Blackhawk Combustioneering has been serving the industrial combustion industry in Ontario since 1969. 

Our combustion experts were the first to develop the programming and installation of a safety PLC on an oxyfuel (FARCS) system on a top-blown rotary converter for metal processing in Canada.

When you work with Blackhawk Combustioneering, you’re working with the support and resources of our experienced staff: managers, engineers and G1 combustion technicians with many years of combustion service experience.

Richard Koning - General Manager

Jim Walton - Senior Consultant

With over forty years of experience in heavy industrial process heating applications, including 10 years spent in the Combustion Engineering Department at Stelco Inc., Jim is a Combustion Expert Technician with a TSSA G-1 Certificate and a Certificate in The Metallurgy of Iron and Steel from McMaster University.

His experience includes projects in Steel Mill Melt Shops, By-Products Plants, Coke Oven Batteries, Rotary Lime Kilns, Galvanizing Furnaces, Batch Anneal Furnaces, Reheat Furnaces, and Gas Mixing Stations. Jim also has experience with non-ferrous melting furnaces as well as rotary aggregate dryers for the asphalt producing industry and fire insurance investigation expertise.

George Faulkner, P. Eng. – Senior Combustion Engineer

A registered Ontario Professional Engineer, George received his Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from McMaster University in 1979 and completed the Metallurgy of Iron and Steel program at McMaster University in 2011.

George gained his combustion solutions experience while working for Coen Co at their Quebec and Northern California locations. He has provided application engineering using a variety of fuels on projects from single burner/boiler or kiln to multi-fired unit applications. George gained additional combustion experience in Duct burner firing while working for Davis Combustion Systems (Forney), which provided Duct burners for gas turbine gen sets. As engineering manager at Lattner Boiler, an ASME certified manufacturer, George gained experience in high pressure steam and hot water boiler applications and boiler controls. Under this assignment he designed, to ASME code, a new high pressure steam boiler line for the Drycleaner industry. In addition, a new low NOx boiler was designed to meet California’s emission requirements. He has spent years working in the field on commissioning and startup for industrial combustion clients.

Doug Whitelaw – Manager, Combustion/Instrumentation

A Combustion Expert Technician with a TSSA G-1 Certificate, as well as a licensed electrician, Doug has 40 years of experience installing and servicing various types of industrial burner systems and controls throughout North America including:

• Process combustion systems for the asphalt, steel, automotive and aluminum industries
• Industrial instrumentation, PLC programming, service and repair of pneumatic control systems
• Aggregate dryer and bag house issues
• Hot oil heater repair and piping layout
• Conversions of oil firing equipment to natural gas, liquid propane
• Installation and service of mass flow combustion systems for use on oxy/fuel EAF furnace burners in the steel industry
• Installation and commissioning of linkageless control systems used to control fuel/air ratio on large burners over 100 million BTU/hr
• Autocad drawings for TSSA approvals

David J Hartwell - Manager, Projects & Installations

College educated in the UK and Canada, Dave is a certified Industrial and Construction Millwright as well as a certified Gas Technician under TSSA. Dave has over 25 years of practical heavy industrial maintenance and management experience including: engineering, procurement, construction and installation of projects from $500,000 to $1 million+. He has specialized experience in Oxy-Fuel Burner Systems, Energy Efficiency Programs, Heat Recovery Systems, Concept Designs, Improvement Recommendations with engineering support for the in-house installation, maintenance and technical teams including:

• Oxy-Fuel Burner modifications for existing Electric Arc Steel making Furnace
• Improved Burners and Controls for Ladle and Tundish Preheater Systems
• Project Management and Major Contractor for upgrade installation for a 5 – 8 Oxy-Fuel Burner System, complete with multi-function PLC Controls integrated in the steelmaking facility on the Electric Arc Furnace. Include major repairs to primary oxygen delivery pipeline and temporary Oxy-Fuel Burner while complying with all Regulatory Authorities without loss of steelmaking capabilities
• Safely completed project around steelmaking operations productivity
• Complete overhaul and upgrade to a three Ladle Preheater station with relocations of valve trains, piping and controls during continuous production operations
• Exhaust Stack Heat Recovery system to benefit efficient use of waste heat and direct it for useful process heating of Pickling and Wash Tanks
• Energy Efficiency Study in collaboration with gas supplier utilities to maximize energy consumption

Please contact Blackhawk today for the combustion equipment and expertise perfectly suited to your application.