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PITTSBURGH (November 30, 2004) — Engineers
from Emerson Process Management will present a customized, advanced
approach for integrating a boiler sootblowing system into a distributed control
system (DCS) at POWER-GEN International 2004 in Orlando, Fla .
The technical paper, “A Distributed Control System-Based
Integrated Boiler Sootblowing System,” is authored by Dr.
Xu Cheng, principal engineer, and Bryan Wilhelm, senior project
engineer for the Power & Water Solutions division of Emerson.
The paper will be presented by Dr. Cheng and Jeffery Williams,
director, SmartProcess Advanced Control Solutions at Emerson.
"Integrating the sootblowing system into a digital automation
system, such as Emerson’s Ovation® expert control system,
can provide unit performance improvements, enabling plants to operate
more efficiently while complying with environmental regulations,” said
Dr. Cheng. The Ovation system is a key technology that powers Emerson’s
PlantWeb® digital plant architecture to optimize reliability,
performance and environmental compliance for power generation customers.
Sootblowing removes the slag and ash deposits on heat exchanger
surfaces of boilers. Typically, related blowers are grouped into
sequences and are operated on either a fixed schedule or an operator-defined
schedule. The control of the sootblowers is often implemented using
a programmable logic controller (PLC) with a personal computer
(PC) as the front-end user interface. In some cases, the control
strategy is implemented using conventional control algorithms.
There are drawbacks to both strategies, according to the authors.
Although the PLC-PC platform creates a dedicated system, it also
isolates it from the existing plant information and control system,
essentially creating a separate “island of automation.” This
control strategy runs contrary to the prevailing movement toward
integration, so that operational information can be shared throughout
the organization.
On the other hand, using standard DCS control algorithms not
designed for this specialized task is cumbersome for engineers
and operators, requiring an extremely labor-intensive programming
effort to manage multiple blowers running in multiple sequences.
In this technical paper, the authors describe a third strategy
that has been successfully implemented in a number of recent projects.
The advanced digital automation system solution outlined integrates
three layers of advanced control algorithms designed specifically
to address the unique aspects of boilers and sootblowing.
The first layer consists of dedicated sootblower algorithms that
allow the user to easily configure the blowers and the sequences.
The second layer consists of more advanced algorithms that provide
boiler section heat transfer efficiency indication and priority-based
sequence scheduling. The third layer resides in the digital automation
system operator console and provides sootblower related graphics,
sootblower fault diagnostics and intelligent sootblowing advice.
In contrast to the PLC-PC strategy, this advanced digital automation
system strategy allows for true integration, so that the results
displayed on the system graphics can be accessed from any networked
computer in the plant
Dr. Cheng points out that Emerson’s
Ovation control system has the necessary design tools required
to meet the unique and demanding task of controlling the sootblowers.
In fact, using this approach, Emerson has seen heat rate improve
while reducing opacity levels. Furthermore, because the maintenance
of this system is performed using the same tools as the rest of
the DCS controls, it provides an overall lower total cost of ownership.
"By providing a more adaptable and flexible solution designed
specifically for this task, the Ovation expert control system enables
our customers to more efficiently and effectively implement a boiler
sootblower control system,” said Dr. Cheng. “This is
an important aspect of Emerson’s continued effort to provide
solutions that help customers enhance plant performance and operation.”
About Emerson Process Management
Emerson Process Management (www.emersonprocess.com),
an Emerson business, is a leader in helping businesses automate their production,
processing and distribution in the power, water and wastewater treatment, chemical,
oil and gas, refining, pulp and paper, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, and
other industries.
Emerson's Power & Water Solutions division (www.emersonprocess-powerwater.com)
is a global supplier of advanced distributed process control
and information systems. The Pittsburgh-based company is a recognized
leader in developing plant-wide process control solutions for
the power generation, water treatment and wastewater treatment
industries. Power & Water Solutions plays a key role in the
Emerson mission of combining superior products and technology
with industry-specific engineering, consulting, project management
and maintenance services. Emerson brands include: PlantWeb®;
Ovation®; SmartProcess®; Fisher®; MicroMotion®;
Rosemount®; Daniel®; DeltaV™ ; and AMS™ Suite.
About Emerson
St. Louis-based Emerson (www.gotoemerson.com)
is a global leader in bringing technology and engineering together
to provide innovative solutions to customers in process control;
electronics and telecommunications; industrial automation; heating,
ventilating and air conditioning; and appliance and tools. Sales
in fiscal 2004 were $15.6 billion.
# # #
Ovation, SureService, SmartProcess, PlantWeb, Fisher, Micro
Motion, Rosemount, Daniel, AMS™ Suite and DeltaV™ are
marks of Emerson Process Management. Other marks are the property
of their respective owners.
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