Boiler Control Innovation
The technological innovation of boiler systems has drastically enhanced how users interact with their boilers. The industry continues to improve safety and efficiency standards to fit the game changing environment. Today, users seek features that influence the return on their investment. These notable features include increased energy efficiency, great zone controls and low operational costs; all of which can be achieved by selecting the right boiler control technology.
Boiler control systems have evolved through the years, reducing energy waste and providing the user with greater control over their equipment. Innovation helps to facilitate day to day processes, and allows boilers to better respond to the genuine requirements for comfort heat and hot water demand.
Prevent Boiler Short-Cycling
We all want our heating system to increase cost savings and reduce carbon emissions. However, the issue of boiler short-cycling is the primary reason for boiler inefficiency, generating high operational costs for building owners. Boiler short-cycling occurs when the system fires only to recover its standing heat losses, without genuine comfort heat or hot water demand.
In a 
previous era, “time delay” devices were introduced to attempt to prevent short-cycling. This device keeps the boiler from firing on fixed time delays. However, it does not take heat or hot water demand into consideration, limiting the end user's ability to realize cost saving energy reductions.
The introduction of building management systems(BMS) and building optimization positively affected the heating industry by increasing efficiency and providing the end user with more control over their system. But once again these controls have resulted in the implementation of technology that can interfere with existing control strategies, compromising the comfort levels of a building.
Today, we use a modern and intelligent boiler load optimization control. The computer-based control allows for continuous monitoring of both flow and returning temperatures in real time. The control consists of both hardware and software, and engineers have even found a way to integrate the use of internet protocols.
The Patterson-Kelley Solution
The Patterson-Kelley NURO® control system constantly analyzes the boilers outlet temperature and compares it to the current comfort heat setpoint. This enables the control to identify and prevent the boiler from short-cycling. When the outlet temperature drops below the setpoint, the NURO® commands the boiler to increase its firing rate, and as it approaches the comfort heat set point, the control will command the boiler to decrease its firing rate. Both the Comfort Heat Wizard and the Domestic Hot Water Wizard in the NURO®, allow the end user to easily set up and tune the comfort parameter for optimal performance. The control also allows for remote monitoring through a desktop or mobile device, with the NURO® Connect App. Who better knows how to control the boilers than the boiler manufacturer themselves.
The success of this approach led Patterson-Kelley to engineer a NURO® Conversion Kit, which allows current MACH® boiler owners to convert their control to the latest technology.
For more information, please contact pkmarketing@harsco.com.
