutions.”

Lee Turnbull has also joined Peacock Engineering as Business Development Manager. Lee has nearly ten years’ experience working in the EAM sector, specialising in helping organisations develop effective strategies for improving operational day-to-day efficiencies, achieve health & safety compliance and optimise scheduling processes. Lee has experience across a broad range of sectors, including energy and utilities, life sciences, manufacturing, oil and gas, and transport.

A Gold Partner of both IBM and IFS business solutions, Peacock Engineering provides digital enterprise asset management and field service management solutions to some of the UK’s leading utility, manufacturing, oil and gas, and logistics organisations. Customers include the energy giant SSE, LPG supplier Flogas, and global leader in logistics, DHL.  

Matt Deadman, COO of Peacock Engineering, said: “With our client base rapidly expanding and the demand for EAM and FSM solutions growing, I’m thrilled to welcome David, Tom and Lee to the team at an exciting time for Peacock Engineering.”

“Increasing both our functional and technical capabilities to keep up with the growing EAM and FSM demands our clients are faced with is a priority for us. Our new appointments will allow the business to continue to evolve and provide the best possible service and solutions that help our customers save time, reduce costs and improve data reporting accuracy and compliance.”

AMS Device Manager adds Data Server technology to improve digital transformation outcomes, expand intelligent field device data accessibility and integration for analytics
 

Emerson, a global software and engineering leader, is helping process manufacturers improve performance and sustainability by breaking down the data silos that make it difficult to digitally transform their reliability and maintenance strategies. AMS Device Manager Data Server securely extends intelligent field device data to outside systems to make it easier for reliability and maintenance teams to further capitalise on modern advanced analytics software, providing a step change in operational efficiency and smart manufacturing.
 
For decades, process manufacturers have relied on asset management software to carefully deploy and monitor plant production assets – like measurement and analytical instrumentation, digital valve controllers, wireless gateways, and others – both within a single plant and across the enterprise. As plants have evolved, they have grown their technology stack to adopt a wide range of analytics, historians, machine learning and advanced modelling to exploit and benefit from historically under-used or inaccessible datasets from around the plant. AMS Device Manager Data Server publishes intelligent field device data nearly instantaneously to industrial software analytics solutions already in use by customers, eliminating the need for complex custom data integration and manual workarounds that often cause delayed results and siloed data. This data is relayed via secure industry protocols.
 
"To accelerate sustainability and profitability, today’s manufacturers are transforming via analytics – seeking to aggregate disparate, under-used data, and further exploit it for positive business impact around the organisation,” said Erik Lindhjem, vice president of Emerson’s reliability solutions business. “AMS Device Manager Data Server makes intelligent field device information such as configuration parameters, alerts, calibration data and others available, in near real-time, for advanced use in other software and applications our customers already use.”

AMS Device Manager Data Server makes it easy to import critical instrument and valve data into common dashboarding tools and applications like Microsoft PowerBI, Emerson software tools such as the Plantweb™ Optics platform, Plantweb Insight, Aspen MTell® and AspenTech Inmation™, plant historians and others.

visit Emerson.com.
 

Claimed to be the most radical change to vertical steam boiler design since it first pioneered the vertical tubeless boiler in 1949, Fulton’s VSRT has rocked the steam boiler market since its launch in 2018 to become class-leading and a symbol of efficiency, with many users benefitting from generous savings in gas and water consumption in addition to CO2 and NOX emissions.

At launch, the seven-model VSRT range was available with outputs from 160 to 960 kg/h, but with demand increasing for an energy efficient boiler with larger outputs like those of horizontal reverse-flame steam boilers, Fulton is now expanding the range and introducing two new re-designed VSRT models with outputs of 1565 and 1956 kg/h.

Commenting for Fulton, managing director Carl Knight says: “These new models are ground-breaking for their output range! When you consider the VSRT-100 and VSRT-125 models, there are no truly-efficient tubeless vertical steam boilers in the marketplace with similar output ranges, the VSRT is the only tubeless boiler available with the capability of efficiently producing nearly two tonnes per hour of steam.

“In short, what we are delivering with these new models is much higher output versions without compromising efficiency!”

These new, larger-output VSRT models maintain exceptionally high operating efficiencies (up to 86% gross thermal efficiency compared to approximately 80% from typical boiler designs), which results in lower operating and lifecycle costs and improved return on investment. The latest models also continue to achieve ultra-low NOx emissions of less than 20ppm and 10:1 turndown capability.

