System for combustion optimization using quantum cascade lasers

Abstract

A system with a boiler and a turbine, and an associated control method. The method includes sensing a plurality of operating conditions at a first common boiler location. At least one of the plurality of operating conditions sensed at the first common location is indicative of a combustion anomaly occurring during operation. The combustion anomaly indicated by the plurality of operating conditions at the first common location is traced back to an offending burner that is at least partially responsible for the combustion anomaly based on a model that takes into consideration at least two of the plurality of operating conditions sensed at the first common location. At least one of a process input and a boiler configuration is adjusted to establish a desired value of the operating conditions at the first common location.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of controlling operation of a system that includes a boiler with a plurality of burners, the method including:
 sensing a plurality of operating conditions at a first common location along the boiler, wherein at least one of the plurality of operating conditions sensed at the first common location is indicative of a combustion anomaly occurring during operation of the boiler;   tracing the combustion anomaly back to an offending burner that is at least partially responsible for the combustion anomaly based on a model that takes into consideration at least two of the plurality of operating conditions sensed at the first common location; and   adjusting at least one of a process input and a boiler configuration to establish a desired value of the operating conditions at the first common location.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the operating conditions at the first common location exceeds an acceptable level above which a sensor placed at the first common location for sensing a second of the operating conditions would be damaged, and wherein sensing of the operating conditions at the first common location includes non-invasively sensing the operating conditions with a single sensor that is remotely located from the first common location. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the single sensor is selected from the group consisting of a quantum cascade laser and a tunable diode laser aimed to project laser light generally toward the first common location for sensing the plurality of operating conditions at the first common location. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the operating conditions to be sensed at the first common location include a temperature and a quantity of carbon monoxide, wherein the temperature sensed at the first common location is greater than a maximum temperature that a carbon monoxide sensor can withstand. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein adjusting at least one of the process input and the boiler configuration includes adjusting a flow rate of a process input being introduced to the offending burner to establish desired values of the operating conditions at the first common location. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the process input includes at least one of a fuel and combustion air being introduced to the offending burner. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the offending burner is designated as one of the plurality of burners that most significantly contributes to the combustion anomaly indicated by the at least one of the operating conditions at the first common location relative to non-offending burners. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of operating conditions at the first common location includes two or more of temperature, oxygen level, carbon monoxide level, carbon dioxide level, NO x  level, SO x  level, and ammonia level, wherein x is an integer independently selected to be 1, 2 or 3. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein adjusting the at least one of the process input and the boiler configuration produces an exhaust including a NO x  emission that is maintained below a specified level, wherein x is an integer independently selected to be 1 or 2. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the process input includes a flow rate of an additive being introduced to the boiler by an injector. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the boiler configuration includes an angle at which an injector introduces a process input into the boiler. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the boiler includes a plurality of process inputs selected from the group consisting of combustion air, a fuel, a reagent, and an additive, the method further including designating at least one of the process inputs to be a significant process input that is present in a greater proportion at a region within the boiler than the significant process input would be if the inputs were distributed uniformly throughout the boiler. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein adjusting at least one of the process input and the boiler configuration includes varying a flow rate of the significant process input to establish the desired value of the operating condition at the first common location. 
     
     
         14 . A system including:
 a steam-driven turbine;   a boiler including a plurality of burners arranged in an array to burn a hydrocarbon fuel;   a plurality of sensors each adapted to sense a plurality of operating conditions at a common location within the boiler and to transmit a signal indicative of a combustion anomaly when one or more of the operating conditions falls outside of a predetermined range of suitable values indicative of desired combustion;   an actuator for controlling at least one of a process input and a boiler configuration to affect operation of at least one of the burners; and   a controller in communication with the plurality of sensors to receive the signals indicative of the combustion anomaly, wherein, responsive to receiving the signals the controller traces the one or more operating conditions outside of the predetermined range of suitable values to identify an offending burner contributing to the combustion anomaly and controls the actuator to adjust the at least one of the process input and the boiler configuration to bring the one or more operating conditions into the predetermined range of suitable values.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein at least one of the plurality of sensors is a non-invasive sensor for sensing the plurality of operating conditions in a non-invasive manner. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the non-invasive sensor is selected from a group consisting of a quantum cascade laser, and a tunable diode laser. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the operating conditions to be sensed at the common locations include a temperature and a quantity of carbon monoxide. 
     
     
         18 . A system including:
 a steam-driven turbine;   a boiler including a plurality of burners arranged in an array to burn a hydrocarbon fuel;   a plurality of non-invasive sensors each adapted to remotely sense a plurality of operating conditions at a common location within the boiler and to transmit a signal indicative of a combustion anomaly when at least one of the operating conditions falls outside of a predetermined range of suitable values indicative of desired combustion;   a controller in communication with the plurality of non-invasive sensors to receive the signals indicative of the combustion anomaly, the controller including a computer-accessible memory storing a model that relates the operating conditions falling outside of the predetermined range of suitable values from one or more of the sensors to at least one offending burner contributing to the combustion anomaly; and   an actuator to be controlled by the controller for controlling at least one of a flow rate of the hydrocarbon fuel introduced to the offending burner, a flow rate of air introduced to the offending burner, a flow rate of an additive introduced to the boiler through an injector, and an angle of the injector for introducing the additive into the boiler to bring the operating conditions into the predetermined range of suitable values.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the computer-accessible memory stores a plurality of models that relate the temperature and the level of the combustion byproduct sensed by a plurality of different sensors to the offending burner contributing to the combustion anomaly. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the non-invasive sensor is selected from a group consisting of a quantum cascade laser and a tunable diode laser.