Implementing B&Ws Intelligent Sootblowing System at MidAmerican Energy Companys Louisa Energy Center Unit 1

G.J. Nakoneczny R.S. Conrad S.A. Scavuzzo The Babcock & Wilcox Company Barberton, Ohio, U.S.A. Presented to: Western Fuels Conference August 12-13, 2002 Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A. K.L. Noel MidAmerican Energy Company Muscatine, Iowa, U.S.A.

BR-1730

Abstract
To achieve optimum boiler operation and performance it is necessary to control the cleanliness and limit the fouling of the heat transfer surfaces. Historically, the heating surfaces in coalfired boilers were cleaned by steam-blowing or water-blowing sootblowers on scheduled time-based and/or parameter-based intervals. With the advent of fuel switching strategies such as changing from bituminous to PRB coals to mitigate emissions, the control of heating surface cleanliness has become more problematic for many steam generator owners. Scheduled and/or parameter-based approaches do not easily address operational changes. As power plant operators push to achieve greater efficiency and performance from their boilers, the ability to more effectively optimize cleaning cycles has become increasingly important. If sootblowing is done only when and where it is required (rather than at set intervals), unit performance can be maintained or improved with reduced blowing, which saves on steam or air utilization, and reduces tube erosion. The Babcock & Wilcox Companys core technology for boiler design is based on modeling of boiler heating surfaces to establish heating surface requirements and performance. The modeling process also must consider fuel types, ash characteristics and the combustion requirements. This same technology is used to model the expected performance of existing units. The ability to model heating surfaces and determine real-time cleanliness indexes is an important piece in developing a system that can accurately initiate cleaning cycles of boiler heating surfaces. By coupling real-time cleanliness index data with the measured operating parameters of the boiler, it is possible to establish rule-based logic to drive sootblower operation.

With this realization, readily available technology and experience, The Babcock & Wilcox Company (B&W) developed this intelligent sootblowing system, which has been named Powerclean. The first Powerclean system was installed on Unit 1 at MidAmerican Energy Companys Louisa Energy Center. Presented in this paper is the approach taken by B&W in developing this optimized intelligent sootblower system, as well as the experience with implementing the system on Louisas Unit 1.

Power Generation from Coal

Coal continues to be the dominant fuel source for fossil fuel steam generation in the US electric utility industry accounting for more than 50% of the power generated. With ever increasing pressure from environmental groups and others to reduce the emissions of SOx, NOx, mercury and now CO2, coal-fired generation continues to seek cost effective strategies to meet regulations. An option being used by more and more utilities is the use of low sulfur western coals such as Power River Basin (PRB) coals, which produce less SOx emissions and can avoid the need to install high cost wet and dry scrubbers. Although the PRB coals are environmentally friendly when compared to higher sulfur eastern bituminous sources, the western fuel also contains greater amounts of moisture with less heating value on a per pound as-received basis. Western fuels can also have lower ash softening temperatures and produce greater fouling and slagging of the boiler surfaces. Increased slagging on furnace walls and greater ash loading to the convection pass place a premium on effective use of sootblowers to control the build up of ash deposits. Improved blowers and increased numbers of sootblowers

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may be part of the strategy when burning a western fuel; however, improved use of the blowers by better determination of where and when to blow and clean heating surfaces is also an important factor. Historically, a program of monitoring the unit is implemented to develop a set of best practices for use of the blowers based on load, fuel source, etc. Now, improved control systems are available to allow intelligent cleaning of heating surfaces.

MidAmerican Energy Louisa, Unit 1 Experience

MidAmerican Energy Companys Unit 1 at the Louisa Energy Center was the first plant to install Powerclean, an intelligent sootblowing system developed by B&W. Louisas Unit 1 is a B&W subcritical radiant boiler (RB-579), which entered operation in 1983. The unit has a maximum continuous rated (MCR) steam capacity of 5,283,000 lbs/hr at 2,640 psi, 1005F at the superheater outlet, with reheat capacity of 4,535,000 lbs/hr steam flow at 546 psi reheat outlet pressure and 1000F. The unit was designed to make MCR steam flow while burning either Illinois bituminous or western (Wyoming) sub-bituminous coals. The convection pass heating surfaces are arranged with a platen (radiant) superheater followed by the pendant secondary superheater (SSH) banks and pendant reheat superheater outlet bank in the upper horizontal pass (Figure 1). The convection pass is then split between parallel back end vertical passes that allow biasing of the flue gases to aid reheat steam temperature control. Arranged in the front vertical pass is the horizontal reheat surface and in the rear vertical pass are the horizontal primary superheater (PSH) banks followed by the economizer. In addition to gas biasing dampers, steam temperature from the superheater is controlled by multiple stage spray attemperation; steam temperature from the reheater is controlled by single stage attemperation. To control slagging and fouling of the furnace and convection pass tube surfaces, the unit employs Copes-Vulcan sootblowers

