METHOD FOR SOOTBLOWING OPTIMIZATION

• US 20090062961A1
• Filed: 10/30/2008
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Digital Holdings LLC (General Electric Co. (Italy))
• Original Assignee: NeuCo Incorporated (General Electric Company)
• Inventors: Lefebvre, W. Curt, Kohn, Daniel W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,447,431 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/266
• CPC Class Codes: F22B 37/56 Boiler cleaning control devices, e.g. for ascertaining proper duration of boiler blow-down
• CPC Class Codes: F23J 3/023 cleaning the fireside of watertubes in boilers
• CPC Class Codes: F28G 1/16 using jets of fluid for removing debris F28G1/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F28G 15/003 Control arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/12 Condition responsive control

Abstract

A controller determines and adjusts system parameters, including cleanliness levels or sootblower operating settings, that are useful for maintaining the cleanliness of a fossil fuel boiler at an efficient level, Some embodiments use a direct controller to determine cleanliness levels and/or sootblower operating settings. Some embodiments use an indirect controller, with a system model, to determine cleanliness levels and/or sootblower settings. The controller may use a model that is, for example, a neural network, or a mass energy balance, or a genetically programmed model. The controller uses input about the actual performance or state of the boiler for adaptation. The controller may operate in conjunction with a sootblower optimization system that controls the actual settings of the sootblowers. The controller may coordinate cleanliness settings for multiple sootblowers and/or across a plurality of heat zones in the boiler.

Claims

1. A method for determining desired sootblower operating settings for a plurality of sootblowers in a boiler, the operation of the sootblowers being characterized by one or more sootblower operating parameters, the performance of the boiler being characterized by boiler performance parameters, comprising:

(a) receiving a performance goal for the boiler corresponding to at least one of the boiler performance parameters;

(b) receiving data values corresponding to boiler state variables and the boiler performance parameters;

(c) determining desired sootblower operating settings to satisfy the performance goal for the boiler using the received performance goal for the boiler and the received data values; and

(d) outputting the desired sootblower operating settings.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises using a system model that relates the sootblower operating settings to the boiler performance parameters.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said system model is a neural network.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said system model is a mass-energy balance model.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said system model is a genetically programmed model.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein steps (a) to (d) are performed by an adaptive controller.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein steps (a) to (d) are performed by an indirect controller.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said indirect controller receives said data values from a performance monitoring system having at least one performance sensor.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) comprises outputting the desired sootblower operating settings to a sootblower subsystem for operating one or more sootblowers in accordance with said sootblower operating settings.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein steps (a) to (d) are performed by a direct controller.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said boiler defines a plurality of heat zones, and wherein step (c) further comprises coordinating the cleanliness levels for the plurality of heat zones to satisfy the performance goal for the boiler.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) comprises determining desired sootblower operating settings to satisfy the performance goal for the boiler using the received performance goal for the boiler, one or more operating constraints for the sootblowers, and the received data values.

13. A method for adjusting sootblower operating settings for one or more sootblowers for removing combustion deposits in a boiler, the boiler having one or more heat zones, each sootblower being associated with a heat zone, each heat zone having a cleanliness level and being associated with an adjustable desired cleanliness level during the operation of the boiler, comprising the steps of:

implementing an indirect controller with a system model that relates the sootblower operating settings in the boiler to the cleanliness levels in the boiler;

obtaining data values indicative of the actual cleanliness levels in the boiler and providing them to the indirect controller;

providing the desired cleanliness levels to the indirect controller;

determining the desired sootblower operating settings to attain the desired cleanliness levels using the indirect controller;

determining a control move derived from the desired sootblower operating settings; and

communicating the control move to said one or more sootblowers.

14. A computer program product, residing on a computer readable medium, for use in controlling removal of combustion deposits from a boiler, the performance of the boiler being characterized by boiler performance parameters, the computer program product comprising instructions for causing a computer to:

obtain data values indicative of actual cleanliness levels in the boiler and provide them to an indirect controller;

provide the desired cleanliness levels to the indirect controller;

determine the desired sootblower operating settings to attain the desired cleanliness levels using the indirect controller;

determine a control move corresponding to the desired sootblower operating settings; and

communicate the control move to one or more sootblowers.

15. A method for determining desired sootblower operating settings for a plurality of sootblowers in a boiler, the operation of the sootblowers being characterized by one or more sootblower operating parameters, the performance of the boiler being characterized by boiler performance parameters, comprising:

(a) receiving a performance objective for the boiler corresponding to at least one of the boiler performance parameters and one or more operating constraints for the sootblowers;

(b) receiving data values corresponding to boiler state variables and the boiler performance parameters;

(c) determining desired sootblower operating settings to satisfy the performance objective for the boiler using the received performance objective for the boiler, the one or more operating constraints for the sootblowers, and the received data values; and

(d) outputting the desired sootblower operating settings.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein step (e) further comprises using a system model that relates the sootblower operating settings to the boiler performance parameters.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said system model is a neural network.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein said system model is a mass-energy balance model.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein said system model is a genetically programmed model.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein steps (a) to (d) are performed by an adaptive controller.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein steps (a) to (d) are performed by an indirect controller.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said indirect controller receives said data values from a performance monitoring system having at least one performance sensor.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein steps (a) to (d) are performed by a direct controller.

25. The method of claim 15, wherein said boiler defines a plurality of heat zones, and wherein step (c) further comprises coordinating the cleanliness levels for the plurality of heat zones to satisfy the performance objective for the boiler.

23. The method of clam 15, wherein step (d) comprises outputting the desired sootblower operating settings to a sootblower subsystem for operating one or more sootblowers in accordance with said sootblower operating settings.