Tag Archive for: Boiler Monitoring

Steaming ahead with SFD in Power and Recovery Boilers

Paper Mill Steam

ITM SFD technology helps energy producers generate power more efficiently by detecting energy sapping soot buildup in power and recovery boilers 

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the pulp and paper industry is the 3rd largest consumer of energy in U.S. manufacturing. A great deal of that energy is expended to generate massive amounts of steam inside about 200 black liquor recovery boilers spread around North America. That steam then powers generators that produce electricity to operate the mills. 

Imagine the energy savings if enhancements inside those recovery boilers could conserve 5% of all that steam. Not only would this advance in boiler efficiency carry an enormous environmental impact — potentially trillions of BTUs — the value of that steam savings would equal more than a million dollars a year at every plant where it is adopted.  

Figures like these help explain why Tim Carlier has spent years refining the novel idea he calls the Sootblower Fouling Detection System or SFD. SFD is his patented technology for measuring fouling/slagging as well as sootblower performance and reliability in recovery, biomass and utility boilers.  

In a typical boiler, fuel is burned inside the furnace, creating hot gas which heats water in the steam-generating tubes. In the case where the fuel is biomass, the flue gas often contains a significant amount of carry-over, which collects on the boiler tubes causing buildup. This buildup, also known as fouling, decreases the efficiency of the heat being transferred to generate steam while also increasing the risk of plugging the boiler and taking it offline altogether. 

For decades, these industries have relied on sootblowers — long rotating lances that are inserted through the superheater and other steam-generating tubes during combustion — to blow off soot and dislodge the masses of ash deposits that form around steam-generating tubes. Rather than running sootblowing systems “blind,” the SFD System removes guesswork by pinpointing exactly when and where sootblowing is required.

Sootblower

The system relies on a series of sensors on the sootblowers as well as at key locations on the boiler system that allow it to measure the energy transfer to indicate how much buildup is present so that sootblowing is only applied when needed. The feedback mechanisms can inform the plant operator not just where to run sootblowers, but also if sootblowers are leaking steam or malfunctioning in other ways. 

“This technology could have a huge environmental effect,” says Carlier, president and founder of Integrated Test and Measurement, the Milford, Ohio, engineering service and software company. “You are getting that much more efficiency out of your boiler, so not only are you saving money because you are not wasting steam, but you are not having to burn as much fuel to generate as much electricity.” 

He estimates that recovery boilers at most pulp and paper mills generate between $20 million and $40 million a year in steam depending on their Maximum Continuous Rating (MCR), and roughly 10% of the steam goes toward soot blowing operations. Carlier estimates that SFD could enable operators to decrease their sootblowing between 25% and 50% leading to a savings between $500,000 and $2 million dollars a year.

In addition to the significant steam savings, SFD will also greatly enhance the reliability of sootblowing operations by answering crucial questions for operatorsWhat’s the condition of the sootblower motor and gearbox? Is the poppet valve stuck open, stuck closed, and leaking, or is it operating correctly? Is the track damaged? Is the sootblower lance bent? Is the sootblower stuck in the boiler? What condition is the sootblower packing? Are there any steam leaks on or near the sootblower? Keeping informed on these important questions ultimately helps avoid costly downtime and even schedule crucial maintenance. 

On its own, the removal of sootblowing guesswork will generate a quick return on investment, Carlier says. When all is said and done, power generation facilities can expect to see a return on investment from the SFD System in approximately six months to a year. 

For more information about Sootblower Fouling Detection Systems or ITM’s other industrial boiler monitoring solutions, contact Ryan Welker via email: ryan.welker@itestsystem.com or phone: (844) 837-8797 x 702

Increase the IQ of Your Intelligent Sootblowing in Power Magazine

Check out the article “Increase the IQ of Your Intelligent Sootblowing” by my colleague Mark Yeager in the December edition of Power Magazine.  In this article, Mark describes ITM’s Sootblower Fouling Detection (SFD) technology which allows for targeted sootblowing, by pinpointing exactly when and where sootblowing is required in chemical recovery and coal-fired power boilers.

https://www.powermag.com/increase-the-iq-of-your-intelligent-sootblowing

AF & PA Conference 2017: ITM presents HALT boiler safety technology

Come watch ITM’s president Tim Carlier (tim.carlier@iTestSystem.com) present on a new boiler safety system, Hopper Ash Level Thermocouple (HALT) monitoring system, at the 2017 American Forest & Paper Association (AF & PA) Meeting and Conference in Atlanta, GA this February.  Tim will describe how this system predicts Ash Hopper pluggage and warns boiler operators when a dangerous situation exists.

ITM will also introduce new boiler and plant optimization technologies/systems that their partners have used to streamline processes.

Conference details can be found at https://www.afandpa.org/our-industry/recovery-boiler-program

Find out more about ITM’s Boiler Monitoring Solutions https://itestsystem.com/solutions/industrial-monitoring-systems/

Save steam costs with new ITM technology – SFD

With steam costs reaching an estimated $5,600 a day — or roughly $2 million a year — for sootblowing operations in a single boiler, imagine the savings plant operators could achieve by optimizing sootblowing.

Sootblower Fouling Detection (SFD) is a new ITM technology for identifying when and where to clean boiler steam tubes.  Learn more about SFD by watching this video.

Fouling Detection with ITM’s Clinker Detection System (CDS)

Wasting sootblower steam because you don’t know where your boiler is fouling? We can help.  Watch this video to learn more about ITM’s Clinker Detection System (CDS).

Clinker Detection System (CDS)

Do you need to reduce your operating cost and carbon footprint on your recovery or coal fired boiler? If so, we can help. With over 15 years of experience in the development and installation of boiler fouling detection systems, ITM is excited to introduce our latest technology that is targeted at clinker impact detection, The Clinker Detection System (CDS). Click here to learn more or visit the CDS product page at /solutions/industrial-monitoring-systems/cds-clinker-detection-system/.

cds-brochure

ITM Installs Paper Mill Thermocouple Monitoring System

control panel

In search of a system that would send feedback to further optimize their production efficiencies and reduce energy costs, a paper mill company turned to ITM for help measuring the temperature of steam tubes inside its Recovery boiler.

The challenge our engineers faced was to not just log temperature measurements, but also to transfer this information to a remote computer, perform complex measurements and output results that would serve as a watchdog to ensure normal conditions.

Our solution was yet another example of finding a creative way to use existing National Instruments hardware and software to solve a complex problem.

See the complete Case Study.

— ITM President Tim Carlier