Method and apparatus for optimized boiler operation

Abstract

Boiler operations are fine tuned to minimize thermodynamic losses and pressure losses across throttle valves at the output of a boiler. Whenever the boiler is operating outside of desired operating levels, the first action considered is to reduce spray flows into steam supplied into a reheater or superheater outputting steam at too low of a temperature. The second consideration is to reduce the use of auxiliary electrical power, such as fans supplying tempering air to the primary air used to carry fuel to the burners. The next consideration is selective soot blowing and damper adjustments to redistribute heat in combustion product exhaust gas in the boiler. Then, if possible, the quantity of flue (combustion product) as recycled is adjusted to modify the gas temperature and the heat transferred in the radiant (furnace and superheat) sections and the convective (reheat and economizer) sections of the boiler. Finally, when possible the burners are tilted or biased to move a combustion region of the fuel up or down in the furnace section of the boiler. Burner vanes are set affecting fuel-air mixing and pulverizers are adjusted modifying fuel particle size to alter both the size and position of the combustion region in the boiler. An expert system may be used to provide diagnostics and advisories to a human operator of the boiler who can then more efficiently operate the boiler.