Process Measurement, Valve, and Combustion Experts Serving Northern California and Nevada

CTi Controltech contributes a wealth of knowledge, experience, and skill in their customer engagements. The items we carry come from globally recognized manufacturers and are used in conjunction with our contracting and engineering resources to provide complete solutions to our customers' problems. A leading provider of valves, valve actuation, emissions control, and monitoring systems for industrial burners and boilers. CTi Controltech also provides custom SCR systems as well as steam management solutions. CTi Controltech, headquartered in San Ramon, California, serves Northern California and Nevada. We design solutions to the problems that our customers experience daily in process control.

Combustion, Emission and Steam Solutions 

• Low and ultra low NOx burners and burner retrofits 
• BMS and CMS system design and hardware 
• Custom design SCR Systems 
• Burner air fuel mix recalibration 
• Pre-emission test and boiler tune-ups 
• Heat rate, efficiency studies and plant improvement 
• Vapor recovery 
• Particulate and CO2 control 

Process Control and Combustion Services 

• Factory trained service personnel 
• Commissioning and startup technical support 
• Technical seminars and training 
• Valve and actuator calibration and startup 
• Instrument calibration and startup 
• Complete turnkey project capabilities 
• U.L. 508 custom design 
• Project CAD drawings 
• PLC Programming 
• CFD and modeling 

Process Control Instrumentation Solutions 

• Flow, level, pressure, density and temperature

Valve, Actuation, and Automation Solutions 

• Severe service valve sizing and selection 
• Valve and actuation packages, pneumatic, hydraulic and electric 
• Noise and cavitation control 
• Total valve management programs 
• Turbine by-pass 
• Desuperheating and attemperation 
• Damper drives 
• Check valves 
• Vent to atmosphere and silencers 
• Best fit for purpose replacement recommendations 
• Ease of operation and life cycle cost considerations 

Pressure Relief and Flame Mitigation Technology

• Pressure/Vacuum Relief Valves 
• Pressure Relief Valves 
• Vacuum Relief Valves 
• Pilot Operated Valves 
• Flame and Detonation Arresters 
• Emergency Relief Valves 
• Waste Gas Burners 
• Pressure Regulators  

https://cti-ct.com
925-208-4250

Welcome to CTi Controltech

Since 1976 CTi Controltech has represented the leading process control and combustion manufacturers.  These products, together with our engineering capabilities, give CTi customers high quality solutions to the most difficult industrial applications.

CTi is focused on the top quality manufacturers in process control, valves, instrumentation, and combustion. Over the past three decades CTi has continually added and upgraded the quality of companies it represents.

Our staff of engineers and technicians is well versed with all our products and are ready to help you with your most demanding applications.

Combustion, Emission, Steam, Valve, Automation and Instrumentation Solutions

Cti Controltech delivers process measurement and control
solutions across many industries.

CTi Controltech brings knowledge, experience and expertise to their customer relationships. We carry a broad range of process control, combustion and steam related products manufactured by globally recognized companies, along with the contracting and engineering resources to deliver complete solutions to customer challenges. CTi Controltech, located in Northern California, is a top flight provider of valves, valve actuation, emissions control and monitoring, industrial burners and boilers, pressure, temperature, level and flow instrumentation, custom SCR sytems, and steam management products. We craft solutions to the challenges our customers face everyday in process control.

Combustion, Emission and Steam Solutions

• Low and ultra low NOx burners and burner retrofits 
• BMS and CMS system design and hardware 
• Custom design SCR Systems 
• Burner air fuel mix recalibration 
• Pre-emission test and boiler tune-ups 
• Heat rate, efficiency studies and plant improvement 
• Vapor recovery 
• Particulate and CO2 control 

Valve and Automation Solutions

• Severe service valve sizing and selection 
• Valve and actuation packages, pneumatic, hydraulic and electric 
• Noise and cavitation control 
• Total valve management programs 
• Turbine by-pass 
• Desuperheating and attemperation 
• Damper drives 
• Check valves 
• Vent to atmosphere and silencers 
• Best fit for purpose replacement recommendations 
• Ease of operation and life cycle cost considerations 