The water volume of these latest VSRT models is far greater than equivalent horizontal shell and tube boilers and steam generators, combined with an impressive steam chest volume giving it the ability to react quickly to changes in steam demand. The VSRT still boasts a start-up time of approximately 20 minutes and achieves a 99.75% steam quality, a detail most manufacturers are unwilling to publish.

Like the existing models in the range, the two new models come with the assurance of a 10-year “unparalleled” warranty on the pressure vessel, double that of the industry standard. Additionally, like all Fulton VSRT and electric boilers, they contain no refractory and have no requirement for five-yearly, non-destructive testing, which contributes to reduced lifecycle costs when compared to standard shell and tube boilers.

These advanced, energy-saving and environmentally-beneficial features are standard across the now expanded VSRT range. Compared to equivalent vertical tubeless steam boilers, the VSRT is a more durable, and in many cases, compact boiler that is energy-efficient, produces an increased volume of higher quality steam, is easy to maintain and backed by an unparalleled warranty. Additionally, the VSRT complies with the City of London Air Quality Strategy and MCPD regulations, is constructed to BS EN 12953 and UKCA/CE marked to PED.

For further information on the new Classic steam boiler, visit www.fulton.co.uk, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call +44 (0)117 972 3322.

This article can also be found in the issue below.

Egypt’s SUMED pipeline operator Arab Petroleum Pipeline Company (SUMED) has completed the tailshaft conversion to Thordon’s SXL seawater-lubricated bearing system for seven special purpose single point mooring (SPM) service boats.

The final vessel in a series of 17.5m (57.4ft) long, 1976–built service boats had its original oil-lubricated tailshaft bearings replaced with the Thordon system at Nefertiti Marine’s Yard-K, in Rosetta Nile, in December 2022. The first vessel, SUMED 10, was converted in 2019.

Referring to the first installation, Karim Abd El Karim, Engineering Manager with Nefertiti Marine, Thordon Bearings’ authorized distributor in Egypt, who has overseen the completion of all seven conversions, said: “Oil was leaking from the shafts, and the operator was looking for a longer lasting bearing solution, resistant to abrasive waterways. We proposed the SXL material as the right solution to meet all performance and environmental needs. The vessel owner agreed.”

In addition to SXL tailshaft bearings machined for shaft diameters of 95mm (3.74in), Nefertiti Marine provided classification approval drawings and advised on the installation process through to commissioning. All seven service boats received the same scope of supply.

“The success of that first installation, together with the reliability and availability of Thordon’s SXL bearings, lead times and Nefertiti Marine’s engineering expertise, gave us the confidence to convert all our special purpose service boats to seawater-lubrication. The perennial problem of worn aft seals leaking oil into the sea and canal has now been solved.”

A water-lubricated tailshaft arrangement negates the need for an aft seal, notoriously prone to failure, resulting in oil pollution, costly repairs, and downtime. Only a forward seal is required in an open system.

SUMED’s fleet of service boats assist tankers in loading shipments from the SUMED oil pipeline. The pipeline, which runs from the Ain Sokhna terminal in the Gulf of Suez to Sidi Kreir port in the Mediterranean Sea, provides an alternative to the Suez Canal for transporting oil from the Arabian Gulf region to the Mediterranean.

“We are delighted that SUMED has put its trust in our zero-pollution, low-maintenance bearings to deliver environmental and economic benefits,” said Neil McDonald, Thordon Bearings’ Regional Manager – Northern Europe & Africa.

“Based on the success of that first installation, the other vessels in the fleet spent less time in drydock, reducing vessel downtime considerably. The company is now looking at converting greased deck equipment bearings and rudder bearings to our grease-free ThorPlas-Blue bearings,” he said.

Thordon Bearing’s SXL and ThorPlas-Blue non-metallic bearings are ideal solutions for tugboat, dredger and other coastal workboat operators looking to easily convert their closed oil-polluting seal system to solutions more in-line with their Environmental, Sustainability and Governance goals.

“Compared to oil-lubricated metal bearings, SXL eliminates shaftline pollution forever,” furthered McDonald.

An open SXL water-lubricated bearing system is also less expensive than new, white-metal bearings that operate with two oil seals; however, vessel operators looking to convert should do so before existing shaft liners are too worn, as it may be possible to use existing shaft liners and simply replace the bearings with Thordon, providing additional cost advantages.

“We are seeing increased market interest for Thordon’s water-lubricated and grease-free seal and bearing products across the Middle East,” said McDonald.

