E-boiler in accordance with EPCm contract

As part of the energy transition, Mars in Veghel decided to replace one of its gas-fired boilers with an electric variant: an E-boiler. Vicoma was approached for the engineering and supervision of the installation, with the technical specialist offering to do this through an EPCm contract. This completely relieved Mars of all aspects of engineering, project and construction management, with safety being one of the most important aspects.

Mars in Veghel has a mission. On the homepage of the more than 100-year-old family business, the visitor is first introduced to all ambitions around sustainability, the well-being of people and a better world for pets. These are values that are powerfully propagated company-wide but also beyond. This is only followed by the chocolate products, pet food and various rice products.

Technical durability

The theme of sustainability is evident in its own production processes, among other things. For example, the company used two large, gas-fired boilers to produce steam and heat for a variety of process steps. In the context of "gasless," Mars decided to replace one of the boilers with an electric variant: an E-boiler.

Peter Koppens is project manager at Vicoma and explains, "Replacing such a boiler is seriously different from replacing a light bulb. Just think about it: first the gas-fired boiler has to be safely removed, taking into account the gas connections and all the ongoing pipework. Moreover, with the installation of the E-boiler, all gas-related items will have to be removed and replaced with electrics. And that's more than just pulling a cable. We are talking about a boiler with a capacity of 10 MW. This means new agreements with the energy supplier will be needed, the company's own grid will have to be weighted, and so on. Oh yeah, and don't forget that these boilers won't fit through the door. So something will have to involve demolishing a wall and lifting a roof."

EPCm contract

In part because of the workload of its own people, Vicoma was asked to bid the contract in accordance with an EPCm contract. This abbreviation stands for Engineering, Procurement and Construction management. This is an effective and flexible form of contract for the realization of industrial projects in which all aspects are included, from design and engineering to procurement and construction. It would be the first project carried out by Vicoma according to this principle for Mars. An approach that proved to be worth repeating.

Koppens: "One of the points with which we really relieved Mars were all the preparations and adjustments that were needed to install the E-boiler. So the supervision of the various contractors for both demolition and new construction. We laid the foundation for the design of the new technical installation, including landings to perform safe maintenance, and did all the project management. This included a backup system that was running when the old boiler was down and the new one had not yet been commissioned."

Final result

Koppens is now putting the final proverbial finishing touches to this project. The E-boiler has been installed and is running satisfactorily. Koppens: "A number of us from the project group purchased the boiler in Norway from the manufacturer of the E-boiler, which was delivered and installed by ECO Steam and Heating Solutions from Tilburg. Extraordinary how you then see the difference: instead of a gas-fired system that you mainly hear by burning the gas to an electric boiler with an on/off button. You hear, see and smell nothing, nothing moves, but meanwhile water is being converted into steam with a power of 10 MW. A powerful project for both Mars and Vicoma that provides all the basis for yet another project."