Pressure Relief

• Rupture disc 
• Pressure/Vacuum Relief Valves 
• Pressure Relief Valves 
• Vacuum Relief Valves 
• Pilot Operated Valves 
• Flame and Detonation Arresters 
• Emergency Relief Valves 
• Waste Gas Burners 
• Pressure Regulators 

Instrumentation Solutions

• Flow, level, pressure, density and temperature 

Services

• Factory trained service personnel 
• Commissioning and startup technical support 
• Technical seminars and training 
• Valve and actuator calibration and startup 
• Instrument calibration and startup 
• Complete turnkey project capabilities 
• U.L. 508 custom design 
• Project CAD drawings 
• PLC Programming 
• CFD and modeling 

Scotch Marine Boilers

Cutaway view of two-pass Scotch Marine Boiler
Image courtesy Williams & Davis Boilers

Boilers have a long history in the industrialization of the world. They were a primary source of motive power for many decades in the industrial revolution. Boilers continue to be an important source of both heat and motive power.

There is no shortage of lexicon in the boiler industry, with many legacy names for particular boiler designs. A Scotch Marine Boiler is a firetube boiler that was historically employed on ships. Firetube boilers channel the furnace combustion and resulting flue gases through an enclosure (for the furnace) and smaller diameter tubes. The shell of the boiler contains the water and steam, with the furnace and firetubes immersed within. Heat is transferred from the furnace and tubes into the water, producing hot water or pressurized steam as the unit design intends. Most of the heat from fuel combustion is passed to the water from the furnace chamber, with much of the remaining heat from the flue gases transferring from the firetubes. Once leaving the firetubes, the gases pass out of the boiler to a flue or chimney.

A dry-back boiler uses an enclosed chamber at the rear of the boiler to distribute the gases exiting the furnace section into the many firetubes. It is essentially just a box with the open entries to the firetubes and the open exit from the furnace penetrating its walls. The dry-back design facilitates access to the tubes for inspection and service.

There are other boiler configurations that serve to maximize various aspects of cost, service, and performance. Share your steam and hot water requirements with boiler and combustion specialists, leveraging your own knowledge and experience with their expertise to develop an effective solution.

Dry Back Scotch Marine Boiler from CTi Controltech

Rotary and Linear Drives for Damper Control on Combustion Air and Flue Gas Applications

Pneumatic vane damper drive, one of several
variants available.
Image courtesy Rotork

Combustion air and flue gas damper drives fill a critical role requiring safety, accuracy and reliability above all else. It is critical to deploy the best drive technology to maximize combustion efficiency, minimize emissions and reduce installation costs.

Damper Operator (Drives) Types :

Damper drives can be one of three types: pneumatic, electric, or electro-hydraulic, as described below.

• Pneumatic. These damper operators are used whenever controls rely primarily on compressed air (pneumatic) for moving operators.
• Electric. These damper operators are used whenever controls rely primarily electricity as the power source.
• Electro-hydraulic. These damper operators are the same as the electric type described above, but also have a hydraulic system to position the damper.

A very important part of damper design is determination of damper torque, and sizing and selection of the damper actuator for the maximum torque. Actuator torque should be selected to provide the maximum torque required to operate the damper as well as to provide margin and allow for degradation over the life of the damper. Actuators should be evaluated for damper blade movement in both directions, at the beginning of blade movement, and while stroking blades through the full cycle of movement.

The Goal for Selecting the Best Drive Technology:

Reduced emissions, lower fuel consumption and improved boiler draft control.

Ways to achieve this goal:

• High speed continuous modulation of ID/FD fan and inlet guide vanes 
• Improved modulation and control of secondary air dampers 
• Improved automation and burner management 
• Quick response to plant demand 
• Improved reliability in high temperature environments 
• Precise damper and burner positioning 
• Simple commissioning and diagnostics 
• Low running costs, virtually maintenance free 
• Pneumatic, analog and bus network communications 

For more information, share your requirements and challenges with combustion experts. The combination of your facilities and process experience and knowledge with their application expertise will yield an effective solution.

The Application of Heat in Industrial Settings

Heat exchangers are found throughout industrial and
commercial settings in many sizes and types.

The measurement and control of heat related to fluid processing is a vital industrial function, and relies on regulating the heat content of a fluid to achieve a desired temperature and outcome.

