June 2020

28 | Plant & Works Engineering www.pwemag.co.uk June 2020 Energy, the Environment & Water Focus on: Boilers, Burners & Controls H eroic and historic, steam ha s always had the power to inspire. It remains one of the most effective and efficient ways of transporting and delivering heat for modern industrial processes. At its heart is the industrial boiler, a process-critical workhorse that must always be completely reliable. With brands like Yorkshireman, Dalesman and Fellsman, Byworth’s boilers conjure up a nostalgic picture of more than 50 years as a family firm. Yet, throughout its history, the company has consistently demonstrated an insatiable appetite for innovation. With an agile approach to problem solving, its competitive advantage has been protected by a commitment to continuous improvement; reducing customers’ fuel use, increasing operating efficiency and minimising downtime. Byworth Boilers will open a £2 million extension to its manufacturing headquarters in Keighley, West Yorkshire in 2020. From small boilers to service the rush of new micro- distilleries, to leviathans for hospitals and animal feed mills, Byworth’s business is built on long- term customer partnerships. Industrial boilers are energy hungry. Measurement and control are the means to get every last drop of fuel efficiency, by keeping every element of pressure, level and temperature in perfect balance. Byworth’s Research and Development is centred on a fully operational boiler room at the Keighley site, where the latest available instrumentation technology is carefully evaluated before being applied on customer systems. Byworth’s relationship with SICK has grown from initial R&D trials of a simple pressure switch to the point where the company has standardised on SICK instruments for various processes across its boiler ranges. SICK’s PBS pressure transmitter, LFP guided wave radar level sensor, TBS temperature switch and Dosic ultrasonic flowmeter, are used for new systems as well as for replacement parts, and the FTS calorimetric flow switch has recently completed successful tests in the R&D centre. Jason Atkinson, head of technical and product development stresses that, while performance of the technology is important, it’s supply chain relationships that are mission critical: “From the customers’ point of view, it’s the Byworth Boiler that performs, not any one of the instruments or control systems on it. So, our From the first industrial revolution to the fourth, inspirational change has been driven by a willingness to embrace the unconventional and cross traditional industry boundaries. A partnership between one of the UK’s oldest and best-known boiler manufacturers, Byworth Boilers with SICK’s industrial instrumentation division, has helped fine-tune its boiler house controls to save up to 7% on customer fuel bills. A head of steam CASE STUDY