06

SAACKE – a winner in 2016SAACKE Combustion Services Ltd has been awarded the Combustion Engineering Association award ‘The Lord Ezra Award 2016’ for our SCanView Boiler Safety Test System. The award recognises innovation in the field of combustion engineering and was presented at the House of Lords. Well done to the team! Find out more on page 2.

As 2016 draws to a close, we would like to wish all Spotlight readers a Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.

What’s inside this issue02

07

08

Spotlight Issue 3 - 2016For owners and operators of heat generating plants in the UK and Ireland

Bernie’s hot tips

SAACKE wins prestigious ‘The Lord Ezra Award’Recognition for our boiler safety test system

Energy & combustion conferences in 2017Some dates for your diary

SAACKE apprenticeships going strongWelcome to George and congratulations to Karl

SAACKE UK team snippetsEvents we have enjoyed

Simple energy saving additions

Energy saving can be achieved by fitting oxygen trim controls which:-

Minimise oxygen in the exit gases and maximise efficiency Keep the oxygen within safe limits Adjust oxygen for variation in the calorific value of the fuel Adjust oxygen for differing ambient air temperatures and pressures.

“Each percentage of oxygen above the optimum in the flue gases results in a 1% to 1.5% increase in energy consumption.”

Need a quote? Contact us now...

SAACKE Combustion Services Ltd.Telephone: +44 (0) 23 92 333900Email: ukadmin@saacke.com

We are extremely proud to announce that we have won the

Combustion Engineering Association award ‘The Lord Ezra

Award 2016’.

This is an annual competition and our submission focussed

entirely on the ‘Safety Test System’ contained within our

SCanView boiler controller which, with over 540 units

operating in the UK and Ireland, continues to enhance the safety

of personnel and plant.

A bit of background to the award itself

Lord Derek Ezra MBE is a former Patron of the Combustion

Engineering Association (CEA). He worked with the

organisation for over 20 years first as President and then as

Patron having been associated with energy and combustion for

over an incredible 60 years.

Lord Ezra was an Honorary Fellow of Magdalene College,

Cambridge and Liberal Democrat Life Peer. He worked in the

coal industry for 35 years and spent 11 years as Chairman of the

National Coal Board. He had more recently concentrated on the

environmental impact of energy/clean coal technology and the

issue of fuel poverty. Lord Ezra sadly passed away in 2015

aged 96.

He was very keen that the CEA should continue to support the

industry through education and wanted to add his own personal

support to this. In 1995 ‘The Lord Ezra Award’ was launched

and has been presented every year since.

The award is for people or groups of people in the field of

combustion engineering who have created or facilitated a

benefit to that industry especially through a new, innovative or

novel idea.

Entries may concern any aspect of combustion, combustion

engineering and any related fields such as steam or hot water

generation and may be in areas of technological development in

product, process or plant and can be of pure scientific nature.

Those in the area of fuels, energy or major cost saving and

project management are welcome.

And the award goes to… SAACKE Combustion Services Ltd

02

A bit of background to our entry

The ‘DDCC SCanView’ burner management system was

introduced in 2007 with the SAACKE Boiler Water Control

(BWC) expansion module joining it after an extensive site

proving period. Together they provide a total burner and boiler

management and control package and to date in excess of 540

units have been installed on both new and existing plant.

The system has been type-test approved to EN298:2012 and

EN 61508 for inclusion in a SIL 3 loop. The system with BWC

has additionally been reviewed by a major engineering

inspection company who confirmed compliance with BG01 -

Typical Arrangement 2, and with the provision of the requisite

monitoring it would comply with Typical Arrangement 3.

What makes the SCanView system stand out amongst its

competitors is the unique ‘Safety Test System’. During the

design stage of the controller we sought to include not only

burner control and performance data but also as many boiler

related features as possible. This brought all control,

performance and logging data together in one touchscreen

providing access to all the on-board advantages of trend graphs,

event and alarm histories, maintenance aids and other user

benefits.

The touchscreen display provides a central store of data ready

for display as selected by the operator. The onscreen graphics

include a burner diagram, active valve/motor/alarm devices,

ripple-through displays for various operations and sequences,

and event/alarm message archives.

Overview screen with ripple-through lights

Security of the system is ensured with multi-level password

protection to ensure that safety critical adjustments can only be

made by competent trained persons.

A key objective for us during the product design stage was to

include lessons learnt in the field to bring the best available

technology to bear and deliver enhanced plant and operator

safety. One such lesson was drawn from a boiler explosion that

occurred on a site during its annual insurance testing. This was

caused by poor operator training and a lack of experience

resulting in operators suffering serious injury. This happened

during the Boiler safety valve and pressure accumulation test

and in order to rapidly reduce the noise level the inspector asked

for the fuel valve to be shut to ‘starve the burner of fuel’ in order

to test the flame scanner and lockout. Incorrect actions and

panic caused this boiler failure.

We assisted the HSE with their investigation and also surveyed

other sites and established that it is not uncommon to find the

following action:

Safety valve and boiler accumulation tests - electrically

link out the control limit device/s;

Flame failure or lockout test - remove the flame

scanner from its holder;

Flame scanner/lockout test - shut the fuel valve to

starve the burner of fuel;

Mandatory tests not correctly recorded in the

Boiler-house log book.