The manipulation of a substance's heat content is based on the central principle of specific heat, which is a measure of heat energy content per unit of mass. Heat is a quantified expression of a systems internal energy. Though heat is not considered a fluid, it behaves, and can be manipulated, in some similar respects. Heat flows from points of higher temperature to those of lower temperature, just as a fluid will flow from a point of higher pressure to one of lower pressure.

A heat exchanger provides an example of how the temperature of two fluids can be manipulated to regulate the flow or transfer of heat. Despite the design differences in heat exchanger types, the basic rules and objectives are the same. Heat energy from one fluid is passed to another across a barrier that prevents contact and mixing of the two fluids. By regulating temperature and flow of one stream, an operator can exert control over the heat content, or temperature, of another. These flows can either be gases or liquids. Heat exchangers raise or lower the temperature of these streams by transferring heat between them.

Recognizing the heat content of a fluid as a representation of energy helps with understanding how the moderation of energy content can be vital to process control. Controlling temperature in a process can also provide control of reactions among process components, or physical properties of fluids that can lead to desired or improved outcomes.

Heat can be added to a system in a number of familiar ways. Heat exchangers enable the use of steam, gas, hot water, oil, and other fluids to deliver heat energy. Other methods may employ direct contact between a heated object (such as an electric heating element) or medium and the process fluid. While these means sound different, they all achieve heat transfer by applying at least one of three core transfer mechanisms: conduction, convection, and radiation. Conduction involves the transfer of heat energy through physical contact among materials. Shell and tube heat exchangers rely on the conduction of heat by the tube walls to transfer energy between the fluid inside the tube and the fluid contained within the shell. Convection relates to heat transfer due to the movement of fluids, the mixing of fluids with differing temperature. Radiant heat transfer relies on electromagnetic waves and does not require a transfer medium, such as air or liquid. These central explanations are the foundation for the various processes used to regulate systems in industrial control environments.

The manner in which heat is to be applied or removed is an important consideration in the design of a process system. The ability to control temperature and rate at which heat is transferred in a process depends in large part on the methods, materials, and media used to accomplish the task. Share your process control challenges with application specialists, combining your own knowledge and experience with their product application expertise to develop effective solutions.

Condensate Return in a Steam System - Basic and Essential

Efficient production of steam and return of condensate
are essential to the operation of this and many other
industrial operations.

Many industrial processes and plants, as well as commercial buildings, utilize steam in their operations. The generation and use of steam is one of the oldest industrial processes and is so well understood that it may be considered more of a utility than part an industrial process. Whatever the case, if your process or installation uses steam, then steam is a necessary input for successful operation. Keeping your steam system performing at capacity frees up time and resources for the more complex aspects of your work.

If steam is not consumed directly by the process as a component input, it is steam's heat of vaporization that is utilized by the operation. Efficient use of steam as a heating medium results in the conversion of vapor to liquid (water). Returning the liquid condensate back to the boiler for conversion to vapor again is a necessary step in the efficient operation of a closed loop system.

Condensate return systems are certainly not high technology, but keep in mind that a steam system may be the lifeblood of not just one, but many operations throughout a plant. Avoiding downtime in the steam system, of which the condensate return system is an integral part, ranks highly on the list of "Important Things for Plant Operations". Condensate return is critical.

Three general methods are employed to move the condensate from a collection vessel, a trap, to the feedwater side of the boiler. Gravity can be used when conditions permit. A pressure motive return arrangement uses steam pressure and a coordinated valve sequence to drive the condensate through the piping system and back to the boiler. Condensate pumps can also be employed as a positive means of moving condensate through the return piping system.

What are some strong attributes of a good and reliable condensate return pump?

• Minimize or eliminate cavitation at high temperatures. Cavitation will impede pump performance and cause premature deterioration of pump and drive components.
• Ability to handle a high load during cold starts through motor and pump design.
• Design and configuration to handle high temperatures without deterioration of pump and motor.
• Develop higher pressure at lower motor speeds for extended service life.
• Avoidance of mechanical seals below water line.
• Consider a single unit with dual pumps for handling high loads and extending service life.

Specifying and installing a solidly designed and built condensate return pump may require an investment of your time and consideration. The return on that investment will be reduced maintenance, repair, and downtime. hare your steam system challenges, from end to end, with knowledgeable application specialists. Combining your intimate operational knowledge and experience with their deep product knowledge and experience with many installations will yield a good solution.

