How to avoid overpaying for the delivery of 1 MW boilers?

To heat a construction site, we needed to deliver six of pellet boilers FACI of 1 MW each to a customer in the Moscow Region. Delivering such oversized cargo usually requires renting special vehicles, which leads to additional costs.

To spare our customers such problems, we modernised the design of the pellet boilers without losing output - and as a result fitted them into standard 40-foot containers.

How did we do it? To achieve this, our engineers modernised the design of the boilers:

• They moved the fuel feed and hopper to the rear and reduced the height of the boilers;
• Instead of two burners, they placed one larger modernised hexagonal cast iron burner in the base of each boiler;
• They made non-standard heat exchangers with an increased heat exchange area.

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As a result, these changes made it possible to reduce the size of the boilers without compromising their efficiency, fit the cargo into a standard container and send it to the customer on an ordinary low-loader.

In addition, the non-standard design retained all the advantages of FACI pellet boilers. Here is a reminder of the main features of this boiler range.

A pixel burner like a construction kit: easy maintenance without dismantling the boiler

Replacing a traditional burner when its segments burn out is usually quite an ordeal: you have to dismantle the top of the boiler, use special tools, install a new burner and reassemble everything.

In FACI pellet boilers, there are no such difficulties. They use an improved cast iron pixel burner of the retort type. It is made of separate segments that are easy to replace as they wear. If one element burns out, it can be removed and replaced without dismantling the whole burner. This greatly simplifies maintenance.

The safest possible fuel feed system

In single-auger boilers, when the burner stops, the fuel keeps smouldering and can spread along the auger towards the hopper. This creates a risk of fire and smoke, especially during a power cut.

The twin-auger fuel feed system of FACI pellet and wood chip boilers completely prevents smouldering from spreading:

• there is always a large air gap between the augers - fire physically cannot reach the fuel hopper;

• even during a power cut, the design remains a barrier to smouldering fuel;

• sensors automatically respond to overheating, switch on the lower auger and push the smouldering pellets into the combustion chamber.

The ability to usepellets of any quality!

The main fuel for these megawatt boilers is pellets, and the design features of FACI boilers make it possible to use granules of various qualities.

Biofuel quality is determined by the degree of purity:

• White pellets (premium grade). They have a low ash content (0.5–0.6%) - as a result, you will need to clean the boiler no more than 1-2 times a month.
• Grey pellets (standard grade). They have good calorific value and an ash content of up to 1.5%.
• Agro-pellets (economy class). Compared with white and grey pellets, they have a higher ash content - up to 3.5%.

Can low-quality fuel damage the boiler?

FACI boilers are designed to work efficiently with any type of pellets. This is made possible by the unique design of the pixel retort burner with a large bed area and the secondary air supply system.

How does it work? The fan supplies primary air to the burner, where the pellets start to burn, and the boiler reaches its operating mode. Secondary air then enters the combustion chamber and helps burn the remaining fuel particles completely. This improves combustion efficiency and overall boiler efficiency.

Automatic cleaning system of FACI pellet boilers

FACI megawatt boilers have an automatic cleaning system that makes operation as convenient as possible and requires virtually no human intervention.

After each portion of pellets burns, secondary air enters the combustion chamber to burn off unburnt particles. This improves combustion completeness and overall boiler efficiency. Then the combustion chamber cleaning process starts, removing ash and residues that could reduce efficiency.

As a result, the boiler maintains high performance longer, and maintenance is kept to a minimum.

The intelligent boiler control system, which allows the process to be fully automated, deserves special attention.

Intelligent control system

Modern FACI boilers are equipped with a multifunctional control systemthat greatly simplifies equipment operation and makes heating as efficient and convenient as possible. The user can adjust all parameters both via the touch panel on the boiler and via the mobile app for iOS and Android. Control is available not only via the Internet but also by SMS commands, which is especially convenient in areas with unstable internet connections.

The system can adjust the heat supply by itself based on the outdoor air temperature. In "Winter" mode, the boiler provides both heating and hot water, and in "Summer" mode it works only for hot water, saving resources without sacrificing comfort. There is also a "Chrono" mode - the ability to set a boiler schedule for each day of the week with different time intervals.

FACI boilers use stepped output control. This means that at any moment the equipment produces exactly as much heat as needed, without fuel overconsumption. An additional advantage is the automatic cleaning system: the heat exchanger and firebox stay clean, and ash is removed without human involvement. The user only needs to load pellets into the hopper from time to time.

The control system also includes automatic boiler restart after a power cut and control of the three-way valve. The latter prevents the formation of condensate and tar, speeds up boiler warm-up and increases its efficiency.
 
FACI boiler control is a comprehensive solution combining convenience, automation and energy efficiency. Thanks to the intuitive interface and extensive remote control capabilities, the equipment is extremely easy to operate, and heating becomes predictable, reliable and economical.
 

Transportability

Transporting oversized equipment always means risks, deadlines and extra costs. Not every vehicle can deliver a heavy unit to the site without losing time and money.

FACI boilers take this into account in their design: each boiler can be split into two independent modules - the base and the body. The components are shipped separately. The result is simpler logistics, lower costs and lower requirements for lifting equipment on site.
 

Special projects: FACI block-modular boiler houses

FACI megawatt boilers in the special version have reduced dimensions. This makes it easy to integrate them into a block-modular boiler house and optimise the layout without compromising output or efficiency.

A FACI block-modular boiler house (BMBH) is fully factory-ready: the equipment is assembled and tested at the plant, which speeds up commissioning and reduces risks on site.

All that remains on site is to:

• install the modules on a prepared base,
• connect the chimney and the heating system. After commissioning, the boiler house immediately reaches its operating parameters.

It is a rational choice for industrial enterprises, residential complexes, social and commercial facilities where reliability, compactness and optimal total costs matter.

The choice is yours. Remember: the pleasure of high quality lasts longer than the pleasure of a low price.