Combustion distribution control using the extremum seeking algorithm

Quality regulation of the combustion process inside the furnace is the basis of high demands for increasing robustness, safety and efficiency of thermal power plants. The paper considers the possibility of spatial temperature distribution control inside the boiler, based on the correction of distribution of coal over the mills. Such control system ensures the maintenance of the flame focus away from the walls of the boiler, and thus preserves the equipment and reduces the possibility of ash slugging. At the same time, uniform heat dissipation over mills enhances the energy efficiency of the boiler, while reducing the pollution of the system. A constrained multivariable extremum seeking algorithm is proposed as a tool for combustion process optimization with the main objective of centralizing the flame in the furnace. Simulations are conducted on a model corresponding to the 350MW boiler of the Nikola Tesla Power Plant, in Obrenovac, Serbia.