Methods for monitoring and controlling boiler flames

• US 20060015298A1
• Filed: 04/26/2005
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electric Power Research Institute Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Electric Power Research Institute Incorporated
• Inventors: Flynn, Thomas J., Fuller, Timothy A., Daw, Charles Stuart, Finney, Charles E.A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,353,140 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/188
• CPC Class Codes: F23M 11/045 by observing the flame
• CPC Class Codes: F23N 2223/44 Optimum control
• CPC Class Codes: F23N 2229/04 sensitive to the colour of flames
• CPC Class Codes: F23N 2229/08 detecting flame flicker
• CPC Class Codes: F23N 5/08 using light-sensitive elements
• CPC Class Codes: F23N 5/16 using noise-sensitive detectors

Abstract

The current invention provides a method and apparatus, which uses symbol sequence techniques, temporal irreversibility, and/or cluster analysis to monitor the operating state of individual burner flames on a appropriate time scale. Both the method and apparatus of the present invention may be used optimize the performance of burner flames.

Claims

1-58. -58. (canceled)

59. A method of determining the operating state of a burner flame, comprising:

obtaining a series of data over a predetermined period of time for a burner flame;

comparing said series of data for said burner flame to a library of clusters, wherein each of said clusters is defined as a particular burner flame state;

determining which one of said clusters best matches said series of data for said burner flame; and

identifying the flame state of said burner flame from said one of said clusters that best matches said series of data for said burner flame.

60. The method of claim 59, wherein said comparing comprises:

computing at least one statistic that represents said series of data for said burner flame and a cluster mean for each of said clusters in said library corresponding to said at least one statistic;

normalizing said at least one statistic and said cluster means for each of said clusters in said library to produce a normalized statistic; and

wherein said determining comprises identifying the smallest normalized statistic.