Industrial Uses of Steam – Part 1

Boilers are the most common production equipment
for industrial steam applications

Steam is used throughout industrial process control operations in various ways. The ability of steam to serve as a means to deliver heat and provide motive power to a facility or process keeps it in wide use throughout many industries.

Heating with steam can by of a direct or indirect nature. Direct heating uses steam distributed into or onto a substance to directly affect its temperature. In order to ensure success in direct heating, mixing needs to occur so that the temperature of the substance is uniformly impacted. Indirect heating uses one of the many available forms of heat exchangers to transfer heat from steam to process fluid across a physical barrier that isolates the process fluid from the steam.

Industries employ steam for many valuable uses. Food processing factories, refineries, and chemical plants utilize positive pressure steam. In most instances, steam is delivered to equipment, typically, at pressures above atmospheric and at a temperature exceeding 100°C. Process fluid heat exchangers, reboilers, air preheaters for combustion, and a range of other heat transfer equipment uses steam as the heat source. A shell and tube heat exchanger raises product temperature on its passage through the unit. Ideally, the heat exchanger expels condensate after removing the latent heat from the steam. Condensate can be collected and returned to the steam generation portion of the system, conserving much of the energy used to originally heat the water.

Hot water was the main agent traditionally used for heating at temperatures below 100°C. Using steam to heat at temperatures below the 100°C benchmark is an increasingly popular technique. Vacuum saturated steam can be applied in the same way as positive pressure saturated steam, but the steam temperature is adjustable by altering the pressure. The ability to change the pressure (and the temperature) allows for more precise temperature control when compared to using hot water. Another advantage of using steam over hot water is that the steam heating system is fast and precise. The desired temperature can be reached quickly and uniformly.

Another popular use for steam in industrial settings is as a propulsion or drive force. Steam turbines generate electricity in thermal power plants. A recent trend, developed to minimize wasted energy, is applying steam at increasingly higher temperatures and pressures. Superheated steam, used in steam turbines, acts as a counter to potential damage to the equipment resulting from condensate in the turbine section. Less chance of condensate in the turbine translates into a reduced risk of equipment damage or failure. Nuclear power plants, though, cannot utilize the advantages of superheated steam because of complications arising involving the steam and the turbine material. To combat this problem, high pressure saturated steam is utilized instead, with upstream separators installed to remove condensate from the steam flow. In addition to power generation, steam acts as the force behind turbine driven compressors and pumps, including gas compressors and cooling tower pumps.

Depending on the process being controlled and the specific industry’s demands, the simplicity and various applications of steam make this reliable medium a first choice for industrial operations. Share your steam system and use challenges with combustion and steam experts, combining your own knowledge and experience with their specialized expertise to develop effective solutions.

Common Industrial and Commercial Process Heating Methods

Gas fired boilers used the combustion of fuel to produce
steam which is utilized by other process equipment

Many industrial processes involve the use of heat as a means of increasing the energy content of a process or material. The means used for producing and delivering process heat can be grouped into four general categories.

• Steam
• Fuel
• Electric
• Hybrid

The technologies rely upon conduction, convection, or radiative heat transfer mechanisms, soley or in combination, to deliver heat to a substance. In practice, lower temperature processes tend to use conduction or convection. Operations employing very high temperature rely primarily on radiative heat transfer. Let's look at each of the four heating methods.

STEAM

Steam based heating systems introduce steam to the process either directly by injection, or indirectly through a heat transfer device. Large quantities of latent heat from steam can be transferred efficiently at a constant temperature, useful for many process heating applications. Steam based systems are predominantly for applications requiring a heat source at or below about 400°F and when low-cost fuel or byproducts for use in generating the steam are accessible. Cogeneration systems  (the generation of electric power and useful waste heat in a single process) often use steam as the means to produce electric power and provide heat for additional uses. While steam serves as the medium by which heat energy is moved and delivered to a process or other usage, the actual energy source for the boiler that produces the steam can be one of several fuels, or even electricity.

FUEL

Fuel based process heating systems, through combustion of solid, liquid, or gaseous fuels, produce heat that can be transferred directly or indirectly to a process. Hot combustion gases are either placed in direct contact with the material (direct heating via convection) or routed through tubes or panels that deliver radiant heat and keep combustion gases separate from the material (indirect heating). Examples of fuel-based process heating equipment include furnaces, ovens, red heaters, kilns, melters, and high-temperature generators. The boilers producing steam that was described in the previous section are also an example of a fuel based process heating application.

