Combustion heater control systems and methods that include dynamic safety settings. Current operating parameters of the combustion heater are sensed at a plurality of time intervals and converted into a time-varying signal. The time-varying signal is compared to a burner stability envelope indicating when a burner is likely to enter an unstable state. The unstable state may include huffing, flashback, and/or liftoff. When the burner is likely to enter an unstable state, the combustion heater is controlled to prevent the unstable state.

The present application provides a method of determining one or more fuel characteristics of an aviation fuel suitable for powering a gas turbine engine of an aircraft. The method includes: passing UV-visual spectrum light through the fuel; measuring a transmittance parameter indicating the transmittance of light through the fuel; determining one or more fuel characteristics of the fuel based on the transmittance parameter; and communicating the one or more fuel characteristic to a control module of the gas turbine engine or the aircraft. Also disclosed is a fuel characteristic determination system, a method of operating an aircraft, and an aircraft.

A gas-burner device and a method for operating a gas-burner device, includes a conveyor device for conveying a gaseous fuel to a burner and includes a recirculation device for recirculating an exhaust gas quantity produced during the combustion of the fuel to the burner. A sensor device ascertains the composition of the fuel, and the recirculation device is designed to be controlled on the basis of the fuel composition detected by the sensor device.

A method for controlling a fuel-oxidizer mixture in a premix gas burner includes: receiving a flame signal representing the presence of a flame deriving from the combustion of a fuel of a first predetermined type or a second predetermined type inside a combustion cell; accessing fuel data representing the fact that the gas fuel belongs to the first type or the second type; generating drive signals to control a gas flow regulating valve that supplies gas to the burner and to control a rotation speed of a fan configured to take in oxidative air; sending the drive signals to the gas flow regulating valve and to a motor connected to the fan. A memory unit contains first regulation data and second regulation data and is programmed to generate the drive signals based on the first regulation data or on the second regulation data, depending on the fuel data.

Emissions of NO.sub.X and/or CO are reduced at the stack by systems and methods wherein a primary fuel is thoroughly mixed with a specific range of excess combustion air. The primary fuel-air mixture is then discharged and anchored within a combustion chamber of a burner. Further, the systems and methods provide for dynamically controlling NO.sub.X content in emissions from a furnace by adjusting the flow of primary fuel and of a secondary stage fuel, and in some cases controlling the amount or placement of combustion air into the furnace.

An electronically controlled burner management system for oilfield separators. The system includes an autonomous standing pilot spark ignition that includes a self-aligning clamp that holds the igniter to the burner nozzle. The self-aligning clamp enables rapid installation and removal, lowering the total cost of ownership. The autonomous spark ignition system incorporates temperature sensors to determine when the standing pilot needs to be relit, and can shut off the gas or other fuel flow to the standing pilot and the main burner when the pilot is not lit. The system increases oil and gas production from the well, reduces fugitive emissions of unburned gas, and improves oilfield worker safety. When installed or retrofitted into an existing oilfield separator, the original burner control components are left in place, allowing the user to revert to traditional operation in case of failure of any electronic component of the present system.

A heating device as well as a method for the operation thereof. The heating device has an outer housing that surrounds an installation space. The components of heating device are arranged inside or on the outer housing, particularly a burner unit, a fan, a fuel valve and as an option a circulation pump. At least one of these units comprises at least one electrical and/or electronic component. On one or more of the anyway present electrical and/or electronic components at least one gas sensor is arranged on the outer housing and/or inside the installation space, particularly on a support or a circuit board of the respective electrical and/or electronic component. The at least one gas sensor is configured to create a sensor signal that describes the presence and/or concentration of at least one gas component in the atmosphere. Based thereon leakages, faults, undesired backflow, etc. can be determined. Thereupon a respective measure can be initiated, e.g. the output of a warning message and/or suction of the atmosphere by means of fan.

A method for regulating a gas mixture formed from a gas and a fuel gas in a fuel gas-operated heating appliance, wherein the gas mixture is created by providing and mixing a gas quantity by way of a first control element and a fuel gas quantity by way of a second control element, wherein a microthermal gas sensor and a gas mixture sensor are used and sensor signals are relayed to a controller, and wherein upon change in the detected sensor signal [of the] gas sensor the newly detected sensor signal of the gas sensor is compared to reference values which have been measured in the laboratory and saved in a table of values in the controller and from this a target value of the sensor signal of the gas mixture sensor is determined without a mixture ratio of the gas mixture composed of fuel gas and gas being changed.

The gross or net calorific value of a hydrocarbon-containing fuel gas is determined by using a Raman photometer. A Raman radiation obtained following interaction of laser light with the fuel gas is limited by a bandpass filter to a wavenumber range of the C—H stretching vibrations of the hydrocarbons contained in the fuel gas around 2900 cm.sup.−1 and is supplied to a photomultiplier and integratively detected by the photomultiplier. The gross or net calorific value is determined from the output signal of the photomultiplier.

A control system for a gas turbine includes a controller. The controller includes a processor configured to receive a plurality of signals comprising a temperature signal, a pressure signal, a speed signal, a mass flow signal, or a combination thereof, from sensors disposed in the gas turbine system. The processor is further configured to apply the plurality of signals as input to a heating value model. The processor is also configured to execute the heating value model to derive a heating value for a fuel combusted by the gas turbine system. The processor is additionally configured to control operations of the gas turbine system based on the heating value for the fuel.