Key Features
- Supervisory solution for managing tube clearing during boiler startups.
- Autodetection of Tube Clear Events (TCE)
- Data historian and analytics to assist in identifying which tubes to inspect
PRODUCT DETAILS
The SuperHeater Overheat Protection (SHOP) system is a proprietary technology that helps mitigate the risk of superheater tube failure due to short-term overheat during boiler start-ups. SHOP assists operators in the management of boiler start-ups by enabling the detection of superheater tube clear events (TCE’s).
Thin-lipped bursts in superheater tubes occur when steam flow is insufficient, when deposits restrict flow, or when tubes are blocked by water due to a rapid firing rate during boiler start-up.
Cost of Failure
- Superheater tube failure has a significant negative impact on unit safety as there is a risk of these failures creating a critical exposure due to secondary failure of screen and water wall tubes.
- Superheater tube failure during startup can cost in excess of $500k in lost production.
Monitoring Solutions
ITM provides turn-key industrial and boiler condition monitoring solutions to customers in the manufacturing, pulp and paper, and energy industries. These solutions include the following:
- The Sootblower Fouling Detection (SFD) System is an ITM proprietary technology for measuring soot buildup along the path of a sootblower in recovery and utility boilers.
- ITM’s Fouling Monitoring System (FMS) is a boiler optimization and preventative maintenance tool that continually monitors levels of ash/soot/slag buildup on platens/tubes of instrumented recovery and power boilers.
- The Clinker Detection (CDS) System is an ITM proprietary technology for measuring both the size and frequency of deposits that impact a utility boiler floor or bed. This technology enables operations personnel to shorten boiler outages, identify fouling problems and optimize soot blower operations.
- The Hopper Ash Level Thermocouple (HALT) System is a preventative maintenance and safety tool that continually monitors the levels of ash within a hopper. As the hopper plugs and the ash levels increase, the thermocouples will become insulated from the boiler heat by the ash. Low temperature readings trigger visual and digital alarms which indicate that the hopper has plugged.
- Our engineers and field service technicians use the Structural Load Monitoring System to turn structures into measurement instruments (load cells). Load outputs from the structural load cells are monitored and published by a real time controller to its local interface or network historians and HMIs.
- The Boiler Thermocouple Monitoring System is used to acquire and archive data from thermocouples mounted on boiler tubes. Since this system interfaces directly with Allen Bradley Control Logix PLCs via EthernetIP communication, significant cost savings can be achieved by using it as remote IO.
Recent News
International Paper and ITM presented their patented SuperHeater Overheat Protection (SHOP) technology at the International Chemical Recovery Conference (ICRC – 2017) in Halifax, Nova Scotia on May 24th.
During this presentation, Dr. Andrew Jones and Tim Carlier discussed how to avoid short term overheat failures of recovery boiler superheater tubes. Their presentation and white paper submitted to the ICRC committee are linked below.
SHOP White Paper - ICRC 2017SHOP Presentation - ICRC 2017
ITM provides software development, structural and mechanical testing services, industrial monitoring, strain gauging, and data analysis solutions to clients on six continents. ITM is a recognized National Instruments Gold Alliance Partner.
