Method and system for dynamic sensing, presentation and control of combustion boiler conditions

• US 20080011109A1
• Filed: 07/11/2006
• Published: 01/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: John Frank Bourgein
• Original Assignee: John Frank Bourgein
• Inventors: Bourgein, John Frank
• Granted Patent: US 7,661,327 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/865.9
• CPC Class Codes: F22B 35/18 Applications of computers to steam boiler control
• CPC Class Codes: F22B 37/38 Determining or indicating operating conditions in steam boilers, e.g. monitoring direction or rate of water flow through water tubes measuring or indicating instruments in general G01

Abstract

A method for recording changing boiler conditions over time in three spatial dimensions including: sensing the boiler conditions in real time using sensors which traverse the combustion chamber and gas path generating data from a plurality of positions in one or more supervisory spaces of interest within the boiler system; transmitting the generated data to a computer system; presenting data containing sensor position information and which optionally contains temperature, chemical species information, and other combustor condition information for delivery to a boiler management system to enable said boiler management system to make real time operational adjustments.

Claims

1. A system for making a measurement relating to a boiler process and reporting said measurement to an external system, said system comprising:

i. a sensor arranged to traverse spaces within the boiler system,

ii. said sensor measuring conditions dynamically as it traverses the boiler system.

2. In the system of claim 1, said sensor communicating measurements wirelessly as while it is traversing the spaces within the boiler system.

3. In the system of claim 1, said sensor retaining measurement values after it has traversed said boiler system and at least some of the values being recovered from said sensor after it has substantially left the boiler system.

4. In the system of claim 1, said sensor being at least in part protected by thermal insulation.

5. In the system of claim 1, said sensor including at least some airfoil means for influencing its trajectory.

6. In the system of claim 1, injecting said sensor into said spaces with substantially ballistic trajectory for a substantial part of the measurement time.

7. In the system of claim 1, said sensors motion substantially influenced by other flows in said spaces.

8. In the system of claim 1, estimating the path of said sensor at least in part using inertial navigation means included along with said sensor.

9. A method as in claim 1 wherein the location of the sensor carrier object is obtained by a micro electromechanical system.

10. A method as in claim 9 wherein the micro electromechanical system is from a group consisting of a single axis accelerometer sensor, a dual axis accelerometer, a three axis accelerometer, and an inertial measurement unit sensor.

11. In the system of claim 1, estimating the path of said sensor at least in part by external systems employing ranging techniques to dynamically locate said sensor.

13. A method as in claim 1 wherein the micro electromechanical system is a chemical species concentration sensor.

14. In the system of claim 1, developing said measurements using active circuitry contained within said sensor as it traverses said boiler system.

15. In the system of claim 1, retaining said measurements through the device of materials changes within said sensor as it traverses said boiler system.

16. In the system of claim 1, said measurements producing data at least influencing displays of information provided to operators of said boiler system.

17. In the system of claim 1, said measurements producing data at least influencing operation of said boiler system.

18. In the system of claim 1, operation of said boiler system influencing parameters of said measurements.

20. A method as in claim 1 wherein the sensor is an optical sensor detecting chemical species concentration.

12. A method as in claim 12 wherein the location of the sensor carrier object is obtained by triangulation using a plurality of antennas.

19. A boiler sensor system comprising substantially air foiled and insulated electronics micro electromechanical navigation and sensor packages released into a hydrocarbon combustion chamber and said sensors packages transmitting readings, until said measurement packages are destroyed by heat, to external receivers arranged around said combustion chambers and said readings providing input to operator displays and boiler control systems.