Stark Tech’s Boiler System Installation division worked with John W. Danforth Company to design, spec, bid, and win the installation project for a 60,000 pounds per hour Victory Energy boiler system.
The customized O-style, high-pressure steam boiler replaces a 30,000-pph system installed nearly 30 years ago. The new system is expected to operate for 50 years and was custom designed to fit the facility space. The O-Style steam boiler provides an enhanced heat recovery system in a vertical configuration to maintain the most efficient overall footprint.
Installing this custom-designed Victory Energy boiler at Buffalo General Medical Center requires coordination, skill, and teamwork. Thanks to our partners – John W. Danforth Company, Pinto Construction, Benchley Crane, and Kaleida Health & Transport Logistics for their support. The first stage of the installation took place on December 28, 2019. It will work with two existing boilers to heat Kaleida Health buildings on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus for 50 years.
The newly placed energy-efficient boiler, with dimensions of 34’L x 11’W x 13’H, will work with two existing boilers to heat Kaleida Health buildings on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, including Buffalo General Medical Center, Gates Vascular Institute, and John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital.
The engineering team for Stark Tech’s boiler group joined John W. Danforth at 7 a.m. on Saturday, December 28, 2019, for the installation. Over the next several months, our teams will work with the facilities team at BNMC to ensure the new equipment is stable, energy efficient, and maintainable at the lowest possible operating costs.
Stark Tech worked with the mechanical contractor and engineer to customize the O-Style Victory Energy boiler system to double the capacity within the existing footprint.
The replacement project applied a phased approach to minimize downtime and ensure redundancy. The solution converted existing dual fuel boilers from #6 to #4 fuel oil for backup fuel. Additionally, we implemented a high turn-down burner that allows for the same minimum load and doubles the capacity at full load. Ancillary equipment included an economizer, blow-down separator, gas steam, water flow meters, and a #2 oil fuel pump set. Stark’s boiler team helped start and commission the new boiler that uses natural gas as its primary source and #2 oil as a secondary. We integrated the new boiler into the existing Yokogawa SCADA system, which added touchscreen interfaces to all three boilers.
The Commissioning Process
The installation services and dynamic commissioning process requires time onsite, examining the components, and working/training the facilities team on operating and maintaining the boiler system. In addition, the system operators will work with Stark Tech to ensure correct system installation during this time.
On Saturday, the crew began the phase of commissioning for construction and installation, monitoring the various components at the facility. The goal of this phase is for early detection of any problems that may cause issues during startup and operational testing.
For example, during piping installation and supports, the team will test the piping and hanger systems, per any stress analysis, to validate adequate room for thermal expansion without imposing excessive stresses on equipment connections. We will also complete a series of system checks to ensure valves and piping systems are working correctly and accessible for future repairs.
Once we test and validate all hookups correctly, we perform equipment safety checks, sequencing testing, and off-normal testing to ensure the plant maintains a safe condition during failures. Once the system of checks and balances has occurred, a final report will be issued documenting any findings that can be used during the plant’s life to compare performance with the original as-built version. It is necessary to monitor and detect any faults that may prohibit efficiency and uptime in the future.
