A physically based air proportioning methodology for optimized combustion in gas-fired boilers considering both heat release and NOx emissions

Abstract

Ensuring the reliable operation of industrial boilers with high production efficiency and low pollutant emissions remains a significant challenge due to the complex chemical and physical reactions that occur within the boiler system. To address this issue, the present research introduces a novel air proportioning methodology for optimized combustion in gas-fired boilers, incorporating real-world data, numerical-computational technologies, and a normalization method. Initially, an average discrepancy of 11.32% is observed between the airflow recorded by the sensors and the actual airflow in the gas-fired boiler. The optimum oxygen levels in the flue gas are determined by striking a trade-off between heat release and pollutant emissions. At loads of 35%, 55%, 75%, and 95%, the recommended oxygen levels under equal-weighted conditions are 3.62%, 3.75%, 3.82%, and 3.91%, respectively. Furthermore, this research also considers the oxygen levels when there are non-equal weightings between heat release and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. At 55% load, the weighting between heat release and pollutant emissions shifts from 1:1 to 1:2, necessitating an increase in the oxygen concentration from 3.75% to 4.30%. The air proportioning methodology proposed in this study offers an efficient framework for optimizing combustion in gas-fired boilers.