One of the most important ways to reduce energy consumption in a manufacturing environment is to optimize the combustion control on industrial boilers, steam generators, furnaces, ovens, smelters, and process heaters. By monitoring the air and fuel rates to burners, optimal air to fuel ratios can be achieved. This results in significant reductions in energy costs of natural gas (or propane) and also improves process efficiency, as well as product quality and yields. As part of an overall strategy to reduce plant-wide emissions, many local and state-wide jurisdictions have (and require) environmental regulations for flow meters that are on all medium and large size heating units. Finally, the newly promulgated ISO 50001 standards define the best practice for energy management, and fuel line monitoring will play a significant role. Typical applications for combustion control monitoring are a variety of industries including Textile, Glass Manufacturing, Automotive, Aluminum & Steel, Food & Beverage, Pulp & Paper, Power, Chemical, and Refining.

Sage Metering provides both easy-to-install Insertion Thermal Mass Flow Meters as well as In-Line Thermal Mass Flow Meters, with built-in flow conditioners that monitor the air and fuel flow rates to the burner. These direct Mass Flow Meters do not require separate temperature or pressure transmitters, have no moving parts, are highly accurate and repeatable, and have negligible pressure drop. The Sage Thermal Mass Flow Meters have extraordinary rangeability of at least 100 to 1, as well as the fast response necessary for proper combustion control. In addition to the 4 – 20 mA control output of flow rate, the meters also provide pulsed outputs of consumption, in conjunction with fully Modbus compliant RS485 RTU communications. The meters also feature bright graphical displays of flow rate, totalized flow and gas temperature, plus continuous diagnostics. For difficult to reach burner lines, or for locations with extreme radiant heat, Sage also offers a Remote Style Flow Meter, with up to 1000 feet of lead length compensated cable – all electronics and powering are done at the transmitter – thus, the probe, or flow body, simply has a terminal junction box.