Various embodiments include a control system comprising: an ionization electrode; a flame sensor; a first signal conditioning circuit for the ionization electrode; a second signal conditioning circuit for the flame sensor; an output unit; and a processor. The processor: receives a first and a second ionization signal indicative of ionization currents from the first signal conditioning circuit; receives a first and a second flame signal indicative of radiations originating from a flame via the second signal conditioning circuit; produces a derived ionization signal as a function of the first and the second ionization signals; produces a derived flame signal as a function of the first and the second flame signals; determines if a flame lift-off condition exists based on the derived ionization signal and the derived flame signal; and if a flame lift-off condition exists, produces a safety signal and transmits the safety signal to the output unit.

A fuel-fired device can include an air-moving device that mixes air and a fuel to generate a fuel-air mixture. The fuel-fired device can also include an air box that provides the air to the air-moving device, and a fuel valve that provides the fuel to the air-moving device, where the fuel valve includes a tracking port coupled to the air box, where the tracking port detects a pressure of the air box. The fuel-fired device can further provide a pressure-regulating device disposed between a pressurized component and the tracking port of the fuel valve. The flow regulating device can control, during an ignition phase of operation, an amount of the fuel provided by the fuel valve to the air-moving device.

A method operates a furnace unit with a feed chute and a camera for capturing an image of the surface of the chute. The chute includes a slide on which material flows to a grate, and the coverage of the chute and in particular of the slide with material, the burning bed thickness and the burnout zone are determined by an image evaluation.

To calculate a probability of an optical sensor's irregular discharge, a light detection system includes an optical sensor, an application voltage generating circuit that applies a drive pulse voltage to the optical sensor, a discharge determining portion that detects the optical sensor's discharge, a discharge probability calculating portion that calculates a discharge probability in a first state in which light from an additional light source having a known light quantity is incident on the optical sensor or the additional light source is turned off, and in a second state in which the additional light source's turning-on/turning-off state is different from the first state and the drive pulse voltage's pulse width is the same as the first state, a sensitivity parameter storing portion that stores the optical sensor's sensitivity parameters, and another discharge probability calculating portion that calculates a discharge probability of the optical sensor's irregular discharge.

The present invention relates to a method of optimization for continuous combustion systems, which reduces fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and particulate matter. The operating principle is based on the introduction of small amounts of hydrogen in the fuel intake duct of the system, or preferably along the continuous burning chamber, with the aim of optimizing the burning of traditional fuels, improving the parameters of the combustion reaction, the effect of the process in question will increase the temperature of the walls of the chamber, ensuring re-ignition and a more complete combustion and consequently reducing the required fuel flow feed. This optimized combustion will increase the combustion efficiency and reduce its environmental impact.

Food cooking unit composed of gas burners (1), regulation electrovalves (3) of the supplied gas; an infrared sensor (5) focused towards the cooking zone; a thermocouple (6) in thermal contact with the flames and in connection with a safety electrovalve (4) through a relay (10) and an electronic control device (7) connected to said infrared sensor (5), to said at least one regulating electrovalve (3) and the relay (10) and that stores different regulation programs and that regulates the regulating electrovalve (3) and/or interrupts the thermocouple connection with the safety electrovalve in response to the signals obtained from the infrared sensor (5) and/or the thermocouple (6), and issues warnings in response to signals from the thermocouple (6).

Methods and systems for resonance suppression, can involve measuring signals with one or more sensors, wherein the signals are produced by a combustor associated with an actuator, and receiving at a controller the signals measured by the sensor or sensors. The controller can calculate a damping rate of the combustor. Based on the damping rate, the controller can modulate the actuator if the damping rate falls below a predefined threshold and can continue to modulate the actuator until the damping rate is adjusted and the resonance is suppressed. The sensor can be an acoustic sensor, an optical sensor, or another type of sensor.

A tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) optical head includes a housing configured for attachment to a sight tube attached to a wall of a process chamber. The TDLAS optical head further includes optics within the housing for transmitting, receiving, or transmitting and receiving a laser beam within a process chamber through the sight tube. The TDLAS optical head further includes a photo sensor in the housing positioned to receive light emitted by combustion within the process chamber to which the housing is attached.

Systems and methods for monitoring and controlling burning operations are provided. A method of one embodiment includes igniting oil or gas with a burner (282) during a burning operation and monitoring the burning operation with a camera (290). This monitoring of the burning operation can include acquiring image data for a flame (290) of the burner via the camera and analyzing the acquired image data to detect image features indicative of combustion of the oil or gas via the burner. Additional systems, methods, and devices are also disclosed.

An amplifier assembly (100) includes an amplifier (102) having an input terminal, an output terminal and a feedback terminal; a first feedback path connecting the output terminal to the feedback terminal; a second feedback path connecting the output terminal to the feedback terminal; a switch (124) positioned in the second feedback path, the switch (124) opening or closing in response to a voltage at the output terminal relative to a breakpoint, when the switch (124) is open, the amplifier assembly (100) has a first gain and when the switch (124) is closed, the amplifier assembly (100) has a second gain; and a thermally variable element (152) connected to the switch (124), the thermally variable element (152) configured to generate a compensation voltage to maintain the breakpoint in response to varying temperature of the switch (152).