03

We established that a number of sites had not reinstated the

control limiter after testing, that the flame scanner test was

not truly representative of the scanner working in its normal

operating position, that in the case of the boiler incident the fuel

valve could not be fully closed due to an obstruction, and that

some inaccuracies and errors occurred in the manual recording

processes.

From this background the ‘Safety Test System’ was conceived,

with the same prerequisite as the burner and boiler management

functions, namely to provide an easy to operate interface for

the operator and to further enhance the safety of the boiler, with

the ability to transfer data by Modbus, Profibus or Ethernet for

remote monitoring and storage.

The system can perform and ‘supervise’ all mandatory daily,

weekly and annual tests, with the only exception being the boiler

gauge glass test that must be carried out manually.

An operator must be present at all times and is required, every

30 seconds, to instruct the test to continue. A ripple-through

light system shows the stages and status of the test for operator

information.

Flame failure

False flame

Boiler control limit

Boiler safety limit alarm

Boiler safety valve (accumulation test)

Low water 1 level alarm

Extra low water level alarm

High water level alarm

High high water level alarm

Low water evaporation

Extra low water 2 evaporation

Safety test selection screen

A Safety Test ‘PASS’ or Safety Test ‘FAIL’ is logged in the event

history log with time and date. In the event of a FAIL the

operator is advised that the plant should not be operated until

the problem has been identified and resolved. If a test is

cancelled or times out the operator has to accept the incomplete

test and the controller exits the Safety Test mode and returns to

normal operation and is logged as ‘ACCEPT’.

Safety test system event log

With the exception of the Boiler safety valve (accumulation) test

all other tests are completed by the system and as all the safety

critical signals are part of the control the result is automatically

recorded. For the Boiler safety valve test it is necessary to

operate the boiler above its normal operating limits. This is

achieved by a second boiler pressure safety limit, set on the

pressure sensor, which is above the pressure at which the safety

valves should operate but below the maximum boiler ‘operating’

pressure.

04

The tests are:

The Boiler safety valve test will not be available unless the

Boiler limit test has been successfully completed within the

previous 24 hours. This test also requires the operator (on the

approval of the inspector) to confirm the ‘PASS’ as the system

does not monitor the performance of the safety valves and

therefore is not able to automatically verify correct operation.

Boiler safety valve test page

Whilst a test within the ‘Safety Test System’ is being performed

all other safety devices continue to work to ensure complete

safety. Once the test is complete the safety device being tested

is immediately reintroduced to the safety circuit, again ensuring

continued safe operation.

The automation of these tests removes human error from these

important tests and without doubt further enhances the safety of

the boiler.

Feedback from customers and insurers has been very

complimentary as they feel that without the need for manual

intervention before and after various tests, the integrity of the

plant is assured and that the system delivers an enhanced level

of safety to plant and personnel. The time and date logging

of each test also provides a proven record of compliance that

inspires confidence by all concerned.

To find out more about how SCanView can benefit you, please

give us a call +44 (0) 23 92 333900

Presentation of the award

The award was presented at the Combustion Engineering

Association David Gunn Memorial Lecture which took place

at the House of Lords, London on 20th October 2016 and was

accepted by Keith Turner, Controls & Systems Manager and

Adrian Rowsell, Regional Sales Manager.

Adrian and Keith accepted the award on behalf of SAACKE

In addition to a certificate, we were awarded a cheque to the

value of £750 and one of the original Hubble Space Telescope

solar array cells in orbit from April 1990 to December 1993

which was presented by Emmet Fletcher, ESAC Communication

Officer – The European Space Agency – who delivered the David

Gunn Memorial Lecture. The prize money will be split between

two local charities.

05

Managing Director Malcolm Cook comments:

“Congratulations to the design team and all those that have contributed to the success of this system. We can be rightly

proud of the part the product plays in the safe operation of boiler plant and keeping people and property safe”.

We are pleased to announce our 2017 Energy & combustion conference plans as follows:

Tuesday 28th March 2017 – Elgin

Thursday 30th March 2017 – Nottingham

Tuesday 25th April 2017 – County Durham

Thursday 27th April 2017 – Reading

Tuesday 23rd May 2017 – Falkirk

Thursday 25th May 2017 – Near Sheffield

Tuesday 12th September 2017 – Coventry

Thursday 14th September 2017 ‒ Brentwood

There will be more information to follow in the New Year. To ensure you are kept up-to-date, please make sure your email address is registered with us. Please contact Susie Bell via s.bell@saacke.com

Introducing our newest apprentice

George Albery has very recently started at SAACKE Combustion Services Ltd. He is an Apprentice Electrical Panel Builder on a 3 year apprenticeship. George will be studying at PETA Ltd, a local training organisation, on day release for his first year and will then progress on to the Advanced Apprenticeship. Welcome George!

“Keep up the good work.”

“The engineers arrive on site with the required equipment and sort through the work with due regard to our operational requirements. Keep training them this way.”

“I have always found the SAACKE engineers very willing and helpful whenever we have phoned for help.”

