Ready to roll

To mark the 25th anniversary of its mobile industrial boiler hire service in the UK, Peter Baldwin,MD of Byworth Boilers, discusses the concept with IP&E

Q Back in the 1980s what inspired the concept of putting industrial boilers 'on wheels'? A Boiler Hire had been around for some time but always involved static boilers which were craned into position then piped up to ancillaries and services and finally sheeted with tarpaulins from the weather. The installation was time consuming and cost companies a lot of down time if it was a breakdown situation. By installing the boiler plus connected oil and feedwater tanks into a fully secure and weatherproof trailer, the whole unit could be delivered and connected up to site services in one day. For emergency situations this was a godsend to many companies.

Q What prompts companies to hire? A The mobile hire boiler concept arose from the need to tackle emergency situations where perhaps the site boiler needs structural repair, often as a result of poor water treatment, or a disaster such as a factory fire. However nowadays there are many situations where a hire boiler is ideal.

Special projects such as R&D. One leading manufacturer of process machinery that runs on steam hires a steam boiler to test the machines.

A boiler replacement programme is another example - during the building of an energy centre at a major regional hospital an integral part of the project was the hire of three steam boilers to keep services running while the old coal-fired boilers were removed and replaced by new boilers.

A need for extra seasonal capacity such as in the horticultural industry may be another reason to hire or,more commonly, when the existing boiler is the wrong size. Many process plants have old boilers which are now too big for the demand. With the price of fuel today it is very expensive to keep these running; sometimes it can prove cheaper to hire in a boiler of the correct output. The reduction in fuel costs may outweigh the hire cost.

Q How long can you rent a boiler? A Well anything from the minimum 2-week period to indefinite rental. One of the UK's largest airports rented high pressure hot water boilers for more than 10 years.

Q What is the advantage of rental over purchasing? A For many reasons not all businesses have the budget for capital expenditure so boiler rental can be a very cost effective means of having steam or hot water on site with no worries about service and maintenance.

Q What plant can be hired? A There are broadly two types of industrial boiler, hot water and steam. Hot water rental boilers may be used for heating purposes only or have the facility to produce clean hot water for washing purposes. Steam boilers range from 500kg/h to 16000kg/h and with multi boiler installations available no demand is too big.

Q What format options are available? A I believe the most versatile hire boilers are trailerised and containerised units which can be quickly transported and installed on site.

By contrast, bespoke plant can also be produced to suit a special project or a customer's particular application.

Longer term rentals are increasingly being satisfied by self-contained boiler houses. This is a purpose-built boiler house fully installed with a boiler and all ancillary services and can be supplied flat-roofed or in a modular building with pitched roof. For larger contracts which demand more than one boiler, modular buildings can be constructed on site around skid mounted plant.

Q What's next? A The next big change will be fuel.With gas and oil prices increasing dramatically and the Government committed to reducing CO2 emissions in the next decade and beyond, the move to renewable sources of fuel such as biomass to generate energy is inevitable.

Hiring boiler plant to run on an alternative fuel such as wood pellets takes away the risk element and allows flexibility later to change fuel.

Q What recent financial developments have there been? A To help drive the move to renewable energy the Government recently announced the much anticipated Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) tariffs which will help reduce running costs by providing rebates for energy users.

Additionally an operating lease will bridge the gap between hiring and purchasing.

Brand new bespoke plant can be leased over a term and includes the worry free back-up of a servicing package - all this without capital outlay.