“With the completion of these conversions, Thordon Bearings continues to grow its retrofit market, while increasing workboat reliability and improving the environment in the waters of the middle east.”

www.thordonbearings.com

Delta Hybrid represents one of the most groundbreaking advancements in compressor technology and stands out as an exceptionally efficient system within its class. These latest models are equipped with intelligent features, enhanced functionality, and remarkable energy savings of up to 30% when compared to traditional positive displacement blowers.

AERZEN rotary lobe compressors, or screw blowers combine the benefits of blower and compressor technology into a single, versatile system, catering to a wide range of performance requirements for various industrial processes. These assemblies are primarily designed for oil-free air conveyance and serve an extensive array of key industrial applications, including pneumatic conveying, homogenisation, and wastewater treatment. The newly introduced models deliver energy efficiency, feature a simplified service and maintenance concept, and smaller footprint, which contributes to minimising the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

Thanks to an innovative compressor stage equipped with highly efficient screw profiles, internal flow optimisation, standard motors with energy efficiency class IE4, optimised process and cooling air flow, and a self-tensioning belt drive is over 98% efficiency in conjunction with a compact design, substantial energy savings of up to 30% can be achieved compared to traditional blowers. The patented bearing ensures a service life 70,000+ hours. An effective sealing mechanism for the driving shaft and conveying chamber minimises natural wear, guaranteeing oil-free operation in accordance with ISO 8573-1 class 0 standards. Additionally, the patented reactive silencer, free from absorption materials, effectively prevents process air contamination and safeguards downstream systems, making it particularly advantageous for sustainable, safe, and long-lasting operations in the food industry and wastewater treatment. The intelligent oil system, which functions with minimal oil quantities and extended change intervals of 16,000 operating hours, positively impacts longevity and maintenance.

www.aerzen.com

This article can also be found in issue below.

"What led to this condition?" is one of the most common questions asked in the course of inspecting faulty or damaged rolling bearings. For machines with rotating shafts, the focus is on monitoring the rolling bearings. As the interface between the shaft and the machine foundation, they have to absorb the resulting forces. This means that faults and damage in design and operation have a particularly strong effect on rolling bearings. This is precisely what makes them suitable measurement points. Although rolling bearings are among the most important components in most machines, there is often a lack of effective methods for monitoring them. Monitoring (trending) is performed to detect changes or deterioration in condition. For this purpose, simple characteristic values are recorded by means of recurring measurements and their change is observed over time. If an alarm value is exceeded, measures must be initiated. If it is a first warning level, a detailed analysis is carried out first and, if necessary, the time interval until the next measurement is shortened. In order to identify a fault or damage pattern and determine the causes, special evaluations of the measurement data must be carried out. Simple characteristic values are not sufficient for this purpose. At this point, the maintenance measure can be planned accordingly, depending on the severity of the damage level and the possible cause. If the actual alarm level is exceeded, the machine must be stopped either immediately or as soon as possible. The maintenance actions must then be carried out immediately.

BS40: Innovative and reliable solution

The new BS40 broadband structure-borne sound sensor was developed by SONOTEC to help companies worldwide better maintain their rolling bearings. This practical and robust sensor is ideal for condition monitoring on machines with rotating parts. The product design impresses with a laser-welded stainless steel housing. The ¼"-28 UNF threaded bolt allows for maximum flexibility in mounting as well as in use, as the BS40 can be used with magnets for flat or curved surfaces. In addition, the BS40 can also be screwed to adhesive pads with an internal thread, resulting in excellent reproducibility. The optimized sensor characteristic in the range from 10 to 65 kHz ensures a nearly linear frequency response. An extension of the ultrasonic frequency range to <1 kHz also offers even greater flexibility in machine diagnostics. The sensor incorporates a piezocomposite material developed by SONOTEC that helps overcome the drawbacks of many solutions available on the market. Thus, a more reliable evaluation of bearings is possible.

SONAPHONE & LevelMeter App: Intuitive Hardware and Software Solutions

With the intuitive LevelMeter App, the SONAPHONE® digital ultrasonic flaw detector enables broadband measurements and determination of characteristic values. Due to the high sampling rate of 256 kS/s, signals up to 128 kHz can be analyzed. Up to this limit, characteristic values can be calculated and audio signals can be generated based on the filter settings. The instrument provides two methods for converting the ultrasonic signals into the audible frequency range. The heterodyne method is used when a narrowband transformation (bandwidth 4 kHz) is needed, while the vocoder method is suitable for a wideband transformation. The live signal is displayed as time signal, level graph and spectrogram.

