Double interview with Luca Borghi, manager of the Mechanical Design Engineering Department, and Luca Furini, the Baltur Electrical Designer

In a few words, tell us about you and your history at Baltur.

“I joined Baltur in 2022, so just two years ago.

I’ve always worked at small companies, and this is the first large company that I’ve worker for.

It’s a whole new experience for me. It’s much more structured, and I get along well with all my colleagues. It’s really nice to be able to design in such a pleasant environment. As an Electrical Designer, I handle all of the electrical aspects for both the standard and non-standard Burners, and I travel to the customers’ facilities whenever necessary.”

Luca Furini

“I’ve been at Baltur since 2002. I celebrated my twenty years with the company 2 years ago.

I work in R&D as manager of the mechanical design engineering department. In addition to the mechanical design department, R&D also includes the Electrical Design department, the Application Engineering department, and the Prototype and R&D Laboratories, where the testing is carried out. I coordinate the mechanical designers who deal with the standard or catalogue products, and manage the technical and commercial documentation, like the Burner Manuals for example.

When I first began working at Baltur as a designer, I was mentored by someone with more experience than me. At first I was assigned to the boilers, and after about 2 years I joined the Burners team, always working alongside a manager.

That was when I began gaining all my knowledge and experience with the Burners, following the entire process that leads to the development of new products: from the feasibility study, to design and development, industrialization, technical documentation, type approval, and, finally, to market introduction.

I have been involved in many of the major projects that have led to the full range of Baltur burners that we have today. One of the most significant was the project that led to the creation of the current medium power “TB” series (800-3600 kW). This “historic” project was the predecessor of the new restyling project that we’re currently discussing.

As mechanical design manager and team leader, within the engineering department I have the opportunity to monitor both the design and product development aspects, as well as the project management aspects.

In recent years, Baltur has equipped itself with one of the most advanced Combustion Test Laboratories in Italy today, so it is very exciting to be able to work on projects developed within this facility, thanks also to the contribution of all our technicians, who are always extremely helpful in tackling new problems and challenges.”

Luca Borghi

On the topic of challenges... let's talk about the new New TB project, for which you two were responsible for restyling the mechanical and electrical parts.

“The original project that led to the development of the old ‘TB’ range was the first major project that I had the opportunity to take part in. The studies and market research had begun as early as 2003. At that time the Sales Director thought that there was a need to develop a new Series of Burners covering the power range from 600 kW to 1500 kW, and I was entrusted with the development of all the ventilation aspects. This was a great source of pride for me. It was a demanding job that allowed me to follow the development, calculations, sizing, prototyping, and testing of the ventilation components, participating in both the design and industrialization processes.

These were very important years for me, as I began to gain some solid experience with Baltur products.”

Luca Borghi

When was the first “TB” range born?

“The first range was presented in 2006 at the Expocomfort exhibition in Milan. It originally consisted of just 12 models. Then, over the years, it expanded more and more, and increased in power up to 3,600 kW, doubling what had been the initial goal.”

Luca Borghi

“From 2004, the year when the first sketches were drawn, to 2022, an enormous amount of work has been done on the range, in a process that has involved the entire company for more than 10 years. In fact, versions that were not originally envisaged have come into being, with over 150 gas and mixed fuel models, and new and increasingly innovative applications have been introduced in terms of environmental impact and emissions. In recent years, the need has arisen to carry out a restyling of the design, in order to remake and renew the equipment, while at the same time remaining true to the original product, given its success. So we’re talking about a restyling in terms of design, with a new, more attractive look, as well as in terms of streamlining the power range, by standardising and optimising certain aspects.

Above all, we have sought to reduce the level of pollutant emissions, and to optimise the electrical consumption values.

Today we have a complete range of about 150 Burner models, available in all versions, which are extremely high performance in terms of emissions, energy savings, and electricity consumption.”

Luca Borghi

What has the evolution been like from an electrical point of view, Dr. Furini?

“The electronics have been upgraded and the control units are increasingly advanced and integrated. So we have also made structural changes that allow us to do more precise operations. The need arose, even at the regulatory level, to adapt the electrical system, and we have adopted a solution that works better for the installer, and can facilitate the final installation tasks. We are also working on an extremely high-efficiency electric motor in collaboration with our supplier, who is one of the world leaders in the field, and produces some of the most innovative products on the market. These advanced motors have a driver that interfaces with the electronics on board the machine.

We’re already 90% through the customisation process, and will be among the first in Europe to equip the most advanced versions of our products with these ultra high-efficiency motors.”

Luca Furini

What are the advantages of the new “TB” versions?

“In addition to the design, performance, and energy efficiency features, the project team also worked on the following aspects:

• The streamlining of the product range, which led to the elimination of several models deemed obsolete, and the introduction of new models aimed at meeting new market needs
• Redesign of the structure with the aim of optimising the production process, making it easier and faster to install and commission the product, and making the product more robust and suitable for use even for applications that are particularly heavy-duty in terms of mechanical and thermal stresses
• Redesign of the manuals, with the aim of making them more complete, well-structured, and intuitive for the installer

One advantage is certainly application flexibility, which we are able to guarantee thanks to the help of the Application Engineering department, created 10 years ago within the R&D department, which researches custom solutions and modifications to the products in the catalogue in order to meet specific needs, carrying out feasibility studies and developing non-standard designs, which today are very important for Baltur.”

“The off-standard designs make it possible to include our products in Atex and mixing fuel applications, and to operate with two or more gaseous or gaseous and liquid fuels simultaneously. These highly advanced solutions allow us to meet as many needs and new applications as possible, in an optimised manner.

The new product range thus offers more industrialized systems that are easier to apply, even for the end user, allowing for more efficient operation thanks to the non-standard designs.”

“We have also improved the combustion technology and significantly reduced NOx emissions, for which the regulatory limits are gradually becoming more stringent at the European and regional levels, even below 80 mg/kWh.

With the new “TBG...SLX” burners, which are part of the new range, we are able to guarantee NOx emissions below 50 mg/Nm3 up to 2700 kW. We’re working to reach the next step, which is the 30 mg/Nm3 NOx limit, which corresponds to the lowest emission levels required on the markets in which Baltur operates.”

When will the new range be available?

“The first models of the new TB single-fuel gas and diesel range, with two-stage and modulating control with mechanical cam, will be available on the market in March 2024.

There will be further releases in June 2024, and gas versions with electronic cam modulating control and with integrated inverters will become available during the second half of 2024.

New mixed models with modulating gas and two-stage diesel control will also become available in late 2024 or early 2025.”

“The new TB series will be expanded to include a new family of mixed burners, which weren’t present in the old series, with electronic modulating control on both the gas and diesel versions.”

“For both fuels (gas and liquid), modulation makes it possible to maximise the system’s energy efficiency, and is an optimal solution for standard applications, such as thermal power plants in hospitals, as well as in situations where there is a need to reduce energy costs and take advantage of alternative fuels, such as soybean oil, or even more economical products like production waste.

The process of replacing the old TB range with the new models will be completed during the first half of 2025, with the release of the new “TBG...FGR” range, equipped with an external combustion gas recirculation system, and the previously mentioned “TBG...SLX” range.

Luca Borghi

 

Baltur’s new products also include the new SLX ultra-low NOx series, developed by Engineer Valentina Moccia’s team, which will also be released in 2024.