Abstract
ABSTRACTOptimization of the combustion control process in a tangentially fired pulverized coal boiler, to achieve uniform temperature distribution, is discussed in the paper. This issue is even more critical in those thermal power plants which are not equipped with modern systems for combustion enhancement, such as low NOx burners. Research has shown that the temperature distribution inside the boiler of such power plant can be controlled by adjusting firing, through coal redistribution among the mills. Furthermore, disturbed flame symmetry (i.e. non-uniform temperature distribution in the boiler) is reflected in a large difference between the output temperatures measured on the left and right sides of the boiler. Given the non-stationary conditions typical of thermal power plant boilers, an adaptive control approach is proposed, based on PI controllers which are very popular in industry and widely accepted. Self-tuning of the PI controllers is based on dynamic model parameters derived applying the weighted recursive least squares (WRLS) method to real data recorded at Nikola Tesla B thermal power plant in Serbia, whose nominal power is 650 MW. The same model was later used to test the proposed control approach.
Highlights
Combustion is one of the key processes at thermal power plants (TPPs) [1]
Given the non-stationary conditions typical of thermal power plant boilers, an adaptive control approach is proposed, based on PI controllers which are very popular in industry and widely accepted
Self-tuning of the PI controllers is based on dynamic model parameters derived applying the weighted recursive least squares (WRLS) method to real data recorded at Nikola Tesla B thermal power plant in Serbia, whose nominal power is 650 MW
Summary
Combustion is one of the key processes at thermal power plants (TPPs) [1]. The efficiency and availability of the entire TPP depend on its adequate control [2,3,4,5]. Even though CFD is a very powerful simulation technique for various phenomena, it uses large amounts of data and requires substantial computation time, and as such it is inadequate for online (real time) applications, which necessitate timely response to changes in the system For this reason, considerable efforts are being made to improve combustion monitoring, in order to compensate for the lack of a fast model that would help arrive at suitable control actions. This is achievable due to the fact that adjustment of feeder outputs within a mill pair results in a shift of the flame along the axis formed by the burners’ nozzles of the respective mills Taking these control variables and temperature measurements on the left and right sides of the boiler, the paper proposes a flame centring solution for boilers not equipped with advanced sensor systems.
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