INNOVATIVE TWO-DIMENSIONAL GAS TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT USING ACOUSTIC PYROMETRY

H. P. Drescher, M. Deuster
Bonnenberg + Drescher, Aldenhoven, Germany

1. INTRODUCTION A relatively new technology, acoustic pyrometry, uses sound waves to provide two-dimensional realtime gas temperature measurements in large furnaces. Acoustic Gas Temperature Measurement Systems are successfully operating in power plant boilers, incinerators, cement kilns and steel furnaces. Various systems are implemented in the process control, e. g., in accordance with German regulations (17. BImSchV), grate control of waste in energy plants, ammonia spraying for NOx reduction or burner adjustment in fossil-fired boilers. The results of this measurement technique are independent path temperatures and grids of path temperatures in furnace planes between a number of transceiver units located at wall openings. With a small number of path temperatures in the plane the two-dimensional temperature distribution can be calculated using special tomographic algorithms. The temperature distribution is displayed as isothermal maps or user-defined zone temperatures in the control room. The zone temperatures, the path temperatures and a calculated non-uniformity function are available as analog outputs in the control loop. These measurement signals are quantitatively and qualitatively an innovative information to describe the combustion situation. The use of measurement signals to control and to observe boilers in order to improve efficiency and reliability is described.

2. PRINCIPLE OF THE ACOUSTIC GAS TEMPERATURE MEASURING TECHNIQUE The speed with which sound impulses propagate through a gas is dependent on the temperature of the gas. The relationship is governed by the following equation:

R C = T , M

1 2

(1)

with C = speed of sound in medium, R = universal gas constant, = ratio of specific heats, M = molecular weight, and T = gas temperature. In theory, acoustic pyrometry requires only a sound source (transmitter) at one side of a furnace and a receiver be placed at the opposite side (see Figure 1). Because the distance between the transmit and the receive side is known and fixed, and the flight time of the sound pulse is measured, one can compute the average temperature of the path traversed by the acoustic pulse. The flight time is determined by collecting the transmitted and the received signal simultaneously and then applying special signal processing techniques. The accuracy of the measurement due to variations of the gas composition, dust, velocity gradients, path length, flight time detection etc. is known and has been determined in various applications. In municipal waste plants, the determined inaccuracy of the measurement is approximately 2% [1].

Figure 1: Block Diagram: Acoustic Gas Temperature Measurement System with pneumatic sound source. The transmitted sound wave is generated by the air blast (also used to purge fly ash from the furnace opening). The signal generated approximates a white noise source.

Acoustic Gas Temperature Measurement Systems can be configured to measure the average gas temperature between transmitter and receiver along an individual path, or to determine a grid of paths between a number of transceiver-units (which can operate as transmitter and/or receiver of a particular path) in horizontal planes of a furnace. Figure 2 shows a multiple-path configuration in a municipal waste plant.

Figure 2: Configuration of an Acoustic Gas Temperature Measurement System in a municipal waste plant

Based on its physical principle, the features of the acoustic measurement are true gas measurement without radiation effect on the measured value no drift instantaneous. The important feature is, that the path temperature indicates an integral value with known and fixed "end points" of the path.

3. TOMOGRAPHY
Acoustic pyrometry offers well-defined integral values and therefore is suitable for determining the two-dimensional temperature distribution (mapping) using tomographic algorithms. Various tomographic algorithms are used in order to calculate the temperature matrix from the path temperatures [2]. One of the computational methods is the Bezier algorithm, originally developed by the French mathematician Bezier and used for the development of automobile body parts by the automobile industry. The accuracy of the various methods can be studied by computing temperature profiles using artificially generated diagrams, so called phantoms. Tomographical data are computed from the phantom objects, that means a line integral is calculated in order to reconstruct a two-dimensional spatial profile. A comparison can be made of the original and the reconstruction. The possibilities of the mapping methods for a certain path configuration can thus be obtained. Figure 3 shows examples of phantoms and the results of the tomographic methods for eight transceiver units with 24 paths between them.

Figure 3: Reconstruction of phantoms (top) with tomography (bottom)

Temperature profiles can be reconstructed with 6 to 8 transceiver units even where distinctive hot spots are common. Larger deviations can occur in the area close to the furnace walls, where steep temperature gradients can exist. For better resolution a configuration of 12 to 16 sensors is required.

