Airflow Measurement & Management Systems
How accurately are you measuring airflow? Through testing and calibration on many boilers, we have found the airflow to not be accurately measured or reliable. It is necessary to accurately measure and control the airflow in order to optimize combustion.
Airflow Measurement & Management Systems
Is your airflow being measured accurately? Through extensive boiler testing and calibration, we consistently find that plant airflow measurement is often unreliable or inaccurate. Precision measurement and control of airflow are absolutely essential for optimizing combustion.
The STORM Advantage:
Enhanced Controllability: Improve unit and pulverizer response through highly accurate and repeatable “K” factors.
Signal Stability: Achieve a smoother, more reliable differential pressure signal.
DCS Optimization: Upgrade your DCS logic and control curves to maintain optimal airflow across the entire operating load range.
STORM brings decades of specialized expertise in the design, fabrication, and calibration of diverse airflow measurement devices. We frequently discover that plants are operating with unrecognized airflow management issues. The critical first step to resolving this is the precise metering and proper distribution of air.
Choosing the Right Measurement Device
Depending on the specific ductwork location, venturis or flow nozzles are generally preferred. While most plant ductwork is rectangular, utilizing a circular venturi whenever possible yields the smoothest signal and maximum pressure recovery.
Alternatively, averaging pitot tubes offer an economical and functional solution. However, our field experience shows that laminar flow is vital for their accuracy. This requires careful flow straightening and increased velocity within the measurement plane. To guarantee proper air distribution, these setups must be accurately calibrated via multi-point hand traverses and periodically verified.
Core Airflow Systems
Primary Airflow
Precise measurement of primary airflow and coal flow is mandatory for maintaining a proper air-to-fuel ratio. Our field testing frequently reveals air-to-fuel ratios double what is actually required, which severely degrades fuel fineness and distribution. Optimizing the pulverizers and strictly controlling primary airflow to within ±3% accuracy is the foundational step toward achieving optimum combustion.
Secondary Airflow
Accurately measuring secondary airflow is equally critical. Secondary air must be controlled to within ±3% accuracy to ensure equal distribution to each burner compartment. Unequal distribution leads to elevated furnace exit gas temperatures and delayed secondary combustion, resulting in back-pass overheating and degraded unit performance.
Overfire Air
To effectively stage combustion and manage stack emissions, accurate measurement of overfire air cannot be overlooked. Just like primary and secondary systems, overfire airflow must be precisely measured and distributed evenly to each compartment within a ±3% tolerance to ensure the combustion process remains fully optimized.
Secondary Airflow
Accurate measurement of the secondary airflow is equally important as the primary airflow measurement in achieving optimum combustion. Accurate secondary airflow measurement is needed to be within ±3% to supply equal amounts of airflow to each burner compartment. Unequal distribution of the secondary airflow will cause high furnace exit gas temperatures and secondary combustion, which will cause overheating problems in the back-pass as well as poor unit performance.
Primary Airflow
It is necessary to accurately measure the primary airflow and coal flow for control and maintain an accurate air/fuel ratio. From testing at some plants, it has been found that the air/fuel ratio is twice as much as required, which adversely affects fuel fineness and distribution. Pulverizer optimization is the first major and necessary step in achieving optimum combustion and accurate measurement of the primary airflow to the pulverizer. Primary airflow shall be accurately measured & controlled to ±3% accuracy.
Overfire Air
Accurate measurement of the overfire airflow is equally important as the primary airflow measurement in achieving optimum combustion. Accurate overfire airflow measurement is needed to be within ±3% to supply equal amounts of airflow to each airflow compartment.
