BWD Fire Tube Boilers with Integral Economiser
Yeast production company Lallemand GB has installed two Babcock Wanson BWD fire tube boilers with integral economiser and BW72H control system into its Felixstowe plant – the UK’s largest fresh yeast production facility for the UK baking industry.
The BWD60 boilers replace the existing three-pass fire tube boilers in the main plant room that had been installed in 1967 and had come to the end of their working lives.
Babcock Wanson was an obvious choice for Lallemand not only because of its reputation in the industry, but also because Lallemand already use Babcock Wanson boilers across other sites and have very been satisfied with their performance. Evert Wijnberg, Project Manager at Lallemand GB, has been pleased with the level of service provided: “Babcock’s performance has been good throughout the whole process. We were able to do as we said that we would do. What is also worthwhile mentioning is that Babcock is prepared to evaluate their performance with the customer and wants to improve by doing so.”
A System to Suit a Complex Need
Choice of boiler type, as Evert explains, was more complex as it required a degree of flexibility: “In selecting the size it helped a lot that we have a good understanding of our demand pattern. On the other hand we have had a lot of “fuzzy logic” as we expect quite some expansion on our site, but it is not yet fully clear what it will be.” The results have been positive: “What has come out are BWD60s have a slightly higher capacity than the boilers they replace.
The other key element to the boiler configuration was the use of Babcock Wanson’s prestige BW72H control system which greatly alleviates the normal demands of running a steam boiler with its in built self checking controls and minimal testing needs. This has enabled the company to both manage its complex steam demand pattern while helping to reduce costs. Evert explains: “Unfortunately we have considerable load swings which are the consequence of the way we sterilize equipment. This is a situation that we can manage best when we can deploy intelligent algorithms. The control system of the boilers provides the platform for doing this.
“The more successful we are at managing the balance between the two boilers and the steam demand pattern, the more we can reduce the energy bill and make the best return in our investments..”
The BW72H control system has also allowed for reduced operator control as it continuously, automatically monitors the environment, thus reducing costs further while improving efficiency.
Further expansion at the Felixstowe site is imminent and Lallemand GB are considering the use of Babcock Wanson Thermal Fluid units to provide the required high operating temperatures needed as part of this development.
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