Knowledge-Based Sootblowing
Soot buildup management dramatically affects the performance of combustion processes. Griffin’s Knowledge-Based SootBlowing (KSB) system provides unmatched performance by utilizing custom rule-based logic and artificial intelligence.
Adaptive and Intelligent Soot Management
Sootblowing at a coal-fired power plant is often a determining factor between operation being smooth and efficient or disjointed and irregular. Improperly managed soot within the boiler can lead to significant issues, resulting in increased O&M costs and loss of revenue from unplanned system outages. The conditions that affect soot buildup are constantly changing, and as such the control systems that address buildup must readily adapt to achieve adequate system performance. Griffin’s Knowledge-based Sootblowing (KSB) application provides adaptive and intelligent control to any sootblowing process, achieving superior soot management leading to overall improved performance.
Knowledge-Based Sootblowing
Ash formation and deposition within a furnace are directly influenced by subtle characteristics within the fuel as well as fluctuating combustion conditions. Many units and systems are not equipped to measure these parameters in real-time in a manner suitable to inform control movements. Additionally, instrumentation that measures ash characteristics in situ can require significant maintenance due to the harsh conditions they experience, and when they are not maintained, become inoperable and provide no benefit. Avoiding the downfalls of unreliable or nonexistent instrumentation, Knowledge-based Sootblowing combines decades of operational knowledge gained through the experiences of operators and engineers with several consistently reliable indicators within the system. This combination results in an effective, adaptive, and robust soot management system capable of addressing the unique challenges faced within any individual process.
Griffin’s KSB application utilizes a rule-based system to control individual soot blowers within the process. Simply improving the granularity of automated soot blower control to individual blowers often realizes large improvements to system efficiency and material degradation over traditional time-based sequences by limiting unnecessary blowing. The base application is then augmented with unit-specific global and individual blower rules to achieve highly customized responses to unit conditions automatically.
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