Glen Farrow boiler smokey

[jrgatelogs]

On 08/02/2022 at 08:33, Chalgravesteve said:

You need a large accumulator tank. I run a 197kW Dragon with a 30,000 litre accumulator. Burn the boiler hard and get the heat into the accumulator and draw the kiln heat from the accumulator as required. Then you can run it all night 

A 30,000 litre tank? Was that quite and expensive install? I wrestle with these kilns so much, tops of my ibc cages dry in no time, the bottom never gets dry, the warm air just goes upwards and above them. 
anyway, I’ll take a look at an accumulator, then will have to look at if we can budget for it. 
thanks

[jrgatelogs]

On 08/02/2022 at 14:38, Chalgravesteve said:

It is also almost impossible in my view to try and maintain the water temperature in the water jacket/heat exchanger system by regulating the heat of the burn in a GF Boiler (or my Dragon for that matter!) The burn will go through various phases of heat, but once it escalates hotter than 80 degrees, you are heating a small amount of water with a great deal of heat and very little margin for error. The last thing you want is a water overheat and a boiler still burning as that is bloody dangerous. 

 

I am assuming that you have an upper limit of water temperature in the system of 80 degrees beyond which your automated processes should be shutting down the burn as much as possible as you are in danger of having the water starting to boil. Whatever you have attached to the boiler (kiln/radiators etc ) that draws the heat off, cannot be taking more than a few degrees off the water temperature in the circuit, so it is really easy in a small, low volume water system to cause an overheat on the water. 

 

So it is far easier to operate an accumulator tank system, which means that the upward change in water temperature is far more gradual and enables you to shut down the boiler burn and maintain a temperature increase commensurate with the drawn off heat of your kiln/radiators.

 

   

Thanks for that. I think this is what I’m going to have to look at. In my opinion they should of come with a tank as they are impossible to run full time, we weren’t even offered an accumulator as far as I can remember. 
we did have a issue when someone went past the kiln and knocked the switch off the the kiln fan control, so the fan didn’t come on, the water boiled, and started causing havoc so I slowly drained the water out while the system auto topped up but there was damage to the insulation on the boiler, so drained the system, not fully as it turns out, got a frosty night and a pipe in the radiator burst, so got that to try and work out now too. We have two kilns so still got one working. But that’s another subject. I’ll take a look into what it will cost to add an accumulator. Thanks

[Chalgravesteve]

8 hours ago, jrgatelogs said:

A 30,000 litre tank? Was that quite and expensive install? I wrestle with these kilns so much, tops of my ibc cages dry in no time, the bottom never gets dry, the warm air just goes upwards and above them. 
anyway, I’ll take a look at an accumulator, then will have to look at if we can budget for it. 
thanks

I had a 10,000 litre one and added another 20,000 litre one last year. The tank cost about £6/7K and then there was the install costs, but now we have it all settled and working its the way to go. You have to run the kilns all the time, otherwise by the time the kiln is starting to get reasonably warm, the boiler is going out and it starts to cool until you reload. The more accumulator capacity you have, the more consistent you can keep the temperatures in the kilns and build the heat up. We have insulated the kilns as well. The heat exchangers/fans are equally as important, its no good having 15-20kW ones, theres not enough heat being produced. 

 

The time of year also makes a difference. If you run them in August when the air temp is 20 degrees when you add 50 degrees your kiln runs at 70 degrees. That same kiln can run at 45 degrees when its -5! 

 

The  accumulator (and control panels) also ensure that they system doesn't freeze in winter. Whilst the kilns shut down when the tank gets down to 40 degrees, the system continues to circulate water periodically to keep the pipework/water jacket all well above freezing. 

 

 

[jrgatelogs]

Can you post some photos of the set up please? In summer I can run the standard set up all night but this time of year it’s a no go