By Jonathan Probert: Head of Business Development, EP Steam
OVER the past 24 months EP Steam has seen a marked increase in companies requiring emergency boiler systems to keep their steam operations functioning. This is according to Jonathan Probert, head of business development for EP Steam, which is a division of Energy Partners and part of the PSG group.
Probert said this spike in boiler hire is directly proportional to an increase in uptake in boiler repair services. “We’ve not only seen more clients in need of emergency boiler hire, but also seen demand for capacity increase far beyond the typical volumes experienced in previous years. Many of the requests have been for unplanned maintenance events, but we’ve received even more requests for large-scale planned maintenance, which we consider a positive sign of growth.”
While boiler systems tend to be a durable and highly reliable part of most operations, instances where plants have had to shut down either part of or their entire steam system are not uncommon. “Depending on the nature of the outage, a steam system can be out of commission for many months and losses from downtime can legitimately end the business,” said Probert.
However, temporary solutions are available. Replacing a single regular boiler unit can be accomplished within a matter of days, while a full temporary solution of boilers, along with water treatment, fuel supply and control systems, can take a month or two. This is still a short period of time considering that a steam system can be out of commission for an extended period of time should a serious malfunction occur.
Preparing for the unplanned is part of good risk management and companies heavily reliant on these processes should ensure they have plans in place to quickly and easily facilitate the installation of emergency boilers should the need arise. Furthermore, they should have a strategy to reduce hire time.
Installing a temporary boiler in the quickest possible time is crucial. “Making sure that the facility’s steam system can be quickly reconfigured and switching to an emergency boiler when it is delivered is critical. Access to the site must be clear and the onsite team should know what to do to facilitate a successful installation to help cut down the setup time.”
In addition to this, ensuring that there is space for a temporary boiler on the premises is essential risk management. “We often find ourselves in a situation where there is barely enough space to place a temporary boiler when it arrives. It’s important that the site has been configured to accommodate more than one replacement boiler.”
Review maintenance schedules
Probert advises businesses to review maintenance schedules and procedures. “Keep in mind that operating a temporary boiler that typically runs on light, oil-based fuels such as LO10 or diesel, is significantly more expensive than permanent coal-fired boilers. As such, the focus should always be on running the temporary boilers for a minimum amount of time.”
Probert highlighted a recent business case study to demonstrate how a good service provider can help optimise your steam system and decrease unnecessary expenditure. “We recently deployed three boilers to a large company in the mining sector. Our temporary boilers operated for about a month before we removed them from the site. However, a short time later the mine asked for the boilers to be returned. This process repeated itself a number of times. We realised that there must be a fundamental failing in the system that was not being adequately addressed. We offered to inspect their steam system to help find a more permanent and sustainable solution. In the end, the entire steam generating facility was outsourced to Energy Partners.”
With the current harsh economic landscape heavily impacting the industrial sector, it has never been more important to have a capable steam solutions provider on speed-dial. “Being sure of who to contact in the event that essential operational equipment fails is the only way to ensure that your business remains resilient,” said Probert.