“John is a pleasure to deal with on site. He explains everything in great detail.”

“Dan does a great job and fits in around our requirements. He knows exactly what’s required and doesn’t need to be told twice. It’s nice to be able to leave someone to carry on with their work without having to worry.”

“Always excellent service.”

“I would just like to say thank you for your response and the good work to get our boiler back up and running. I daren’t think of the problems I would have come in to today if the boiler was still off line. Once again thanks. ”

“Jim carried out the work in a pro-fessional capacity. He listened care-fully to our plant issues and carried out the proper maintenance.”

“Great and speedy service. Always helpful on the phone and for advice. Wish more companies were like this. Cheers all.”

“I have built a good relationship with SAACKE, both office based and site based. Always willing to help and advise. Always a speedy response.”

Customer comments Dates for your 2017 diary

06

Karl has recently completed his Advanced Level Apprenticeship in Engineering Manufacture (Engineering Technical Support) in the Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies and has subsequently been very pleased to accept the offer of the above position. Congratulations, Karl!

He has been at SAACKE since March 2013 when he first started his Apprenticeship with the company. In September 2013, Karl started his college course ‘Level 3 BTEC National Diploma in Electrical and Electronic Engineering’ at City College Southampton, which he finished in May 2015 achieving the double grade Distinction* Distinction*. Quite an achievement!

Karl is currently working towards his ‘Higher National Certificate in General Engineering’ which he is scheduled to finish in May 2017. He attends college once a week which makes it quite challenging, especially when it comes to meeting deadlines for assignments.

Karl says, “I’m unsure what I’ll do once the HNC is finished. I tend to take each step as it comes but I’m strongly considering progressing onto the Higher National Diploma.”

Initially, he spent time in each department at SAACKE to learn how they all operate and to experience how the business as a whole functions. “I especially enjoyed my time in the Design department as I was given the chance to not only use design software such as SolidWorks and AutoCAD but also help to test control panels”, comments Karl.

As the courses Karl has chosen have been electrically biased and based on his time in the Design department, it seemed natural to focus more on Electrical Design. Karl adds,

“Testing control panels is still my favourite aspect of the job. I enjoy the fault finding side of things and understanding how the design should work.”

Karl is looking forward to developing in his role and progressing within the company – and the company is looking forward to seeing this too.

Keith Turner, Controls & Systems Manager says, “Karl worked hard throughout his apprenticeship showing a willingness to learn and took on board instructions and challenges given to him. He has a positive attitude and pride in what he does inside and outside the workplace.”

“Karl has already become a valuable member of the design department, putting his training into practice”

continues Keith. “He is able to work designing control panels with the minimum of supervision and I’m sure over the next couple of years as he gains more knowledge he will progress to a more senior level.”

The future is bright

07

Introducing our newly appointed Trainee Electrical & Mechanical Design Engineer, Karl Heather.

If you are reading this newsletter but don’t receive your own personal copy and would like to be sent one directly, please

contact Susie Bell via s.bell@saacke.com or on 023 92 333831

Congratulations

Stephen Donald (Accounts Manager, Havant)

Who has recently celebrated 10 years with SAACKE UK Companies.

Terry Hibbard (Service Co-Ordinator, Havant)

Who has recently celebrated 35 years with SAACKE UK Companies.

Summer barbecue

On Saturday 24th September we held a company barbecue at Stansted Park, Hampshire. It was a fun and relaxing family day.

Our Student Intern Jonah Sumfleth (pictured above with Phil Kemp - Aftersales Manager, Havant) joined us to get to know colleagues.

Fortunately, the weather was sunny and warm. Fun activities in-cluded a helter-skelter which was very popular as well as human ten pin bowling and wacky cars. Plenty of humans were getting

rolled around inside the bowling ball to knock down the pins much to the amusement of onlookers.

Guests were entertained by local vocalist Chloe-Anne who sang beautifully as the barbeque food was enjoyed. The children liked the helter-skelter in particular so much that there were tears when it was time to go home!

National championships

Kenny Marshall (Senior Service Technician, Scotland) is Hon Secretary/Treasurer of the German Shepherd Dog Club of Scotland.

The two day National Championship event was hosted by the club over the weekend of 30th/31st July. Kenny was heavily involved in the organisation which provided a challenge! Due to flooding issues at the original site, a new venue had to be found quite late on. Lanark Racecourse was chosen, but the change in facilities had a cost implication and the change in location also meant the loss of some local sponsorship.

However all went well in the end and the weather even stayed warm and dry for this event too. This year’s event consisted of 22 classes. Everyone was happy with the judges’ placings and judge Tom Kankkonen from Finland (pictured right) in particular was very happy with the quality of dogs entered for him to judge.

1st ‘Veteran Bitch’, ‘Bitch Challenge Certificate’ and ‘Best of Breed’ went to champion Kassieger Renata (pictured in middle).

UK team snippets

08

SAACKE Combustion Services Ltd. Langstone Technology Park, Langstone Road, Havant, Hampshire, PO9 1SA. EnglandTelephone: +44 (0) 23 92 333900, Website: www.saacke.com