Burnham MPC User Manual
Page 63
 
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a. Temperature and Flow Requirements – An
existing	parallel	piping	system	may	be	used,	
provided	the	return	water	is	not	below	80°F	and	
the	return	water	temperature	is	not	more	than	
80°F	less	than	the	boiler	outlet	temperature.		A	
flow analysis should be performed to determine
the flow through the boiler when the minimum 
(and	smallest)	and	maximum	number	of	zones	
are	activated.		
Sufficient flow through the boiler must be
maintained.	The	recommended	maximum	
temperature	difference	between	the	boiler	supply	
and	return	water	is	40°F.		However,	a	maximum	
delta	T	of	80°F	across	the	boiler	is	allowable.		
A	minimum	boiler	supply	water	temperature	of	
130°F	must	be	maintained	to	avoid	sustained	
condensing	within	the	combustion	chamber.
b. Primary/Secondary Piping - If the conditions
above	cannot	be	met,	then	parallel	piping	
systems	must	be	converted	to	an	arrangement	
that will provide the proper water flow through 
the	boiler	at	the	proper	temperatures.		Primary/
Secondary	piping	is	a	common	method	for	
isolating	the	boiler	from	the	system.		The	
concept	must	be	for	the	boiler	loop	to	inject	
heat	into	a	primary	loop,	provided	the	return	
water	into	the	boiler	is	at	least	80°F.		A	by-pass	
containing	two	closely	spaced	tees	must	be	
installed	to	de-couple	the	boiler	loop	from	the	
primary	loop	(see	Figure	51).		The	converted	
system	should	resemble	Figure	52.		Care	must	
be	taken	to	avoid	dead	heading	the	system	pump.		
Conversions	should	be	reviewed	and	approved	
by a Consulting Engineer or other qualified
professional to avoid system deficiencies.
Figure 51: Parallel Piping Conversion
c. Alternate Piping Arrangements - Piping
arrangements	other	than	Parallel	and	Primary/
Secondary,	such	as	System	Bypass,	are	
acceptable as long as they ensure that the flow 
and	temperature	requirements	of	the	boiler	are	
met.
d. Glycol Antifreeze Solutions - Many systems
today	use	ethylene	or	propylene	glycol	antifreeze	
solutions	as	a	measure	for	freeze	protection,	as	
well	as	a	pump	lubricator	and	corrosion	inhibitor.		
The	properties	of	the	glycol	mixture	have	an	
impact	on	valve	and	pump	sizing.		All	glycol	
solutions have a lower specific heat than water. 
This	means	that	the	glycol	solution	cannot	
transfer	heat	as	well	as	pure	water,	resulting	in	
the need for higher flow rates. In addition, the 
viscosity	of	the	glycol	solution	is	usually	higher	
than	water,	requiring	a	higher	pump	head	for	the	
same given flow. Consult factory for specific
applications, pump selection and flow rate.
e. If this boiler is used in connection with refriger-
ation	systems,	the	boiler	must	be	installed	so	that	
the	chilled	medium	is	piped	in	parallel	with	the	
heating	boiler	using	appropriate	valves	to	prevent	
the	chilled	medium	from	entering	the	boiler.		See	
Figure	53.
Figure 5: Typical Burnham Boiler -
Primary - Secondary Loop System
Figure 5: Recommended Piping for Combination
Heating & Cooling (Refrigeration) Systems
Multiple	boilers	are	installed	the	same	as	single	
boiler	installations.		Each	boiler	loop	will	contain	
its	own	boiler	circulator	(see	Figure	49b).	
The	boiler	circulator	selection	will	maintain	a	
constant and minimum flow through the boiler 
during	every	heat	demand.		The	circulator	
must	be	properly	selected,	based	on	the	design	
temperature	between	the	boiler	supply	and	boiler	
return.		A	boiler	circulator	must	be	used	with	a	
primary/secondary	piping	arrangement.