In a method for estimating water content of exhaust gas, a first gas concentration at a first position in an exhaust passage, a second gas concentration at a second position downstream of the first position, and a gas temperature at the second position are obtained. A saturated water vapor at the gas temperature is calculated as a water content at the second position. By using the water content at the second position and the second gas concentration, an excess air amount of a fuel-air mixture supplied to a combustion apparatus is calculated based on a chemical reaction formula of combustion of the mixture. By using the excess air amount and the first gas concentration, a water content at the first position is estimated.

A controller for managing communication of a burner system. The controller may comprise a communication module to manage the exchange of messages between devices of the burner system. The controller may also incorporate a processing module to compose the messages that are exchanged between the devices, identify issues regarding the messages, determine that devices may not be operating properly, and lock-out the devices in response. The controller may also incorporate a timing module having a set of timing requirements and being configured to lock-out devices in response to violation of a timing requirement.

A burner supporting primary and secondary combustion reactions may include a primary combustion reaction actuator configured to select a location of the secondary combustion reaction. A burner may include a perforated flame holder structure configured to support a secondary combustion reaction above a partial premixing region. The secondary flame support location may be selected as a function of a turndown parameter. Selection logic may be of arbitrary complexity.

A combustion device includes a combustion control section which controls combustion in the combustion device; a setting section operated to set information indicating whether or not a plurality of combustion devices are in a common vent discharge state; and a memory section which stores therein connection configurations with the other combustion control sections to which the combustion control section is communicatively connected, and the combustion control section determines whether or not the combustion control section can communicate with a linkage control section or the other combustion control sections, and inhibits combustion in the combustion device to which the combustion control section belongs, in a case where the combustion control section determines that the combustion control section cannot communicate with the linkage control section or at least one of the other combustion control sections and the common vent discharge state is set by the setting section.

A system configured to generate heat when supplied with a first fuel or a second fuel can include a fuel supply line operatively connected to a fuel source. A valve assembly can be operatively connected to the fuel supply line. A main burner can be operatively connected to the valve assembly. A thermoelectric generating system can be configured to transform heat to electricity. A first pilot burner can include at least one of a first thermocouple and a first Fe-ion sensor. A second pilot burner can include at least one of a second thermocouple and a second Fe-ion sensor. A printed circuit board (PCB) can be operatively connected to the valve assembly and the first and second pilot burners. The PCB can be configured to control operation of the valve assembly based on information received from at least one of the first and second pilot burners.

A controller for an oil fired burner for operating the ignitor initially in an interrupted mode, and instructing the burner to switch to intermittent ignition for a plurality of call-for-heat (CFH) cycles if it is determined that the flame quality is insufficient during the flame-proved period. On the last predetermined iteration cycle, a reset condition occurs; setting a counter back to zero, and a retry ignition is performed to operate once again in interrupted ignition mode. When the apparatus is in interrupted ignition mode, if the current CFH cycle ends normally by satisfying the call, the ignition will remain in the interrupted ignition mode.

A remote burner monitoring system including one or more burners each including integrated sensors, a data collector corresponding to each of the burners for receiving and aggregating data from the sensors of the corresponding burner, and a local transmitter corresponding to each of the data collectors for transmitting the data, a data center configured and programmed to receive the data from the local transmitters corresponding to the one or more burners, and a server configured and programmed to store at least a portion of the data, to convert the data into a display format, and to provide connectivity to enable receipt and transmission of data and the display format via a network including at least one of a wired network, a cellular network, and a Wi-Fi network.

Flare control with vent gas recovery is disclosed. Vent gas is recovered for end use (e.g., process gas, fuel gas, etc.) while a flare is in a standby state. Upon detection of a flare event that causes vent gas to flow to the flare, the flare is changed from the standby state to an active state. The flare is controlled for efficient combustion of vent gas that flows to the flare during the flare event. Upon detection of a subsidence of the flare event, the flare is changed from the active state to the standby state. The flare can remain in standby until another flare event is detected. The flare event is detected when one or more of the disclosed flare activation conditions are detected, and subsidence of the flare event is detected when the flare deactivation conditions are detected.

A method for monitoring a flame of a burner of a lime kiln, including imaging a video stream showing the burner end of the lime kiln; extracting at least one image from the imaged video stream; determining, using a pretrained algorithm, from the at least one image at least one area of interest, wherein the at least one area of interest includes a part of the at least one image showing an area having at least one characteristic portion of the flame and/or burner end; calculating the area of the at least one characteristic portion based on the pixels of the at least one area of interest; and determining at least one quantity of interest based on the calculated area of the at least one characteristic portion.

Exemplary embodiments are disclosed of controls including circuit assemblies configured for determining igniter, inducer relay, and igniter relay faults. In exemplary embodiments, a control for a system includes an input configured to receive a control signal, an inducer relay, an igniter relay, and a circuit assembly. The circuit assembly is configured to be coupled to the inducer relay, the igniter relay, and an igniter of the system. The circuit assembly comprises a plurality of diodes and is configured to enable detection of and distinguishing between a failure of the igniter, a failure of the inducer relay, and a failure of the igniter relay as determined by a waveform of the control signal at the input of the control for a given one of a plurality of operational states of the control.