When it comes to being energy efficient, it is sometimes easy to forget the role of the burner and how modern technology can play a crucial part in reducing emissions. Mike Baker, burner division director for Nu-way, the burner division for Enertech, talks about the latest technologies and developments.
First impressions of today's burners may be that there is very little difference between these new solutions and outdated offerings but in fact the technology used in modern equipment has significantly changed. This has resulted in vast improvements including higher performance and efficiency.

The majority of specifiers, contractors and end-users will be aware that investing in technology that offers a higher operating efficiency will reduce emissions, and save money in the long term.

Using a low NOx burner is just one way of reducing the emission levels of a building, and it has certainly become easier to source equipment which offers this benefit. For example, Nu-way's M Series burner range offers low NOx as a standard feature. In addition to lower nitrogen oxide emissions, these technologies offer improved burner turn-down and minimisation of fuel and air imbalances.

Reduced burner start-up

Modulating controls will reduce the number of times the burner has to start up and will also improve demand matching, ensuring the levels of hot water needed are reflected in the quantities produced. In addition, using electronic burner programmers, for more precise modulating control of the air and fuel rates, results in increased repeatability of the air fuel ratio. This subsequently offers a reduction in air levels and flue losses.

Electronic burner programmers can offer oxygen trim controls which will continuously monitor the excess air level and use this information to reduce the air fuel ratio so optimum combustion is achieved.

For those applications where an oil burner has been installed, accurate modulation is still available through the use of spill back valves.

They also offer further benefits when it comes to maintenance and identifying faults. Many programmers provide a fault history and improved diagnostics to aid the service engineer. This means repairs can be carried out more easily and at a faster speed, so down-time will be reduced.

With the ever-increasing requirement for lower emissions, demand for low NOx burners will also grow, so manufacturers will need to ensure they continue to invest in even more research and development in burner technology. The kind of innovation and improvements we can expect to see are further advancements of burner heads with air fuel mixing techniques and maybe variable adjustment heads to allow for air fuel mixing at all throughput levels.

Use of solid state micro processor control components will probably increase to provide more operational data to be collected, interrogated and subsequent steps implemented. This will result in lower running costs, while allowing best practice such as oxygen trim to be adopted on even the smallest burners. Together with the linking to modbus or eternet communications, this will simplify installation wiring and enhance monitoring and better preventative maintenance options for the user.

Future for burner products

The current drive towards renewable technology will undoubtedly have an impact on the future for burner products and it is anticipated the growth in the heat pump market could eventually bring about a decline in the requirement for some of the smaller burners. In line with this, it is likely that manufacturers' research and development activity will be targeted on burners for the larger commercial and industrial applications.

For those involved in the commercial heating sector, the importance of selecting a burner with a higher efficiency is something that should not be overlooked. The latest generation of burners clearly offers a significant benefit to the end-user when it comes to reducing costs. In addition, the need to be energy-efficient and more green cannot be escaped and burners certainly have a role to play in addressing emissions and making reductions wherever possible.