
We. Together. Committed to Process Efficiency.
We. Together. Committed to Process Efficiency.
A solution provider
Combustion of fossil fuels is a complex process, which becomes increasingly challenging when problems are recognised too late and/or necessary interventions cannot be adapted to the changing situations in a demand-driven way.
By linking direct measurement, data analysis and data evaluation, SMART Clean provides comprehensive analysis capability which is necessary to monitor continuously important process parameters and to define demand-driven cleaning actions in real time. SMART Clean ideally enables you to meet fuel and plant specific challenges.
Poor heat transfer
Deposits on heating and reaction surfaces act as insulators and as such, reduce the heat transfer. SMART Clean offers heat flux sensors, uniquely developed for use in power boilers, which continuously and directly measure the heat transfer. By doing this, a key advantage is that impending sintering of deposits is recognised and removed in time.
One of our reference projects has managed to achieve 35 % increase in heat transfer within the furnace.
Changing fuel quality and fuel mix
Lower supply price demands make the changes in coal types an interesting option. A change in fuel however brings about a change in the fuel’s chemistry. The accompanying process changes, e.g. a higher/lower combustion and flue gas temperature, directly affect the deposit formation. Using SMART Clean, a continuous evaluation of important process parameters takes place so that the boiler cleaning automatically and duly acts before the heat flux drops too low.
In one of our reference projects, we were able to prove that the range of applicable fuels could be largely extended.
High ash formation with hopper blockage
Certain system conditions cause severe slagging in the furnace which may lead to hopper blockage when they break off and fall down. These deposits can be as heavy as several tons. If the hopper is blocked, it is quite likely that this problem can only be solved while the boiler is shut down.
Such conditions require continuous monitoring of crucial process parameters and continuous counteracting measurements by means of a well balanced boiler cleaning strategy.
Using SMART Clean, extensive knowledge is available about deposit build up in the furnace so that suitable cleaning actions can be defined and activated in time.
Boiler cleaning costs are too high
On-load boiler cleaning carried out based on a fixed interval can be inefficient if it is done too often. Correspondingly, money and cleaning media are wasted. With SMART Clean, cleaning is only activated when it is really necessary. Provided that existing cleaning devices can be controlled flexibly, a further detailed definition can be done by SMART Clean by adjusting cleaning parameters to the actual deposit situation.
In one of our reference projects, we reduced cleaning actions by 35 % and steam consumption by 40 % without any loss in cleaning efficiency and obvious benefits to costs.
Tube damage caused by intensive cleaning
Due to a variety of fluctuating influencing factors, deposit formation is never uniform. Accordingly, boiler cleaning with fixed cleaning parameters can lead to over-cleaning. As a result, clean areas are unnecessarily cleaned again and again, which can lead to pipe erosion.
Using sensor measurements, data monitoring the cleaning effectiveness is continuously available. As such, SMART Clean is able to avoid over-cleaning and the risk of pipe damages by defining demand-driven cleaning parameters.
Too frequent shutdowns
Fuels with a tendency towards heavy deposit formation, e.g. refuse derived fuel, pose a difficult task for all operators. Operating periods of only a few weeks are not unusual. Only little improvement can be expected here from on-load boiler cleaning if it is carried out solely according to a fixed interval. SMART Clean does not only activate cleaning actions when they are really necessary – SMART Clean even detects where exactly in the boiler the deposits are located. The analytical capability of SMART Clean is able to identify and focus cleaning action – avoiding and reducing over-cleaning through targeted cleaning. In one of our reference projects, we were able to increase the operating period from a previous average of 8 weeks to 24 weeks.
Changing operating loads
Part load leads to a different deposit formation than full load operation. Similarly, different mill combinations generate different deposit situations. On-load boiler cleaning can only be done effectively when it has been enabled to always “know” where, how intensive and when it has to take place.
SMART Clean procures this knowledge and supplies complete cleaning instructions with all relevant parameters. In doing so, SMART Clean works with cleaning devices of all manufacturers. The more flexibly the cleaning devices can be controlled, the more demand-driven can the execution be effected.