Soot Blower Optimization system helps to operate the soot blowers at optimum period of interval. Soot build up has a great impact on the boiler performance. The greater the amount of deposit, the lower the heat transfer and harder the boiler must work. No matter what type of fuel is used whether it is gas, oil or coal the soot quickly accumulates in the firetubes. Soot has a very good insulating property by which the heat transfer loss across sections increases drastically over a period of time. Studies proved a heat loss of 8% and increased fuel consumption of 2% , will result from only 0.8mm of scale formation in boiler sections. Maintaining the right level of cleanliness in the boiler furnace and heat transfer regions is one of the most critical and difficult tasks in coal fired generation. Balancing heat transfer across zones, maintaining steam temperatures and minimizing attemperation sprays are fundamental to the unit’s heat rate, while tube erosion and thermal stress from over cleaning causes waterwall erosion and cracking which results in boiler tube leaks, the largest cause of unplanned outages. Every boiler cleaning program should include regular and efficient analysis. Some testing parameters are available which can give an indication of soot deposits. The stack temperature is one of them. An increase in stack temperature is an indication of scale build up but it is difficult for an operator to judge which area is affected and whether it is time to perform soot blowing. Operators are not in a position to constantly monitor and analyze and act on data that can guide optimal individual blower activation. Normal practice in industries is to perform soot blow at repetitive interval. Without having a clear picture of soot deposits and repetitive soot blows in regular intervals increases the overall heat rate and operating costs. The existing soot blowing systems maintain a preset level of cleanliness in each boiler zone, but do not consider the overall performance objectives — such as heat rate and emissions — into account when determining cleanliness targets or initiating soot blowing. The Intelligent Soot Blower Optimization platform takes care of all the performance aspects to find an optimal soot blower action and heat transfer across the heating surfaces.
Effects of soot
Why soot blower optimization ?
