RJM's solution: After careful analysis of the blended fuel, RJM found an extremely volatile fuel fraction that vaporized at normal operating temperatures. The resulting pockets of gas interrupted the fuel flow to the burners - and resulted in loss of fires. A change in blending procedures eliminated the immediate problem, and future problems as well. A precise adjustment in the customer's fuel burning temperature allowed safe combustion of the existing product, thereby avoiding an expensive recall.

In another case, RJM got an urgent call from a utility plant located in a residential area. A multimillion dollar conversion from oil to coal had created severe acid smut fallout. For six months the utility tried to resolve the problem themselves. Then authorities issued an ultimatum -- find a solution within six weeks or shut down the plant.

Within 24 hours of the emergency call, RJM was on-site with its team of specialists from around the country, including fuel analysts, plant operations experts, and a meteorological crew. In six days, RJM had the answer. From acoustic Doppler atmospheric data, the team concluded that atmospheric fumigating thermal inversions were often occurring at the same time as boiler soot-blowing. The plant was also burning a metallurgical coal with a high graphite coking content causing high carbon carryover that reacted with sulfuric acid in the flue gas to create acid smut. In combination, these factors were causing the serious fallout problem.

RJM's solution: RJM set up a meteorological forecast system to predict atmospheric fumigating inversions and changed the soot-blowing schedule to avoid the probability of high fallout conditions. RJM also sourced a new, cleaner burning coal for the facility. The total time from the plant's emergency call to government-approved implementation was three weeks. And the result: no more fallout incidents.