In this issue of Process Heating, we have two articles to help you optimize boiler maintenance and — in the event of idled equipment — boiler layup, as well as advice about temperature sensors for fired heaters and heat exchangers for food-grade applications.

As Frank Intrieri Jr. of Goodway Technologies says in his article on boiler maintenance, boilers do a lot of the heavy lifting in industrial facilities to help keep production processes operating as effectively as possible. Preventive maintenance tasks such as tuning, cleaning and descaling are likely on the to-do list of every industrial facility with a boiler. In his article, Intrieri explores cleaning methods as well as how equipment monitoring can optimize preventive maintenance.

It may seem that a laid-up boiler  — that is, one taken out of service  —  may not need preventive maintenance. While it is true that once out of service, the equipment may not need ongoing maintenance, preparing the boiler before layup can prevent problems when the equipment is brought back online, says Julie Holmquist and Scott Bryan of Cortec Corp. They explain how using vapor corrosion inhibitors can protect boiler surfaces that are exposed to corrosive elements.

Elsewhere in this issue, Matthew K. Giunta of SOR Inc. focuses on high temperature applications where heat transfer fluid within tubes is heated by direct radiation from the burner flame. Accurately measuring the tube temperature, Giunta says, allows the processor to monitor the equipment condition and track temperature trends. A tubeskin thermocouple — installed on the hot side of a tube, closest to the flame, within the thermal processing equipment such as boilers or furnaces — can fulfill the equipment and temperature monitoring roles. Giunta offers advice on tubeskin thermocouple use and troubleshooting.

At times, no matter how well a company has prepared, unexpected equipment failures or rapid increases in product demand may mean a company must bring equipment online quickly — so quickly, in fact, that there isn’t time to purchase new capital equipment. In such cases, a processor could consider temporary rental equipment to fill the gap. Andrew Schneider and William Ocloo of Aggreko Food & Beverage offer advice about selecting a temporary or rental equipment supplier, particularly for food production use.