The Te Awamutu site is an important manufacturing centre for butter and milk powders in the North Island and until recently included an old gas turbine powered co-generation plant. Rather than replace that plant, Fonterra opted for a new gas-fired 43MW (55tph at 42 barg and 407°C) superheated steam boiler to feed their existing steam turbine generator plant and produce electricity and process steam for the site.

One of the main criteria to award RCR Energy the boiler contract was the outstanding work and excellent service demonstrated by the RCR (formerly Easteel) team on the new 43MW B&W Towerpak coal fired boiler in 2003 for the same site.

The boiler for Fonterra comes on the back of an earlier FM supplied in 2006 to Genesis Energy (via Downer Engineering Power) for the Energy Efficiency Enhancement Project (known as e3p) at Huntly Power Station.

This 30MW (42 tph at 20 barg and 325°C) gas fired steam boiler is an auxiliary boiler utilised during “black start” conditions for the new high efficiency combined cycle power plant. The e3p plant consists of a 250MW gas turbine, a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG), a 135MW steam turbine and a 385MW generator.

FM boilers are sold by RCR Energy Systems from a large and well proven product range developed by The Babcock and Wilcox Company, USA and manufactured by RCR Energy Systems under our design license from B&W. In B&W parlance, FM stands for Factory Made.

The reference to “package boilers” comes from the practice which evolved in the early to mid 20th century when increasing costs of field assembly, along with development of heavy transport systems led to the innovation of boilers being delivered ex factory already fitted with burner, pumps, insulation, electrical panels, valves and gauges.

For logistical reasons, our FM boilers were not delivered to site entirely “packaged”, however the boiler pressure vessels were delivered as complete, insulated and clad units. Our specialist site crews have completed the fit-out and site installation of the boiler-mounted components, along with deaerator, economiser, chimney stack and other boiler ancillary items.

RCR Energy Systems is proud to be associated with B&W through our exclusive license agreement for Australia and New Zealand .