ELECTRICITY

Electric process heating systems also transform materials through direct and indirect means. Electric current can be applied directly to suitable materials, with the electrical resistance of the target material causing it to heat as current flows. Alternatively, high-frequency energy can be inductively coupled to some materials, resulting in indirect heating. Electric based process heating systems are used for heating, drying, curing, melting, and forming. Examples of electrically based process heating technologies include electric arc furnace technology, infrared radiation, induction heating, radio frequency drying, laser heating, and microwave processing.

HYBRID

Hybrid process heating systems utilize a combination of process heating technologies based on different energy sources or heating principles, with a design goal of optimizing energy performance and overall thermal efficiency. For example, a hybrid steam boiler may combine a fuel based boiler with an electric boiler to take advantage of access to low off-peak electricity cost. In an example of a hybrid drying system, electromagnetic energy (e.g., microwave or radio frequency) may be combined with convective hot air to accelerate drying processes; selectively targeting moisture with the penetrating electromagnetic energy can improve the speed, efficiency, and product quality as compared to a drying process based solely on convection, which can be rate limited by the thermal conductivity of the material. Optimizing the heat transfer mechanisms in hybrid systems offers a significant opportunity to reduce energy consumption, increase speed and throughput, and improve product quality.

Many heating applications, depending on scale, available energy source, and other factors may be served using one or more of the means described here. Determining the best heating method and implementation is a key element to a successful project. CTI Controltech specializes in combustion applications and the industrial production and use of steam. Share your process and project challenges with them and combine your facilities and process knowledge and experience with their engineering expertise to develop effective solutions.

Desuperheating and Attemperation of Steam

Electric power generation plant

Steam heats or powers a respectable swath of industrial operations, plus there is electric power generation. Steam is an important sort of "back office" component of the lives of many dwellers in modern economies.

What is steam?

Sorry, but we need to get everybody on the same page here. Steam is water vapor, produced by the application of heat to water. In order for steam to do work and serve as a useful energy source, it must be under pressure. There can be applications that employ steam at atmospheric pressure, but most are pressurized.

The heat goes on, the water boils, steam is produced and flows through the piping system to where it is used. Sounds simple, sounds easy. It is not. There are intricacies of designing and operating a steam system that determine its raw performance, as well as how efficiently it uses the fuel or other heat source employed to boil water. Steam utilization equipment is also carefully designed to provide its rated performance when supplied with steam of a given condition.

Steam at any given pressure has a saturation temperature, the temperature at which the vaporized water content of the steam is at its maximum level. Heat steam above its saturation temperature and you have superheated steam. Cool it below the saturation temperature and vapor will start to condense. The way in which the steam is to be used determines whether, and how much, superheat is desirable or necessary.

• Turbine operations benefit from properly superheated steam because it avoids exposure of the turbine to liquid water droplets, generally a source of surface erosion and other accelerated wear.
• Heat exchanger performance is based upon certain inlet conditions, one of which is the degree of superheat.
• Maintaining sufficient superheat throughout a continuously operating steam system minimizes the need for, and size of, a condensate return system

Processes are designed to deliver a predictable output when provided with known inputs. In the case of steam, the temperature of the steam may be an input requiring control. This brings us to attemperation, which in the case of steam most often refers to lowering the temperature of a steam supply. Attemperation and desuperheating (reducing the degree of superheat) are accomplished in a similar fashion, but with differing objectives. Attemperation involves simply controlling the temperature of the steam, without any direct regard for the level of superheat. Desuperheating, as a control operation, is not directly related to the temperature of the steam, just the degree by which it exceeds the saturation temperature at the current condition. For attemperation, steam temperature measurement is all that is needed. For desuperheating, pressure and temperature measurements are needed. Decreasing the temperature of superheated steam will naturally reduce the amount of superheat.

Some process requirements may focus on temperature of the delivered steam, without regard to superheat level. Others will rely on a specified level of superheat. The application scenarios are vast, with equipment available to accomplish whatever is needed. 