(SB) and Diamond Power waterlances. The furnace waterwalls have a combination of waterlances (27) and steam SB (34). The convection pass surfaces are cleaned by retractable steam SB with 36 blowers covering the SH platens, pendant SH and pendant RH, and 20 blowers in the vertical passes for cleaning of horizontal tube banks. Louisa Unit 1 has burned western fuel since original start-up. In general, the unit has had an excellent operating history with good availability. Normal preventive maintenance has been performed over the years to address wear and deterioration of components as required including the burners, pulverizers and sootblowers. No major upgrades or replacements of equipment have been required to date. B&W Field Service has supported the annual inspection program of the Louisa station since the unit began operations and has documented changes in conditions where year-to-year monitoring was recommended. After the first years of operation, annual inspections began to document polishing and wear of tube surfaces throughout the convection passes in the areas of sootblowing. In general, the tube wear was not excessive. Tube shielding was installed and/or pad welding was done in selected areas where SB erosion was a concern. In 1999, MidAmerican Energy Company (MEC) contracted with B&W to conduct a unit performance and heating surface cleanliness study. MEC was working with B&W to determine the cause of increased boiler exit gas temperature and determine whether an improved SB program could mitigate the problem. B&W performed testing of the unit over a two-day period and modeled the unit performance in B&Ws heat transfer design program. By using the boiler modeling program it was possible to compare expected performance of the heating surface with actual performance to calculate a cleanliness factor for each bank. The testing indicated that furnace exit gas temperature was higher than expected and the convective surfaces were not being cleaned to the extent desired for optimum performance. Based on the study, Louisa implemented changes to their sootblowing regimen which included more frequent blowing of the vertical surfaces and less blowing of the horizontal surfaces. The updated program of sootblowing was done on a scheduled and/or parameter basis that relied on shift operators following defined blowing sequences and frequencies. B&W and Diamond Power International recommended the installation of selective pattern waterlances to clean the lower side of the upper nose arch. This upgrade is scheduled for 2003. Diamond also performed a unit evaluation with their thermography technology and provided recommended blowing frequencies for the wall waterlances based on boiler load.

B&W Boiler Modeling Technology and Intelligent Sootblowing

Technology Selection
When B&W and MidAmerican Energy personnel first discussed an advanced sootblowing system for Louisa 1, multiple technologies were considered. Strong consideration was given to using neural network technology to empirically model and optimize the sootblowing process. However, after exploring the application it was felt that a neural network was not the best approach for intelligent sootblowing. From our evaluation, implementing a neural network solution added unnecessary complexity to the process. B&W has a lot of experience with sootblower improvement programs such as the approach used at MEC and felt a more pragmatic method suited the application. An accurate

Figure 1 MidAmerican Energy Company Louisa Energy Center Unit 1.

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and reliable first-principles model of the boiler and the combustion process was required to provide the basis of the sootblowing decision-making process. This need was complemented by B&Ws core strength and boiler technology that the company uses every day in production. This boiler analysis technology is the basis of the B&W Heat Transfer Manager program.

Heat Transfer Manager Model

Heat Transfer Manager (HTM) is the core of the Powerclean system. The HTM program is based on the heat transfer analysis program that B&W developed over many years of designing boilers the same program used for the cleanliness study at the Louisa plant. The HTM program is configured for the specifics of the unit. Boiler heating surfaces are defined for numbers of tube rows per bank and include the tube geometry and length, side spacing across rows, and the back spacing between tube rows. In addition, the fluid-side flow path is described with such information as sequence of surfaces for steam flow and type of flow - counter flow, parallel flow or cross flow. Since HTM is based on the technology used by B&W for boiler design and performance evaluation, there is extensive empirical data and validation of the accuracy of the program for predicting heat absorption within tube banks. This is true for boilers originally supplied by B&W as well as units of other manufacturers. B&W maintains an archive of units that have been modeled in the past such that in many cases the configuration files for the unit already exist. For Louisa Unit 1 the HTM configuration files were available from the unit modeling previously performed by B&W. As part of the process of configuring the boiler model, B&W reviews the complete I/O list of plant data available from the data acquisition system (DAS), DCS controls or historian to select the points needed for HTM analysis and for use in setting sootblowing rule sets. Once the boiler model is established, the Powerclean system is installed at the site and interfaced with both the sootblower controls and the plant DAS, DCS or historian. In general, all the critical data used by the HTM model is part of the normal measured operating data for the boiler controls. Typical data includes: Fluid temperatures at inlets and outlets of each convection pass bank including the temperature before and after attemperators Operating pressures (drum, superheater, reheater) Boiler exit gas temperatures Flue gas excess Oxygen (O2) at the boiler exit Fluid flow (main steam, reheat steam, feedwater) Fuel and total air flow Additionally, a fuel analysis for the typical fuel being used will be needed. Generally, the fuel analysis need not be changed unless a significant change in fuel source is made. The HTM program determines unit performance; boiler efficiency is calculated from the ASME heat loss method. The calculated boiler efficiency is used along with measured flows (feedwater, main steam, reheat) to determine the total inputs to the boiler and calculate the flue gas weight exiting the unit. With known gas weight, the program can run predicted versus actual heat absorption for each tube bank and provide a cleanliness index. Boiler efficiency is also a valuable measurement for evaluating plant heat rate.

