I was installing a modulating motor for a new burner control system and I was having trouble. I followed everything in the manufacturer’s manual in careful detail. But when I turned the motor on, nothing would happen. I checked and rechecked my work. Am I screwing up? I wondered. Or is it the manuals? The … Read more
Boilers need a steady supply of water, and the water needs to be reasonably pure. But how pure?In the heated boiler, the water’s dissolved minerals become concentrated. That’s why regular blowdown is critical. The valve is opened to drain sediment out of the pressure vessel. Then the boiler is topped up with fresh water, diluting … Read more
The operator was making his routine check on the boiler when he spotted clinker through the observation glass of the fire tube. Clinker, which is formed from unburned diesel fuel, is not unusual. He stopped the flame, opened the firetube, pulled out the clinker, and restarted the burner. Hours later, the operator made his next … Read more
Last week I was thinking about why the burners in boilers sometimes don’t work as well after they leave the shop. Over the summer, these boilers are cleaned and tested. When they leave the shop, the burners work just fine. Then the boilers go up to places like Fort Nelson…Hinton…Fox Creek. Operating in the winter … Read more
When you or someone on your site sprays a coating containing zinc near your heater, you need to take precautions for yourself and your equipment. Overspray that gets into the heater’s air outlet will cause serious and expensive damage. The problem starts when you shut off the heater and detach the ductwork from its air … Read more
Recently I received some calls from customers with a complaint I had never heard before. Their oilfield boilers had come back from our shop after annual maintenance. “Where,” they asked, “is the inspection certificate?” In Alberta, all boilers are required to hold a Certificate of Inspection Permit. Every province has something similar. These customers asked … Read more
Three phase motors are used in many industrial applications. They are simple in design and have a high starting torque. Compared to single phase motors of similar power rating, they are also compact and long lasting. However, Connecting a three phase motor to its power supply is not trivial. In the field, heaters and boilers … Read more
What if you start up your heater and you see this happening: The fuel pump is sucking fuel from the line, instead of pumping it from the tank. You smell smoke or see smoke going into the burner housing (the sign that the burner is drawing combustion air out of the stack and into the … Read more
The rig was at a place so remote, it was outside the range of cellphone service. The toolpush had to drive out of the bush and then sit in his truck while we talked. His nearest connection with the world was 30 km away from the site. He called at 8 p.m. Friday night. They … Read more
In 2008 a project manager at a major energy company came to us with an interesting request. The manager was responsible for overseeing a quarter of one of the large processing facilities located in the boreal region north of Fort McMurray, Alberta. A challenging problem On his section stood an array of 200 valves through … Read more