Condition Monitoring Excellence

The powerful combination of the SONAPHONE®, the intuitive LevelMeter app, the broadband BS40 sensor and the maintenance task management software - SONAPHONE DataSuite - help you achieve the highest possible efficiency in your ultrasonic condition monitoring program. This holistic ultrasonic solution helps the maintenance team ensure that your equipment production processes are running smoothly. Timely maintenance actions can prevent costly downtime and costly repairs. Decisions regarding bearing lubrication can also be made based on acoustic feedback rather than time interval. With ultrasonic testing equipment developed and manufactured in Germany, it is now possible to detect rolling bearing damage at an early stage and optimize lubrication.

You can find out more about SONOTEC ultrasonic testing equipment at www.sonotec.eu

Funds will support multi-product roadmap to capitalize on growing demand for modern CMMS

 – Limble, the leading provider of modern computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS), announced today a $58M Series B funding round led by the Growth Equity business within Goldman Sachs Asset Management (Goldman Sachs), bringing the company’s valuation to $450M. The funding will be used to expand Limble’s product portfolio, further develop its powerful and intuitive user interface for asset monitoring and maintenance and accelerate its go-to-market strategy.

The investment from Goldman Sachs comes from its recently launched $5.2B growth equity fund, dedicated to investing in high-growth businesses with strong market positioning and durable business models.

The company also announced John Connolly, senior advisor to the Growth Equity business within Goldman Sachs Asset Management and a five-time CEO, will join Limble’s Board of Directors to advise on the company’s next stage of growth. He will join Lars Letonoff, former CRO of KnowBe4, the world’s largest security awareness training and simulated phishing platform; and Jeremiah Daly, founder and general partner of Elephant. Brendon Hardin from Goldman Sachs’ Growth Equity business will also be joining the board in conjunction with this investment.

“The success of Limble can truly be credited to a deep understanding of the specific challenges that face maintenance and facility managers, and the design of a powerful yet streamlined system to solve those problems,” said Bryan Christiansen, CEO and founder, Limble. “We set out to empower the maintenance professionals – the unsung heroes – who keep the world turning and have delivered on that promise with cost savings in the hundreds of millions from reduced reactive maintenance, increased productivity, reduced downtime, and reduced part spend. With this injection of growth capital from Goldman Sachs, we are poised to add new capabilities and extend the reach of our game-changing CMMS solution to companies worldwide.”

Over the past 12 months, Limble has achieved 130% growth and has increased its headcount by 240%. With its modern, innovative approach to CMMS, its customers have achieved significant cost savings. In 2022 alone, Limble customers saved a total of $134M in downtime costs, $68M in parts spend and $442M in reduced labor costs.

“CMMS is essential to managing maintenance operations, but the market has historically been filled with overly complicated, cumbersome tools,” said Brendon Hardin. “Limble has disrupted this market with an intuitive, user-friendly, and modern CMMS that streamlines even the largest operations, and fast implementation means customers see ROI within weeks. The product has proven its value with thousands of customers worldwide, and we are confident Limble’s market penetration has the potential to grow exponentially in the coming months and years.”

Resources:

• CMMS: To learn more about CMMS and its benefits, read The Essential Guide to CMMS.
• Why Limble: For more information about Limble’s unique and innovative approach, visit Limble CMMS.
• Employment Opportunities: To learn more about employment opportunities at Limble, please visit the company’s careers page.

About Limble:

Limble delivers software designed by maintenance professionals, for maintenance professionals. Founded in 2015, the company created a modern CMMS that empowers maintenance professionals to implement preventive maintenance, easily manage assets, gain control of inventory, streamline workflows, report KPIs, organize work orders and realize millions of dollars in cost savings from reduced downtime, parts spend, labor and improved productivity. Thousands of customers worldwide trust Limble including McDonald’s, Nike, Pepsi, DHL Global Forwarding and more.

About Goldman Sachs Asset Management

Bringing together traditional and alternative investments, Goldman Sachs Asset Management provides clients around the world with a dedicated partnership and focus on long-term performance. As the primary investing area within Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS), we deliver investment and advisory services for the world’s leading institutions, financial advisors and individuals, drawing from our deeply connected global network and tailored expert insights, across every region and market—overseeing more than $2.6 trillion in assets under supervision worldwide as of March 31, 2023. Driven by a passion for our clients’ performance, we seek to build long-term relationships based on conviction, sustainable outcomes, and shared success over time. Follow us on LinkedIn.

