What is obsolescence in gas burners?

In the world of engineering, something becomes obsolete when part – or all – of the system in question is no longer manufactured, available to buy or simply supported by the original producer. Obsolete equipment doesn’t inherently mean ‘worse’, or ‘faulty’, but using a system with one or more obsolete components could cause issues later down the line if not addressed eventually.

Why do process heating burners become obsolete?

Obsolescence doesn’t just happen of its own accord. There are many reasons why it might come about; some gradual and some more sudden. Here’s a selection of factors and circumstances that can contribute to making a burner obsolete.

Design and technology updates

While many principles of combustion heating stay the same, technology moves forward relentlessly. It could be for efficiency savings, performance improvements, more advanced features or better controls, but new designs, prototypes and products are always entering the market.

Continuity in design can be useful – indeed, essential – in some areas, but there are limitations and at points a manufacturer will just have to leave part of a previous burner in the past. It’s at this stage that your own burner might start to lag behind and carry some level of obsolescence.

Component changes

As manufacturers revise their burner designs, or release entirely new products, the chances of component obsolescence grows steadily. This could include several sections of the burner and be caused by a number of factors, but the result is that spares, replacements and compatible parts become harder to find, more expensive and, ultimately, non-existent.

As an example, when we updated our FD series from a Mark II to Mark III, we were able to increase power output by a not-insignificant amount. Great news all-round, except it unavoidably meant that components in the new model were incompatible with the older Marks I and II, rendering them obsolete.

Laws and regulations

Owing to the nature of our industry, providers of process heating solutions are always tasked with meeting a stringent set of legal parameters. As these laws evolve and change, so do the benchmarks we have to meet – everything from carbon emissions and hazardous materials to safety protocols.

Whenever these changes come into effect, which can cover domestic or export market laws, manufacturers are obliged to carry out updates to designs to ensure they comply fully. This could mean smaller scale component changes over time, or in severe cases render an entire system redundant overnight, but the lasting effect could well be an obsolete burner.

Which parts of a burner become obsolete?

Several areas or specific parts of a combustion burner might move into obsolescence:

• Gas train: this crucial section of the burner has a series of parts that could become obsolete, including gas valves, regulators, mod ball valves, and mod motors. Or, in certain cases, the entire train itself.
• Control panel:  an inherently complex stage of the burner containing many small components such as relays, burner controllers, temperature controllers, and air pressure switches.
• Burner itself: At times, there could be larger elements of the burner that experience obsolescence, like electrodes, fans, wind boxes, and burner heads. Solenoid valves and control motors are also common culprits.

How to tell if your combustion burner is at risk of being obsolete

It’s hard to predict precisely when your burner, or part of your burner, is going to become obsolete, but there are certainly signs to look out for.

1. Age. If your process heating solution is over, say, 15 years old then it might be getting to the point where obsolescence is a risk.
2. Parts availability. If you haven’t changed a single component in that time and then find it hard to track down the necessary spares, time may not be on your burner’s side.
3. Manufacturer status. If the original manufacturer is no longer in business then your combustion burner will almost certainly be obsolete – unless another specialist company has since entered the picture to fulfil that precise need. Similarly, if the company exists but has since shifted focus, support for that particular burner or product type may not be there any longer.

Risks of using an obsolete burner

As mentioned, obsolete does not immediately mean ‘broken’, but the risks of sticking with your legacy system might well turn into genuine problems the longer you avoid taking action.

Extended delays and operational shutdown

Having to pause your business operation to sort out problems with a burner isn’t unheard of, but time is very much of the essence in this situation. Every day you’re out of action, whether it be brewing, spray painting, crop drying or industrial washing, means service delays and potentially lost revenue.

The rarer or more obscure your spares and repairs become, the longer it will take to sort out fixes – that’s if they’re even still possible. What this means is a greater chance of your operation grinding to a halt for far longer than is necessary, whilst a newer combustion heating would have offered direct access to a range of replacements, available at short notice like with our BurnerCare service.

Increased cost

A well-engineered burner can (and should) offer many years of reliable service, but the older it gets, the greater the chance that it becomes simply too far removed from contemporary spare parts and components.

Getting replacements and repairs arranged could still be a possibility on an obsolete burner, but simple economics means that this will become an increasingly harder, not to mention more expensive pursuit. In the end, continually trying to repair an older burner with obsolete parts can become more expensive than directly replacing it with a modern unit. Or, quite simply, one day the spare parts just won’t exist any more. A newer system may also offer greater savings in terms of efficiency, so it will potentially pay for itself faster.

What are my options if I have an obsolete burner installed?

Even if your burner is still working as well as the day it was installed, keeping the status quo might only get you so far. In short, time will eventually catch up with your outdated process heating system. If this is the case, you have a few options – some more definitive than others.

Remove specific obsolescence

For the more fortunate, it may be possible to remove self-contained sections of your combustion burner – such as the gas valve train or control panel – and replace with a newer version. In this case, provided there’s the right compatibility, it could be a simple swap. However, depending on the age of your burner or the range of new parts currently available, you might hit a sticking point. Also, it could be that you’re able to remove specific obsolescence once, but the next time it comes around the equipment is just too long in the tooth even for carefully targeted changes.

Upgrade the whole burner installation

In many ways the most straightforward solution, removing the entire burner – obsolete parts and not – and replacing with an entirely new system is a sure fire way of keeping your whole process heating solution running and relevant for years to come.

Not only will you benefit from the most up-to-date components, but chances are you’ll be getting a much more energy efficient install which could come with improved quality of life features, better control and more consistent output. If a whole new burner is what you end up settling on, our engineers would likely carry out a site survey to double check what your requirements are and suggest the best next course of action to our Technical team.

Wait and see (not recommended)

Lastly, there’s always the classic ‘head in the sand’ strategy to fall back on. We’ve all been there; it might seem as though our burner is working reliably and there are no obvious issues to cause worry. However, all it takes is one small fault or even just a routine repair and what could have been a day’s outage once upon a time instead turns into an extended pause to your operation while a host of potentially obsolete parts are tracked down. This could cause a headache to you, your process and, eventually, your clients and customers who rely on your output.

Is it possible to future-proof my process burner from obsolescence?

Ultimately, every burner will become susceptible to obsolescence as time inevitably passes. With that said, there are a few ways to help mitigate some of the effects.

• Recommended Spares: Stocking recommended spare parts, especially for critical components, might buy you some time where your hand might otherwise have been forced with a replacement or upgraded burner install.
• Regular Maintenance: Proper maintenance can delay the need for spares and repairs, pushing back the window of obsolescence. This mean making sure you have a regular servicing date in the diary where our engineers can carry out a thorough inspection.
• Equipment choice: Consider the longevity of any burner you have installed. This could include the level of manufacturer support, along with parts availability and cost.
• Have a long-term plan: By keeping one eye on the future and budgeting accordingly, you’ll be in the financial position to cover everything from servicing and repairs to replacements and upgrades, when the time comes. No nasty surprises, and a seamless operation with minimal down time.

Is your burner approaching obsolescence? Don’t leave anything to chance by getting in touch with our team today on +44 (0) 24 7635 2000 to discuss your options, or drop us an email at sales@lanemark.com.