Turning on and operating an oil or gas-burning heater comes with many risks. Many individuals and business owners install a Burner Management System, or BMS, to make energy processes safer.
What is a Burner Management System?
“The BMS is an engineered hazard control used by oil and gas operators to ensure the safe start-up, operation, and shut down of a process heater,” states an article on the website of Aspire Energy Resources, an oil and gas equipment supplier in Canada. Each component of a burner management system contributes to improving the safety of the environment around the heater. The Aspire Energy Resources article mentioned above, entitled What is a Burner Management System (BMS), includes the list of components and their functions written below:
- Burner – Where fuel, oil, or gas is mixed with air and burned to produce heat.
- Controller – A microprocessor used to sequence or control the burner system’s fuel valves and ignitor(s) through the processes that involve purging, ignition, operation, and shutdown.
- Flame Detector – A device that helps to sense the absence or presence of a flame and offers a proper signal to detect it.
- Igniter – A permanently installed device to provide ignition energy to light the main burner.
- Valves – Used to control or shut off the flow of gas or oil in the fuel system.
With each BMS component functioning correctly, the Aspire Energy article says burner management systems “ensure start-up and detection of the main flame, control and monitor the process, and assure proper shutdown sequence.”
What are the Different Types of BMS?
Burner management systems are either manual, or integrated, and automatic, or separate. An article on amppowergy.com summarizes a manual burner management system that requires a person to start up the igniter and pilot light, which sets fire to the main burner. “While a manual BMS uses supply gas to control its pneumatic components, an automated BMS requires low-voltage electrical power to control its electronic components,” explains a training manual on kimray.com, a producer of high-quality valves and control equipment.
According to the same Kimray training manual, “An automated BMS can sense when the burner needs to be extinguished or relit and can complete that task automatically.” The electric ignition of an automated BMS prevents workers from walking into harm’s way.
What are the Functions of a BMS?
The article from Aspire Energy Resources mentioned at the top of this blog lists the following functions of a Burner Management System.
- Primary Function: Ensure start-up and detection of the main flame, control and monitor the process, and assure proper shutdown sequences.
- Prevent the equipment from starting and firing until the combustion chamber purge is completed.
- Stop the start-up of the equipment when the conditions are unsafe.
- Control the sequencing of components during start-up and shutdown of the system.
- Protect against the admission of inappropriate quantities of fuel to the heater.
- Provide the status and feedback on the condition of the components to the operator.
The safety of the individual operating or working around a boiler is essential in commercial and residential settings. If you are an individual or a business owner in Central Florida, please contact Engineered Energy Equipment. We offer expert advice and solutions and provide our customers with BMSs by Autoflame, a world leader in boiler monitoring and emissions reduction technology.
References
- https://www.aspireenergy.com/
- https://www.aspireenergy.com/burner-management-system-bms/
- https://amppowergy.com/what-is-a-burner-management-system/
- https://amppowergy.com/
- https://kimray.com/
- https://kimray.com/training/how-burner-management-system-works-automated-manual
- https://eeeinc.net/contact-us/
- https://eeeinc.net/
- https://www.autoflame.com/
