The following are three ways to control the output of a commercial boiler:
1. On/off (cycling) control
2. High-fire/low-fire control
3. Modulating control
On/off (cycling) control is most common for small boilers up to 1,000,000 Btu/h capacity. The oil or gas burner cycles on and off to maintain steam pressure or water temperature. Cycling control causes losses in efficiency because of the cooling (which is necessary for safety) of the fireside surfaces by the natural draft from the stack during the off, pre-purge and post-purge cycles.
High-fire/low-fire burners provide fewer off-cycle losses since the burner shuts off only when loads are below the low-fire rate of fuel input.
Modulating control is used on most large boilers because it adjusts the output to match the load whenever the load is greater than the low-fire limit, which is usually not less than 15% of the full load capacity. Steam pressure or hot water temperature is measured to determine the volume of gas or oil admitted to the burner.
Boiler firing and safety controls are boiler-manufacturer furnished and code approved. A BMCS usually enables a boiler to fire, provides a setpoint, controls pumps and blending valves, and monitors operation and alarms.
Combustion control regulates the air supplied to a burner to maintain a high gross efficiency in the combustion process. More sophisticated systems use an oxygen sensor in the stack to control the amount of combustion air supplied. Smoke density detection devices can be used in the stack to limit the reduction of air so stack gases stay within smoke density limits. A continuous reading and/or recording of flue gas conditions�¢ï¿½ï¿½O2 concentration percentage, stack temperature�¢ï¿½ï¿½is usually included in the control package of large boilers.

The following are three ways to control the output of a commercial boiler:
1. On/off (cycling) control
2. High-fire/low-fire control
3. Modulating control
On/off (cycling) control is most common for small boilers up to 1,000,000 Btu/h capacity. The oil or gas burner cycles on and off to maintain steam pressure or water temperature. Cycling control causes losses in efficiency because of the cooling (which is necessary for safety) of the fireside surfaces by the natural draft from the stack during the off, pre-purge and post-purge cycles.
High-fire/low-fire burners provide fewer off-cycle losses since the burner shuts off only when loads are below the low-fire rate of fuel input.
Modulating control is used on most large boilers because it adjusts the output to match the load whenever the load is greater than the low-fire limit, which is usually not less than 15% of the full load capacity. Steam pressure or hot water temperature is measured to determine the volume of gas or oil admitted to the burner.
Boiler firing and safety controls are boiler-manufacturer furnished and code approved. A BMCS usually enables a boiler to fire, provides a setpoint, controls pumps and blending valves, and monitors operation and alarms.
Combustion control regulates the air supplied to a burner to maintain a high gross efficiency in the combustion process. More sophisticated systems use an oxygen sensor in the stack to control the amount of combustion air supplied. Smoke density detection devices can be used in the stack to limit the reduction of air so stack gases stay within smoke density limits. A continuous reading and/or recording of flue gas conditions�¢ï¿½ï¿½O2 concentration percentage, stack temperature�¢ï¿½ï¿½is usually included in the control package of large boilers.