Our team replaced an ageing, oversized steam boiler at a wallpaper manufacturing facility in Lancashire. The solution was a skid-mounted MX 1360 boiler plant, completed during the factory’s two-week summer holiday shutdown.
The existing boiler had more capacity than production required and was becoming costly to operate. The replacement needed to match the factory’s actual steam demand while fitting within the available space and access restrictions. With production due to resume immediately after the shutdown, the programme also had to allow sufficient time for installation, connection and commissioning.
By assembling the boiler and its associated equipment at our workshop, we reduced the work required on site and ensured the new plant was operational before employees returned.
Establishing the steam requirement
Before selecting the replacement boiler, we installed a flow meter to measure steam consumption from the existing plant. This confirmed that the factory required considerably less steam than the original boiler could produce.
The measurements provided a basis for downsizing to an MX 1360, which produces a steam output of 1,360kg/hr, matching the replacement plant to the factory’s operating requirements.
We then surveyed the boiler house, recording the existing equipment positions, available space and access dimensions. A scale layout was used to position the proposed skid and plan its connections, including the relationship between the new boiler outlet and the flue route.
Building the plant at our workshop
The skid brought together the boiler, hotwell, blowdown vessel, steam manifold and chemical dosing equipment. Much of the interconnecting pipework could therefore be completed at our workshop before delivery. This approach allowed the more involved fabrication and assembly work to take place with machinery, materials and equipment readily available. It also reduced the amount of pipework that needed to be fabricated during the shutdown.
Access through the boiler plant doorway prevented the assembled skid from entering as a single unit. We designed it in two sections, allowing selected connections to be disconnected for transport and reinstated once both halves were positioned inside the boiler house.
Coordinating the shutdown programme
During the first week of the shutdown, a site team disconnected and removed the existing boiler plant while assembly of the skid continued at our workshop. Working on both activities in parallel allowed the boiler house to be cleared in readiness for delivery.
The new skid was brought to site at the start of the second week. Each section was moved through the doorway and positioned before the interconnections were reinstated and the plant connected to the factory’s services.
Completing most of the assembly beforehand reduced the installation work to positioning, reconnection and integration with the building. Installing the same equipment as separate components would have required an estimated four to five weeks on site.
The programme also allowed three to four days for the commissioning of the new boiler. Coordinating this handover was essential to completing the replacement within the available window.
Outcomes
The new boiler plant was commissioned and operational by the last Friday of shutdown, ready for production to resume on Monday morning. The factory returned with the steam supply required for normal production, without extending the planned downtime.
The project replaced an oversized, ageing boiler with a significantly more efficient plant selected against measured demand. Workshop assembly and a sectional skid design made it possible to complete the replacement within two weeks while accommodating restricted access. The skid-mounted arrangement also gives the client greater flexibility if its requirements change, with the equipment forming an integrated unit that could be relocated or sold in the future.
