Knowledge-based sootblowing

Soot buildup changes the performance of a combustion process. Griffin’s Knowledge-Based Sootblowing (KSB) system uses custom rule-based logic and artificial intelligence so soot is managed for the condition the unit is in, not for a fixed sequence.

At a coal-fired plant, sootblowing is often the difference between smooth, efficient operation and a unit that feels disjointed. Poorly managed soot raises operations and maintenance cost and can take the unit offline. The conditions that create soot keep changing, so the control has to change with them. KSB provides that adaptive control and improves the performance of the boiler as a whole.

Why rules, not only instruments

Ash formation and deposition depend on small differences in the fuel and on combustion conditions that move. Many units cannot measure those details in real time in a way that is useful for control. Instruments that try to measure ash in place often need heavy maintenance, and when they are not maintained they stop helping.

KSB does not depend on that fragile measurement. It combines decades of operator and engineer experience with a small set of indicators that stay reliable. The result is an adaptive soot-management system that can be fitted to the challenges of a particular process.

Control by blower, not by sequence

The application uses rules to control individual sootblowers. Moving from a time-based sequence to blower-by-blower control often improves efficiency and slows material damage, because blowers that do not need to run are left alone. Unit-specific rules, both global and per blower, are then added so the response matches that boiler automatically.

Contact us to get started. Sootblowing brief (PDF).