Powerclean system it was realized that other parameters, in addition to how dirty tube surfaces have become, are considered when deciding to clean a given region of the convection pass. As an example, a plant may want to set a lower limit on cleanliness (i.e. let the surface get dirtier) for the secondary superheater (SSH) outlet sections if the unit is operating below a threshold for reheat outlet temperature, since increased absorption in the SSH would further reduce attainable reheat temperature. In general, the goal of development was to give the system enough flexibility such that the observations of the plant engineer, operator or a B&W service engineer could be incorporated into the blowing rules as needed. The Powerclean program is set up initially by B&W during commissioning. The program includes permissive sets that must be satisfied to allow a blowing sequence to occur regardless of whether an individual rule set is satisfied. An example might be that sootblower operation is not allowed below a certain boiler load. The permissives provide additional flexibility in Powerclean; however, it is not intended that Powerclean replace the functions and control safeguards of the sootblower control system. The intent is that the owner can update and modify the system rules as needed when changes occur to the unit over time. An example may be a significant change in fuel source. When setting up Powerclean each tube bank is segregated into regions. A single region may define an entire bank, or a single bank such as the SSH outlet may be set up in multiple regions. The decision on setting up the regions is driven by how rule sets and blowing sequences are defined, since the rule sets and blowing decisions are made by region. Once the regions are configured and the blower sequences set by region, then rule sets can be developed. Generally the initial setup is determined by benchmarking existing blowing practices. The existing cleaning cycles are analyzed and modified on the basis of the HTM data and owner input.

Installation at Louisa Energy Center Unit 1

Unit 1 at Louisa is unique in that it has older controls on both the boiler and the sootblowers. The boiler does not have a DCS control system so data needed for HTM and Powerclean were taken from the plant data historian. The sootblower control system was developed by MEC and is built on Square D programmable logic control (PLC) architecture with Wonderware used for the operator interface. Louisa Unit 1 will be upgrading the control system in the future and the Powerclean interface can be reconfigured as required. Powerclean was developed with the ability to communicate directly to the DCS by Ethernet using OPC middleware. Currently at Louisa Unit 1, Powerclean takes operating data from the historian and communicates directly to the sootblower PLC for closed loop control of the blowers when operating in automatic mode. Initially, the station provided the data I/O listing so that B&W could identify tag names for required Powerclean data points and configure the system for proper data entry. Based on past experience with performance optimization products B&W used care in development to make the data links as straightforward a process as possible; data is consolidated by type such as pressures, temperatures, flows, etc. Once the I/O listing was configured, the HTM module was tested at B&Ws engineering offices using plant-supplied data to ensure the program ran correctly. An additional feature of the data set up in Powerclean is the ability to set validation ranges so that if a device fails or data becomes corrupt the system can identify the bad data point. The system also has data repair capabilities when a bad data point is encountered.

Powerclean Program
HTM provides the critical cleanliness index of tube banks that is needed for implementing an intelligent blowing program to focus cleaning where and when needed. When developing the

