FLIR Video of Slant/Fin Intrepid Boiler Fired With Carlin EZ Gas Burner

Gordo

All Steamed Up, Inc. completed skimming and flushing this boiler today. The header is 3" and feeds two 1-1/2" steam mains.

If you look carefully, at one point the temperature curser crosses over a plastic label on the three inch riser and the temperature read-out rises to show something closer to the "true" temperature. Apparently, this has to do with the "emissivity" of different materials showing up differently on the infrared sensors. At least, that's how I understand it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3iFoDWqbjM

Larry Weingarten

Nice! Now, do the same thing for a system that's not right and the owner will easily see why (by comparing this video with theirs) their system needs help. What a tool to help convince folks there is actually a need! That Flir just paid for itself.

Yours, Larry

ps. Put clear lacquer on clean copper pipe and you'll increase radiant losses about nine times. But it is pretty!

Steamhead

That's pretty much what a new Intrepid/EZ-Gas sounds like- not loud at all. Kudos to Slant/Fin and Carlin for making them run more quietly. So if anyone objected to the noise level of a power burner, you can see this is an improvement.

The steam moves as fast as it does because of the main vents, which we installed before the old American-Standard atmospheric boiler bit the dust. Only an ounce or two is all it takes.

For now, this is as good as it gets for gas-fired residential steamers- at least until Burnham gets with the program regarding gas burners in the MegaSteam.

Sailah

I wish my Flir took videos like that. My image quality is amazing but the video tells a story.

You are right about shiny surfaces and temp readings. Sometimes I use black matte tape to dull a surface or even a sharpie. I find threads are good measurement points since they aren't shiny and the metal is thinner.

DanHolohan

You guys are the best. Thanks!

Tim McElwain

I love it and I will use it in class.

Gordo

@Dan Holohan : You're welcome, sir!
@Tim McElwain : That's great! Thank you, sir. High praise, indeed.

Steamhead

We know you will, but it bears mentioning that all we ask is that you properly credit it to Gordo and our company.

Tim McElwain

Will do.

MilanD

This is great! Hey, it maybe just the way heat dissipates and how the camera captures it, but that last flue section going into the chimney seems much hotter than the rest of the flue. Is that normal? Towards the very end of the video you can see that back part glowing red while the rest is not.

Gordo

@MilanD: That may be an artifact. The flue pipe is new and shiny. Shiny surfaces usually show up at lower temperatures than they actually are to IR cameras. That bright area you noticed just as it goes into the chimney may be due to the insulation effect of the furnace cement that was used to seal the flue pipe into the chimney outlet.

MilanD

@Gordo : thanks!

Koan

@Gordo @Steamhead Great video gentlemen ... It's almost like I am looking into the future!!! ... Which model/size Intrepid is this and how old was the American Standard??

icy78

> @Larry Weingarten said:
> Nice! Now, do the same thing for a system that's not right and the owner will easily see why (by comparing this video with theirs) their system needs help. What a tool to help convince folks there is actually a need! That Flir just paid for itself.
>
> Yours, Larry
>
> ps. Put clear lacquer on clean copper pipe and you'll increase radiant losses about nine times. But it is pretty!

Didn't know that about the radiant losses. So an infrared temp reading on shiny pipe is easily erroneous?

Larry Weingarten

Hi, I found this on Engineering Toolbox regarding the emissivity coefficient: http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/emissivity-coefficients-d_447.html Polished copper is 0.023 - 0.052 and copper heated and covered with thick oxide layer is 0.78. Looks like a lot more than only nine times the difference! The usual work around is to put some tape on the pipe, so you get an accurate IR reading from that spot.

Yours, Larry

icy78

Thanks Larry. Black electrical tape? No probably not cause of the heat. Cloth tape. Hood old fashioned duct tape?

Larry Weingarten

Hi, I imagine anything that has no metal in it will work. If the electrical tape melts off the pipe, than it wasn't a success! ... So, I was curious and found that the lowest temp electrical tape melts at is about 284 F. Hopefully you are not running quite that hot!

Yours, Larry

Steamhead

Koan said:

@Gordo @Steamhead Great video gentlemen ... It's almost like I am looking into the future!!! ... Which model/size Intrepid is this and how old was the American Standard??

TR-30. The old one probably dated back to the early 1960s, we're not completely sure.

Koan

@Steamhead I think ours is late 60s - like you said.... ten years ... maybe? Seems right on schedule. Thank you sir!

PM2017

Excellent job.

Low frequency noise is not obvious. How do you reduce the low frequency noise?

Paul

hot_rod

Real nice, which model Flir camera?

Gordo

@hot rod : It is the "FLIR-One" which attaches to a smart phone.

Gordo

@PM2017 : The hard work of quieting the EZ-gas burner has largely been done by Carlin over the years.

Looking back, the EZ-gas burners were somewhat louder when we first started using them, especially in the Stant-Fin.

And then, too, Slant-Fin has added baffles in the last couple of years to increase heat-transfer efficiency and reduce noise.

Steamhead's proper set-up and commissioning procedures are all that is needed to complete the results as documented above.

gerry gill

thats just so cool to watch the steam move through the pipes. Ahh, the simple pleasures in life