Either operation can be accomplished with some sort of heat exchanger that extracts heat from the steam. A more flexible option relies on the addition of atomized water to the flowing steam to manage temperature or superheat level. Share your steam system challenges with experts, combining your own facilities and process knowledge with their product application expertise to develop effective solutions.

Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers

Shell and tube heat exchanger diagram

Cars are something which exist as part of the backbone of modern society, for both personal and professional use. Automobiles, while being everyday objects, also contain systems which need to be constantly maintained and in-sequence to ensure the safety of both the machine and the driver. One of the most essential elements of car ownership is the understanding of how heat and temperature can impact a car’s operation. Likewise, regulating temperature in industrial operations, which is akin to controlling heat, is a key process control variable relating to both product excellence and operator safety. Since temperature is a fundamental aspect of both industrial and consumer life, heat management must be accurate, consistent, and predictable.

A common design of heat exchangers used in the oil refining and chemical processing industries is the shell and tube heat exchanger. A pressure vessel, the shell, contains a bundle of tubes. One fluid flows within the tubes while another floods the shell and contacts the outer tube surface. Heat energy conducts through the tube wall from the warmer to the cooler substance, completing the transfer of heat between the two distinct substances. These fluids can either be liquids or gases. If a large heat transfer area is utilized, consisting of greater tube surface area, many tubes or circuits of tubes can be used concurrently in order to maximize the transfer of heat. There are many considerations to take into account in regards to the design of shell and tube heat exchangers, such as tube diameter, circuiting of the tubes, tube wall thickness, shell and tube operating pressure requirements, and more. In parallel fashion to a process control system, every decision made in reference to designing and practically applying the correct heat exchanger depends on the factors present in both the materials being regulated and the industrial purpose for which the equipment is going to be used.

The industrial and commercial applications of shell and tube heat exchangers are vast, ranging from small to very large capacities. They can serve as condensers, evaporators, heaters, or coolers. You will find them throughout almost every industry, and as a part of many large HVAC systems. Shell and tube heat exchangers, specifically, find applicability in many sub-industries related to food and beverage: brewery processes, juice, sauce, soup, syrup, oils, sugar, and others. Pure steam for WFI production is an application where special materials, like stainless steel, are employed for shell and tube units that transfer heat while maintaining isolation and purity of a highly controlled process fluid.

Shell and tube heat exchangers are rugged, efficient, and require little attention other than periodic inspection. Proper unit specification, selection, and installation contribute to longevity and solid performance.

CTi Controltech In-House Capabilities and Solutions for Combustion, Automation, and Instrumentation

CTi Controltech has operated in northern California and Nevada for many years, satisfying customers and building their capabilities into today's top flight provider of equipment and services to industrial and commercial markets. The short piece included below is a synopsis of the company's range of products and services.

Share your combustion, emission, steam, process control, and automation challenges with experts in the field. The combination of your own process knowledge with the expertise at CTi Controltech will produce effective solutions.

CTi Controltech In-House Engineering Capabilities For Combustion and Process Control from CTi Controltech

Boiler Feedwater Deaerator

Spray type feedwater deaerator
Courtesy Williams and Davis Boilers

Boiler feedwater can require treatment in order to minimize corrosion and scaling which lead to steam system performance reduction or eventual failure and repair. There are various technologies, methods, and units of equipment which process boiler feedwater for differing challenges. One of those equipment items is a deaerator.

The purpose of a deaerator is to reduce the amount of dissolved oxygen and carbon dioxide in the feedwater. Both of these dissolved gases contribute to corrosion in the boiler and steam system. Oxygen will promote the formation of oxides with metal surfaces, commonly steel, found in most steam systems. Dissolved carbon dioxide in the feedwater will promote the formation of carbonic acid (H2CO3) which is also corrosive to metals.

Feedwater deaerators come in two basic forms. The tray type deaerator will generally have two sections, an upper domed section where feedwater is heated by system steam and dissolved gases liberated from the water, and a lower shell vessel that serves as a collecting reservoir for the degassed water. The spray type deaerator employs a single vessel or tank, with feedwater sprayed into the vessel and heated by system steam. The steam strips the dissolved gases from the feedwater, then maintains the stored feedwater at a temperature high enough to prevent gases from re-dissolving in the feedwater. Both tray and spray systems vent the removed gases.