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Once the I/O points are configured into Powerclean, concurrent with the setup and testing of the HTM module, the Powerclean system is configured for the components, regions and blower sequences on the subject unit. For Louisa, many of the regions and components were already well established as a result of their prior sootblowing optimization program. For example, the regions, blower sequences and predetermined load-based waterlance-blowing frequencies in the furnace for cleaning of waterwalls were not changed when implementing Powerclean. Powerclean recommended the same or slightly longer cleaning frequencies as the predetermined load-based frequencies. In general, this initial configuration of the regions considers the experience of the owner as well as B&W experience with similar unit types and fuels. During the configuration of regions, the initial rules and permissive sets were also developed. Again, the process draws on the experience of the operator to the extent possible. Following initial configuration of the unit, B&W made a site visit to install the system and to establish communication with the data historian. Since this was the first installation, the communication from Powerclean to the SB controls was not made during the initial setup as the plan was to initially run the system in advisory mode while any necessary debugging of the new software was done. Once initial corrections were made and the program was running in advisory mode, testing data was collected over a onemonth period. MEC operators found that the calculated furnace exit gas temperature correlated well with their existing furnace exit gas temperature probes. This recognition and comparison by the operators boosted their confidence and acceptance of the system during the test period. Since the system has a dedicated phone line, B&W was able to monitor, collect data, and make changes to the system from offices in Barberton, Ohio during this period. Data was evaluated to determine where surfaces were dirtiest, rate of degradation of heat transfer, and effectiveness of specific blower sequences. As a result of the testing, changes were made to some of the convection pass sequences to address areas that were more sensitive to sootblowing. An example was to divide the secondary superheater outlet into two regions since it was seen that the lower blowers had a much greater effect on cleanliness than the upper blowers. This allows for less frequent blowing of the upper blowers to save on tube wear and steam use while cycling the blowers with the greatest impact more frequently. Once the regions and rules were set up and evaluated, B&W returned to the Louisa site to implement the Powerclean system in closed loop for automatic control of the sootblowers. The system was interfaced to the PLC to allow the Powerclean recommendations to initiate the blowing sequences. Once the closed loop control was in operation and monitored for effectiveness, B&W provided operator training on use of the system. One aspect of Powerclean is that the status of blower recommendations and operation is displayed in an easy-to-follow graphical interface such that learning to monitor the system is not difficult (Figure 2). The additional benefit of maintaining a dedicated phone tie to the system is that B&W is able to provide continuing support of the application without the delay and expense of traveling to the site.

so that the operators do not have to focus on this activity and manually initiate the sequences. Blowing the right regions at the appropriate times has also reduced boiler exit gas concerns, which often resulted in overblowing already clean areas. Although results and the impact of the system will vary from unit to unit, the data from Louisa has indicated improvements in both steam usage and unit efficiency (heat rate). Data was available from the plant historian for the periods before and after the intelligent sootblower system was implemented (Figures 3 through 5). Evaluation of the data indicated that the steam utilization has been reduced since blowers are cycled more efficiently. The areas of greatest impact on component cleanliness can be blown more often while areas that did not have a significant impact can be blown less often. Sootblowing at high boiler load is less but has actually increased at lower loads. The implication is that surfaces were not maintained as clean as desirable at lower loads when using a time-based and/or parameter-based approach(es), which restricted the ability of the blowers to clean surfaces as loads increased. Overall, better targeting of where to blow has resulted in less total blowing. At the same time the economizer gas outlet temperature has trended down and the reheat spray flow has been reduced both of which impact efficiency and heat rate. Based on historical capacity factors, MEC estimates a savings of about $250K annually as a result of improved efficiency and reduced heat rate. Longer term, in addition to the measurable benefits, savings should be realized from reduced maintenance of the sootblowers and less wear of tubes since blowing is done on tubes with deposits rather than blowing clean areas. In addition, Powerclean can provide diagnostic information to allow easier identification of areas which would benefit from additional or different types of sootblowers (such as selective pattern waterlances),

Conclusions
The use of the Powerclean intelligent sootblowing system has proven very beneficial and has fulfilled its promised benefits of providing better control of heating surface cleanliness. In addition, the improved control of the heat transfer function in the convection passes and furnace has resulted in measurable savings in steam usage and improved unit efficiency that equates to fuel savings and quantifiable payback for the owner.

Results
Powerclean has had a very positive impact on the operation of Louisa Unit 1. Operations personnel have found the system to be very helpful since it manages the task of scheduling sootblowing
Figure 2 Powerclean display for operation status and recommendations.

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Figure 3

Superheat spray flow vs. load.

Figure 4

Reheat spray flow vs. load.

Figure 5

Economizer exit gas temperature vs. load.

Copyright 2002 by The Babcock & Wilcox Company. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be published, translated or reproduced in any form or by any means, or incorporated into any information retrieval system, without the written permission of the copyright holder. Permission requests should be addressed to: Market Communications, The Babcock & Wilcox Company, P.O. Box 351, Barberton, Ohio, U.S.A. 44203-0351. Disclaimer Although the information presented in this work is believed to be reliable, this work is published with the understanding that The Babcock & Wilcox Company and the authors are supplying general information and are not attempting to render or provide engineering or professional services. Neither The Babcock & Wilcox Company nor any of its employees make any warranty, guarantee, or representation, whether expressed or implied, with respect to the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any information, product, process or apparatus discussed in this work; and neither The Babcock & Wilcox Company nor any of its employees shall be liable for any losses or damages with respect to or resulting from the use of, or the inability to use, any information, product, process or apparatus discussed in this work.

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