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Applications
- Incinerators
- Power Boilers
Incinerators & Power Boilers
Power boilers consist of a large combustion chamber used to generate heat. Heated air is passed across a series of heat exchanger tubes that create steam. The steam is used to turn the turbines that generate the electricity. The faster the steam is generated, then the faster the turbines can turn, and the greater the electricity that can be produced.
For any given plant geometry, the amount of steam that can be produced is proportional to the amount of heat generated in the combustion chamber and the rate of heat transfer through the heat exchanger tubes.
Incinerators
Application Overview
Incinerators use various fuels within a combustion zone. A direct measure of the incinerator gas temperature provides the best measure of the process conditions. For those incinerators that produce particulate the particulate temperature – which is the same as the combustion gas temperature, may be measured using a dual-wavelength sensor. The advantage of the dual-wavelength sensor is that it is able to measure a bulk stream temperature across the width of the line of site. For those plants that do not produce a particulate a single wavelength sensor specially filtered at a wavelength where the combustion gasses are opaque must be used. This sensor measures the gas temperature a few feet into the hot gas stream, accurately representing the true stream temperature.
Williamson Wavelength Advantage
As non-contact devices, these sensors eliminate many of the maintenance and drift issues associated with thermocouples that would need to be directly exposed to the hot and often hostile operating conditions. The infrared pyrometers are also not influenced by the radiant cooling that affects traditional thermocouples installed in cool-walled incinerators.
Pyrometer Benefits
- Improved process efficiency
- Reduced maintenance
- Protects against catastrophic damage.
Wavelength Technology
- Dual-Wavelength pyrometers measure the hottest temperature viewed.
- Single-Wavelength pyrometers view through flames and product of combustion without interference
Power Boilers
Application Overview
Temperatures within the combustion chamber are limited by the high temperature thresholds of the refractory brick and the heat exchanger tubes. If the temperature of either of these two components becomes too hot, then catastrophic damage will result. When overheated, refractory materials will vitrify (glass over), and lose much of their insulating properties. Similarly, heat exchanger tubes will soften and crack when heated beyond their design limits.
Heat is extracted from the combustion chamber through the heat exchanger tubes. As they become soiled their efficiency is reduced dramatically. As their heat transfer efficiency drops the surface temperature increases, and the steam generation is reduced. For coal-burning plants, fly ash becomes much stickier at higher temperatures; therefore, heat exchanger efficiency is greatly enhanced by controlling the fly ash temperature.
Williamson Wavelength Advantage
The Williamson model SW-16-30 is used to measure refractory wall and heat exchanger tube temperature to assure efficient operation and to identify when the tubes need to be cleaned. This sensor operates over a broad temperature span, and is designed to view through products of combustion without interference. The Williamson dual-wavelength model DW-08, which tends to measure only the hottest temperature viewed, is used to monitor fly ash temperature near the bottom of the heat exchanger tubes, and also to measure flame temperatures within the firebox.
Pyrometer Benefits
- Improved process efficiency
- Reduced maintenance
- Protects against catastrophic damage
Wavelength Technology
- Model SW-16-30 views through combustion gases and clean flames.
- Model DW-08 measures the hottest temperature viewed.
Consult With One of Williamson’s Temperature Experts
We would love to discuss your temperature measurement application with you.