• Over a million wind turbine bearings have already been manufactured and delivered in accordance with the Wind Power Standard
• Highest quality standards for products and processes
• Wind Power Standard has been taking into account the rising demands on reliability of wind turbines and associated components for more than ten years

Birmingham, UK | June 22, 2023 | Against the backdrop of ambitious climate goals and an ever-increasing awareness of sustainability issues in society, renewable energy generation – including wind power as a central component – is of growing importance. As market leader and strategic development partner, global automotive and industrial supplier Schaeffler has been supplying reliable bearing solutions for onshore and offshore wind turbines for around 40 years. Rolling bearings from Schaeffler can be found in every second to third wind turbine worldwide.

Schaeffler introduced a Wind Power Standard for wind turbine bearings more than 10 years ago, which takes into account the high demands on the reliability of turbines and associated components. This standard for products and processes ensures that wind turbine bearings are subject to the highest quality standards, as also implemented, for example, in the automotive industry, and in the aviation and aerospace sectors. The start of the year marked the manufacture and delivery of the one millionth bearing by Schaeffler in accordance with the Wind Power Standard.

Rolling bearings play a key role in wind turbines

The progression to multi-megawatt turbines is resulting in higher loads and torques, which place the components under even greater strain, while the costs associated with downtime and maintenance work in the event of a failure are becoming increasingly higher, particularly where offshore systems are involved.

“Our customers require reliable components that allow the increasing power density in wind turbines to be used to its full potential. With the Wind Power Standard, we have been ensuring the highest level of quality for more than ten years – and with more than a million bearings to date,” says Bernd Endres, Head of the Wind Power business unit at Schaeffler.

Processes specific to wind power applications for the entire supply chain 

In order to ensure these high standards, Schaeffler relies on coordinated and transparent processes, a defined change management system, strict quality control, and extensive documentation along the entire process chain, which is achieved in close cooperation with customers and suppliers. Targeted supplier development activities ensure that the highest quality standard is achieved from the outset.

Long-standing experience and comprehensive system expertise

Compliance with the strict quality standards that apply on a global scale to all development and design teams, and to all production facilities that design and manufacture bearings for wind turbines, is monitored by means of internal audits. In addition to the long-standing experience and comprehensive system expertise of the specialists at Schaeffler, the use of state-of-the-art calculation and simulation programmes in particular ensures that wind turbine bearings are designed to optimum effect. The calculations are supplemented and validated on powerful test rigs. Schaeffler offers extensive testing options, particularly for rotor bearings, in the form of the “Astraios” large-size bearing test rig.

Bearings that are produced in accordance with the Wind Power Standard undergo a full ultrasonic and grinding burn test in order that material defects can be identified or ruled out prior to delivery, thus preventing possible bearing damage and any detrimental effect on bearing life.

www.schaeffler.com

this article can also be found in the issue below.

McLaren Group was appointed for the adaptive repurposing of Oxford Streets former D.H Evens (House of Fraser) into an adaptive mixed-use development. SOCOTEC UK undertook the works for baseline and real-time environmental monitoring and consultancy throughout the developments. The priority was to address concerns related to noise, dust, and vibration pollution, which are key concerns of councils and their residents. SOCOTEC UK was hired to support McLaren Group with their Section 61 application and Dust Management Plan (DMP) to ensure compliance with local authority regulations.

The requirement was to ensure compliance with the Code of Construction Practice Section 61 and produce a DMP to meet local authorities’ air quality objectives in heavily developed areas.

SOCOTEC UK carried out baseline readings during the pre-construction phase to provide the relevant data required for the DMP and Section 61 application. Real-time monitoring was installed once the applications were approved by local authorities and the action limits agreed. Internal discussions between SOCOTEC UK and McLaren were organised to review both applications and monitoring plans, and alterations were made as necessary.

As a sub-contractor, SOCOTEC UK collaborated with McLaren Group throughout the application process and ensured that the data was accurate and informative.  The necessary alterations to the DMP and Section 61 were made, and SOCOTEC’s engineers were dispatched to relocate the monitoring equipment. All the data, action values, and reports were updated accordingly to reflect the Environmental Health Operators actions.

SOCOTEC UK’s Monitoring team continue to assist with further consultation requirements, ensuring that the monitor equipment remains reliable and meets the required standards.

www.socotec.co.uk