Specialized applications call for industrial boilers to take on new look.

RED HILL, Pa. - The role of industrial boilers has been transformed in the past 50 years. Specialized applications now call for quick, efficient production of high-purity steam.

Boiler manufacturers have had to accommodate not only the growing demands of industry, but need to meet increasingly stringent emissions guidelines as well.

That's not to say that old boiler technology cannot be found in operation. Take, for instance, the Corona Corp., located here. The metal stamping and fabrication facility's 1946 vintage Cleaver-Brooks boiler was recently honored as the result of a search for old boiler technology still in use.

The oil-burning, 60-hp fire-tube boiler continues to generate heat for the plant after nearly 50 years in operation.

According to Corona president Ashton Gerlach, simple attention to maintenance has been the key to keeping the boiler firing.

"It's the maintenance on it, that's the key," he said. "Compare this boiler to an automobile. If you maintain your car, it's going to last. It's the same way with a boiler."

The 48-in.-dia firetube burns approximately 15 gal of…