Flame scanning technology improves power from coal
June 2004
Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration
In today's power generation arena, the requirement of combustion equipment and technology becomes more important with each passing year. Fireye, represented in South Africa solely by The Combustion Group, provides state-of-the-art industrial flame safeguard controls, which are used in petrochemical plants, factories and power stations throughout the world.
These controls include state-of-the-art industrial flame scanners such as the Fireye Insight Scanner, which accurately detects the presence or absence of flame in the combustion chamber. This scanner includes advanced sensors and algorithms that can discriminate its target burner from adjacent flames in the same combustion chamber. This scanner can be used with all fuel types and burner configurations.
The Combustion Group, in conjunction with Eskom, is in the process of developing new software for the Fireye Insight Scanner, to be used in South African power stations, such as Majuba power station. This new technology will improve the safety and monitor the behaviour of the burners. Burner performance can therefore be optimised by better control and timely preventative maintenance of the burner system. This will in turn optimise capacity and maintenance costs.
The software will enable the scanner to read the individual flame condition, per level and overall burner overview. The information received from the scanner will be available in two different formats for detailed analysis and optimisation purposes, as well as for operating information and alarms. It will be possible to change the individual scanner set-up from the PC in the control room.
Fireye also provides technology for the reliable ignition of large industrial burners and boilers in various utility applications. Louis Fisher, flame management specialist and engineer of The Combustion Group is heading the drive of installing demo-equipment at the Eskom power stations and is confident that this innovative approach to technology from Fireye will become competitive in the flame management industry.
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