4. NON-UNIFORMITY FUNCTION
In most high-temperature applications such as power plants, waste-to-energy plants, or hazardous waste plants, low temperature fluctuations and a homogenous temperature distribution are required. Temperature imbalances become relevant when CO or NOx peaks or extreme values of O2 occur, in particular if this in combination may lead to slagging or corrosion. This problem will be even more serious if the excess-air is to be reduced (which corresponds to a temperature increase) in order to improve boiler efficiency. In practice the interesting data for furnace control are A: mean temperature B: maximum and/or minimum temperature C: the non-uniformity of the temperature distribution.

A and B are available from path and zone temperatures, and isothermal maps, examples of which are shown in Figure 4. The graph in Fig. 4 shows the time trend of four zone temperatures, each zone being 1/4 of the total planar area of the furnace end in a large lignite boiler plane. Throughout the entire 24 hour period of the graph, the unit is operating at 100% load. From 02:30 to 03:30 hours and again from 10:00 to 21:00 hours, the unit is operated with six burners. During all other times, the unit is operating with seven burners firing, at the same load. Evidently, the temperature distribution is distinctly more out of balance with 7 burners in operation. The maximum temperature peak is about 200 C above the mean temperature of the entire furnace exit plane. With 6 burners in operation, the temperature difference between the zones is much smaller (approximately 50 C). The corresponding isothermal map with 6 burners shows a more uniform distribution of gas temperature, and the maximum temperature is reduced to about 130 C above the mean temperature of the entire furnace exit plane. The isothermal map is suitable to describe changes of the combustion situation due to burner balancing. A simpler value, which can be used for control purposes, is the non-uniformity function F = T ( x, y ) Tmean dx dy, where Tmean is the mean of all values T(x,y).

Figure 4: Balancing temperature distribution in a coal-fired boiler using acoustic tomographic data

The process-engineering aim of a temperature distribution as homogeneous as possible (even if the temperature itself is unknown) is achieved if the function F is minimized as much as possible. Any adjustment (e. g., to a burner) leads to a clearly interpretable change in tendency in this function. A complex evaluation of a two-dimensional temperature matrix is omitted in the process. Any greater adjustment to a burner shows a relative minimum of this function. The sequential adjustment of all the burners leads to an absolute minimum of the function. Complete measurement recording cannot be assumed in practice. For example, a symmetrical recording of some path data is conceivable (front - back, left - right). The above mentioned functionality also exists when the temperature field T(x,y) is incomplete (but symmetrical). Figure 5 shows the imbalance function for full-load alternating for boiler operation with 6 and 7 mills corresponding to Figure 4. The function F was obtained from F Tik Tmean
i k

In this case, Tik was calculated from the calculated 4 zone mean values. A similar result can be determined using symmetrical path temperatures.
80 70 60 50
F in K

7 M

6 M

7 M

6 M

7 M

40 30 20 10

0 00:00:41

03:25:30

06:50:33

10:15:47

Uhrzeit

13:41:10

17:06:24

20:31:37

23:56:44

Figure 5: Imbalance function F shown as zone values

5. CONCLUSION
The above mentioned measurement (and calculation) information provides data on the furnace which has not been available in furnace operation up to now. It is obvious that a homogenous temperature distribution (and thus low values for the function F) are favourable for operational safety and efficiency in many combustion devices. For example, in power plants it is now possible to carry out adjusting measures on the burners using the above mentioned information as well as using further operating information (CO values, imbalances in steam temperatures, injection water quantities etc.). Completely automated adjustment is possible. Theoretically this would be a typical application for fuzzy control. However, for fundamental reasons this is not considered for practical applications. Completely automated adjustment must take into consideration the fact that the function F does not predetermine a clear direction for regulation (minimum search). Complete automation is not necessary since the issue is not a continuous control process but a correction of a set of parameters, e. g., for the

regulation of the fuel/air ratio etc. Reactions to changes in their "quality" can normally take place without any pressure of time. The aim of the above mentioned measures is to operate furnaces with higher efficiency and with improved operational safety, i. e., with low temperature peaks and higher temperature minimum values.

REFERENCES
1. Deuster, M., Akustische Gastemperaturmetechnik, VDI-Bildungswerk: Technische Temperaturmessung, Seminar 361126, Dsseldorf 2000 2. Sielschott, H., Tomographie mit wenigen Daten; Anwendung von Kollokationsverfahren in der Schallpyrometrie. Diplomarbeit, Westflische Wilhelms-Universitt Mnster 1994

Address of the Authors: Professor Dr. Hans Paul Drescher, Dipl.-Ing. Manfred Deuster, Bonnenberg + Drescher Projektentwicklung GmbH, Industriepark Emil Mayrisch, 52457 Aldenhoven, e-mail: manfred.deuster@budi.de , internet: http:// www.budi.de