Williams and Davis Boilers, in addition to manufacturing a broad line of steam boilers, also manufactures spray type deaerators in vertical and horizontal configurations, as well as other steam system ancillary equipment.

Share your steam system challenges with the combustion and steam experts at CTI-Controltech, combining your own process and facilities knowledge with their steam system expertise to develop effective solutions.

Application of Flame Scanners in Combustion Operations

Aim flame scanner through the largest cross sectional area of the flame
Courtesy Fireye

Flame detectors or scanners are regularly deployed in combustion applications as a means of confirming the presence of flame in a combustion chamber. The verification that fuel flowing into the utilization equipment is being properly burned and not accumulating unburned in the combustion chamber is the first line of safety in combustion.

Flame scanners use the characteristics of combustion and the electromagnetic emissions from burning fuel to detect flame and distinguish among flames from multiple burners. The instruments rely heavily upon operating principles utilizing visible, infrared, and ultraviolet light measurement and detection.

In single burner applications, simpler sensor and controller combinations can work suitably, but multiple flame applications are candidates for more complex detection devices and controls which can discriminate among multiple flames. Differences in individual flame characteristics, indicated through combustion products, can be utilized to distinguish between flames from different burners. Some photoelectric detectors can distinguish a signature flicker in flames of any type, invisible to the human eye.

Knowledge and understanding of the flame itself, its emissive attributes, and other characteristics are the key to proper flame detection. This may include the temperature of gases within the flame and its specific gas products. Other than temperature, electromagnetic radiation and ionized gas molecules in the flame are commonly used by flame scanners or detectors.

A variety of flame scanners are available for industrial and commercial use, each optimized for particular application sets. Essentially you have a scanner, which acts as a sensor. The signal from the scanner requires amplification and further processing to provide a reliable control signal. Hardware is available as discreet components, allowing a combination of scanner, amplifier, and control units to be combined into a system tailored for specific application requirements. Integrated systems are also available, with all appropriate detection and amplification circuitry built into a single compact unit.

Share your combustion process challenges with application specialists and combine your facility and process knowledge with their product application expertise to develop effective solutions.

Integrated Flame Scanner For Commercial and Industrial Combustion Operations from CTi Controltech

Vertical Tubeless Boiler - Small Footprint for Hot Water and Steam Production

Vertical Tubeless Boiler
Courtesy Williams & Davis Boilers

Steam and hot water are utilized in quantity throughout many industrial and commercial operations. Boilers, the most common production equipment for steam, are commercially available in a number of configurations, each with its own set of attributes making it an advantageous choice for a particular application.

One type of boiler is the vertical tubeless boiler, so named for the direction of combustion gas flow and its lack of tubes that are utilized in other designs.

Production capacity in a boiler is very dependent upon heat exchange surface area. The orientation of a vertical tubeless boiler results in a design with a significantly smaller footprint than a comparable horizontal boiler. This, obviously, can be very helpful if floor space is scarce in your facility. The rugged, simple design and lack of tubes tends to make these boilers very reliable and simple to maintain. Fueled by oil, gas, or a combination of the two, provides suitability for a wide range of facility installations. The burner is top mounted and the Williams & Davis unit pictured in this article comes fully trimmed and ready to install in most cases. Feedwater treatment and condensate return considerations are generally the same as for any other boiler.

The vertical tubeless boiler can have broad application in commercial and industrial facilities requiring a reliable source of hot water or pressurized steam. Share your hot water or steam requirements with combustion and boiler experts for the most effective solutions.

Two pass vertical tubeless boilers from CTi Controltech

Manufacturer Applies Combustion and Boiler Technology to High Temperature Fluid Generator

Genesis Series - High Temperature Fluid Generator
Courtesy Victory Energy

Victory Energy, an innovator in high efficiency boiler design, recently announced their new Genesis High Temperature Fluid Generator line. Victory states that the Genesis

"...heats any suitable thermal oil, glycol-water mixture or even water, with output capabilities ranging from 5 MMbtu/hr. to 200 MMbtu/hr. A complete membraned wall furnace provides gas tight construction that offers greater structural integrity while also minimizing refractory."

The company has incorporated its extensive combustion and boiler technology into the new Genesis product, which is intended for diverse applications in the petroleum, institutional, utility/power, pulp and paper, and chemical processing industries. Essentially, the unit is designed to deliver any high temperature thermal medium at the specified pressure to accommodate and enhance process operations.

