Fabryka Kotłów Sefako S.A., one of the largest power boiler manufacturers in Poland, has a 50-year history of producing thousands of boilers and tens of thousands of pressure parts.
In recent years, Sefako has worked with ASTOR as a Certified Partner to develop a control system for steam boiler operations, leveraging Horner controllers to automate these processes.
“Why did we decide to use a controller in steam boilers?” wonders Paweł Mrówka, automation engineer from Sefako. “First of all, because it limits the area of the control cabinet. The boiler’s automation system has several control systems, including water level, exhaust gas negative pressure, salinity, and automatic blowdown. If we wanted to monitor all these parameters, we would need either separate controllers for each of them, or just a small controller with built-in PiD controllers.”
The first implementation of connecting a Horner controller to a boiler occurred in 2009 at a municipal heating plant in southern Poland. ASTOR became the supplier of components for this project, thanks to their technical support and customer service. Sefako aimed not only to automate boiler control but also to simplify user operation, leading to the decision to use the Horner XL6 controller integrated with a panel featuring a 320×240 pixel colour touch screen. This setup allows operators easy access to all measurements taken during boiler operation and detailed data on process parameters.
A specialist from Sefako explained, “Space utilization was a key consideration. Displaying the same information on synoptic boards would require additional space on the cabinet facade. The panel allows all alarms and measurements, about 20 in total, to be clearly displayed on a compact screen. Additionally, the XL6 offers an attractive price-to-functionality ratio, and the Cscape tool software from Horner is available for free.”
The Horner XL6 controller is notably equipped with two USB ports, a CAN and Ethernet network port, a MicroSD card slot, and two serial ports, capable of handling over twenty different communication protocols. This extensive connectivity allows for the integration of all automation devices within an installation into a single, cohesive system, even when the devices are geographically dispersed. This wide-ranging communication capability simplifies the operation and networking of the controller within an enterprise, and it also enables remote programming. The MicroSD card slot is particularly useful for data archiving, providing a means to store comprehensive historical records of system operations.
“Maintaining an accurate operational history is crucial for both users and implementation teams,” emphasizes Paweł Mrówka. “By reviewing the recorded data, we can monitor all boiler operating parameters, such as steam flow, grate load, and fuel characteristics.”
Over the past number of years, Fabryka Kotłów Sefako has successfully implemented several of these systems, all of which have been operating without failure. The primary customers include smaller enterprises such as horticultural farms, municipal heating plants, and various industrial facilities that utilize steam, including distilleries, rendering plants, and feed and concentrate manufacturers. Initially, Sefako’s specialists spent about a month developing the first application. Now, they only make minor adjustments, typically within a day or two, to accommodate customer preferences or updated safety requirements from technical supervision.
“The boiler control system we designed and are deploying has proven highly effective in many installations. Interest in this solution has been growing, driven by its reliability and current trends in the energy market and the costs of different raw materials,” they noted.
Polish entrepreneurs are increasingly adopting modern technologies that offer both control over production processes and enhanced convenience. One key feature is the ability to remotely monitor operations, which includes configuring text message notifications to alert designated mobile numbers in case of an alarm.
“As a result, the company owner can go on vacation without worrying about the situation at the plant,” explains Paweł Mrówka. “For us, as a manufacturer of steam boilers equipped with control systems and safety automation, using the Horner XL6 controller provides significant benefits. The ability to register process data helps us identify the cause of faults in the event of warranty claims, determining responsibility. This not only saves us money but also time, which we can invest in developing new solutions to enhance enterprise operations,” concludes the expert from Fabryka Kotłów Sefako S.A.
Thank you to our partners ASTOR and Fabryka Kotłów Sefako S.A. for allowing us to share this success story.
ASTOR Headquarters
29 Smoleńsk Street,
31112 Krakow, Poland
Tel. +48 12 428 63 00
Fabryka Kotłów Sefako S.A.
28-340 Sędziszów,
ul. Przemysłowa 9, Poland
Tel. +48 41 381 10 73
fax. +48 41 381 11 10
