Bonham Boiler Burner Response.pdf

Department of Veterans Affairs

Date: December 22, 2023 From: Office of Healthcare Engineering

Subj: Code/Design Deviation Request Response Project 549A4-22-422 Replace Burners and Controls

To: Chief Engineer, North Texas VA Medical Center

Summary of Request (Include project details, location of request, other implications)

The VA North Texas Health Care system has requested, for the Sam Rayburn Memorial Veterans Center, located in Bonham, TX, approval of a deviation from certain requirements of the VA Steam, Heating Hot Water, and Outside Distribution Systems Design Manual, Volume

1. Section 9.5.1 Dual-Fuel Burners of the Design Manual requires that “Burners shall be of the low pressure, air atomizing (nozzle) type.”

Equipment has met its life expectancy and repair parts are no longer available on the market to conduct maintenance. Requesting to deviate from the design to utilize Weishaupt Burners.

Weishaupt burners are designed to use pressure atomization instead of air atomization to burn fuel oil. The Boiler Efficiency Institute had conducted an inspection of boiler plant and plant was at 67% compliant. Installing these burners will bring a lot of our deficiencies to compliant, like the management systems and other concerns found during inspection.

Recommendation and Details: ☐ Approval ☒ Approval as Equivalency ☐ Disapproval Details, Clarifications, and Requirements associated with disposition:

A committee comprising subject matter experts from the Offices of Healthcare Engineering and Construction and Facilities Management has conducted a thorough review of the facility’s request. Details of the committee’s analysis and recommendations are below:

1. Assessment of Request: The committee understands that the Weishaupt burners are designed to use pressure atomization instead of air atomization to burn fuel oil as required by the VHA specifications. The committee feels that this type of burner operation is equivalent to the specified air atomization in general but requires detailed analysis of the safety device configuration and sequencing due to the differences in operations.

2. Modified Equipment: As noted above, the proposed burners are of a different configuration than VHA specified equipment, including the safety devices provided and where they are installed, as well as the testing procedures for those devices would be modified from the VHA standard. The facility must develop site-specific testing procedures for the specific equipment and devices required and installed to comply with the VHA Safety device test manual.

Memorandum

The following analysis must be completed and documented to ensure compliance:

A. Provide the full oil flow diagram including plant equipment, boiler mounted devices and burner mounted devices.

B. Provide a sequence of operation for the oil system to allow a full understanding of operation and safety systems.

C. Confirm if there is an air sleeve or sliding diffuser and how it operates, including whether it stays closed during purge cycle.

3. Additional Clarification: Note that a pilot flame must be used with the proposed burner, which must be propane or natural gas.

4. Recommendation: Subject to compliance with the above noted requirements, the committee recommends approval of the facility’s request as it provides an equivalent performance to that if the equipment were compliant with VA design requirements.

Recommend Approval as Equivalency Approved as Equivalency

Darrel Maples Compliance Engineer

Vincent Rizzo, PE Director, Office of Healthcare Engineering

Requires Design Manual Update ☐ Cc: Deputy Director for Healthcare Engineering (19HEFE)