Chris Franklin, Chairman at Ranheat Engineering Ltd – a leading UK manufacturer of wood combustion equipment – continues his series of articles exclusively for Furniture and Joinery Production. This month he writes about Christmas and what needs to be done over the Christmas shutdown.
As I write this article (in November), the first frosts of the winter are predicted.
Ranheat is well known for the manufacture and installation of industrial wood–fired boilers and warm air heaters. They also offer a wide range of purpose-made solutions to store the wood waste prior to burning.
Ranheat boilers are often fitted with a dissipator; this rejects clean hot air to the atmosphere when heating is not required, mainly in the hot summer months.
Boiler dissipators are often filled with plain water rather than antifreeze.
Conventional automotive antifreeze is NOT suitable for use in boilers as they don’t run at a high enough temperature. Automotive antifreeze is designed to run over 100 degrees centigrade; most wood-fired boilers run at 85 degrees C.
Many companies are tempted to use this cheaper alternative, but it can cause problems with corrosion.
Boilers require a specialist antifreeze to avoid corrosion. But Ranheat boilers have a large water content, so a lot of specialist antifreeze is needed.
The alternative is to have a plate heat exchanger with water on the primary side, going through the boiler and a specialist antifreeze on the secondary side. The alternative is to isolate and drain the dissipator of water to prevent freezing.
Sadly, many customers go off for the Christmas shutdown and forget to do this. They come back in the new year to a frozen dissipator and a big repair bill!
If the storage silo is big enough, the boiler plant may store enough material to run the boiler over the Christmas shutdown, but don’t forget the dissipator!
Ranheat systems are designed to run on wood waste that is a by-product of a wood machining and manufacturing process. They are specialists in the combustion of fine dusts from manmade boards such as Chipboard, MFC and MDF.
So, enjoy the Christmas festivities, but give a thought before you lock the doors and go away for your dissipator, and the need to protect it.
For further information on all types and sizes of Industrial Woodburning equipment from 75 kW upwards, contact Ranheat on 01604 750005, [email protected] or www.ranheat.com
Ranheat also make spares and service and repair other makes of woodburning boilers and heaters.