Each unit is configured and engineered for the specific intended application to assure that maximum efficiency is attained. Victory's unique design provides

"...the ability to easily accommodate high differential temperatures while eliminating hot spots in the generator by controlling fluid flow evenly through the tubes."

Reach out to a combustion and boiler expert for more information on the Genesis line of high temperature fluid generators from Victory Energy.

New Introductory Video From CTi Controltech

CTi Controltech has released a new welcome video illustrating the company's capabilities. CTi’s expertise includes burner management and combustion control, as well as other areas of process control in the refining, power (including renewable such as geothermal and solar), food, specialty chemicals, mining, and semi-conductor industries. The company's personnel resources include engineers, technicians, and sales/support staff. CTi Controltech is strategically based in San Ramon, CA.

Drop-In Replacement Damper Drives for Boilers and Other Combustion Operations

Pedestal mount damper drive, PM Series
Courtesy Rotork

Damper drives are specialty actuators that position air and flue gas dampers on combustion based systems in industrial settings. They can be linear or rotary to meet certain application requirements. The damper positioning is a process control function that is used to increase efficiency, reduce maintenance, control harmful emissions, and lower fuel consumption.

With a very large base of legacy damper drives of the rotary type already installed throughout commercial and industrial markets, there is a need for drop-in replacements for older drives that are worn or not able to provide the level of performance accuracy needed to meet modern operating demands. Rotork, globally recognized manufacturer of valve and damper actuators, has developed a product series within their damper drive line that specifically addresses the drop-in replacement of legacy damper drives.

Rotork's PM and DM Series drives, a portion of the company's Type K Damper Drive line, provide rotary operation in the 30 to 100 degree range and are available as pedestal mount or direct mount versions. As a subset of this broad offering, the company has crafted the FasTrak Series, which are preconfigured as ready-made units to replace common, older legacy damper drives. Twelve models cover the most commonly occurring pneumatic or electric damper drive replacements. The manufacturer states that the FasTrak drives will:

• Bolt to the floor where the old drive was mounted
• The existing link rod and clevis will attach to the FasTraK drive lever
• Simply verify envelope dimensions to assure that there are no external obstructions

A product catalog describing the full line of Type K drive is provided below. Share your combustion application challenges with a product specialist and work together to find the best solutions.

Type K Linear and Rotary Damper Actuators - Rotork from CTi Controltech

Predictive Emissions Monitoring System Is Part of a Compliance Plan

CMC Solutions provides state-of-the-art predictive emissions monitoring system or PEMS components that are open, flexible, and uniquely adapted to meet EPA compliance reporting requirements and the needs of the enterprise. The products are specifically designed to empower operations to accurately predict process and emissions parameters utilizing standard database and networking components. CMC Solutions provides a patented statistical hybrid data engine within a framework that integrates existing plant resources (CEMS, PCs, servers, PLCs, cabling, and controls) with innovative custom application software developed for standard operating systems and databases.

The SmartCEMS PEMS Analyzer is applicable to combustion sources that fire liquid or gaseous fuels. Specific analysis of compliance parameters NOx, SO2, CO, CO2, O2, H2S, hydrocarbons, ammonia, and formaldehyde are a few examples of the system's capabilities. The software is easy to setup and configure, having a non-proprietary user interface and other advanced features that make it cost effective to maintain.

More information, along with a consultation about your application, is available from the combustion and process instrumentation experts at CTI Controltech.

Predictive Emissions Monitoring System - PEMS Analyzer from CTi Controltech

Video: Specialized Boiler for Oil Sands Extraction

Specialized boiler loaded for rail transport

Victory Energy provides all types of industrial boilers; watertube packages, HRSG waste heat recovery solutions, firetube and solar powered units. The company also operates a comprehensive support effort that includes rental boilers, spare parts, twenty-four hour field service, auxiliary equipment including water level devices, economizers, stacks, expansion joints, and ductwork. 

An area of special application in today's boiler market is the extraction of oil from sands in areas with suitable concentrations. The video below provides some insight into how Victory Energy meets the special needs of this field application.

More information about Victory Energy, as well as all things combustion related, is available from the specialists at CTi Controltech.