Able Temperature Controls Boost Heater Efficiency

One Series programmable temperature controls from Able have been used as part of a GBP22,000 upgrade of a natural draft utility heater. The heater was only achieving 64 per cent combustion efficiency and was having problems maintaining process temperature. Each of the two fire tubes was estimated to have approximately 3.5 million BTU per hour.

The eight-wire One Series maintained a process temperature of 272C, with only one fire tube running at 68 per cent combustion efficiency. Its two independent solid-state relays allow for the separation of the control points and precise setting for each dead band, which eliminated previous process temperature overshoot and undershoot issues. The second fire tube has a live pilot, which will turn on if the process temperature drops below 267C.

A 4-20mA auxiliary output is included, which can be tied into a PLC/DCS as a trending and monitoring function. The total volume of air is now being heated by one fire tube and is approximately 105,000 SCF per hour; this is a reduction in air volume and translates to more heat into the process and less wasted into the atmosphere. The efficiency gains with using the One Series temperature controls will pay for the system upgrade in as little as two months, with approximately GBP410 per day being saved in fuel costs.

Flo-Eco Water Heater Delivers High Efficiency

Armstrong International has launched the Flo-Eco high-efficiency water heater, a compact, condensing, storage-type heater said to delivers 95 per cent efficiency in most operational modes. When equipped with the Armstrong Brain digital re-circulating valve (DRV), the Flo-Eco delivers precise temperature control for a variety of environments including long-term healthcare facilities, hotels, schools, office buildings and apartments.

Flo-Eco offers what Armstrong International claims to be the industry's only replaceable tank liner. The Tuff-Tank liner is constructed of an industrial material rated for continuous use at temperatures up to 185F. It is said to be so effective in protecting the underlying tank substrate that sacrificial anodes rods are not required. System connectivity via Armstrong Brainscan, a digital hot water management system console optionally supplied with the Brain, offers hot water monitoring and control linked with resident BAS (Bacnet, Lonworks, Modbus), and can be web enabled.

Flo-Eco can be pre-piped and stacked horizontally on a small single footprint to save floor space, piping, venting, labour and expense. In fact, a Flo-Eco Triple can be moved through a 28 x 80in doorway. Flo-Eco water heaters carry a 10-year tank warranty and a five-year heat exchanger warranty. The Brain (DRV80) also comes with a complete five-year warranty on all component parts.