Devices, systems, and techniques relating to steam trap monitoring are described. These include battery-less steam trap monitors that run on power harvested from their environments, systems for acquiring steam trap monitor data for the traps in a facility or across multiple facilities, and techniques for processing steam trap monitor data to reliably determine the status of individual steam traps and potentially other system parameters.

Organic water conditioning agents may be added to an aqueous stream that is supplied to a steam generator, such as a heat recovery steam generator within a combined cycle power plant. These organic water conditioning agents may degrade to electrically-charged decomposition products that can interfere with cation conductivity measurements made on the aqueous stream. To allow deployment of the organic water conditioning agents, a sampling device can process aqueous samples to destroy interfering organic molecules, such as through heat or irradiation. Cation conductivity measurements can then be made on the aqueous sample after destroying and removing interfering organic species from the sample stream.

Provided is a method for predicting and evaluating adhesion of combustion ash in a coal-mixed combustion boiler in which biomass is used as renewable energy, the method comprising: ashing a sample to prepare an ashed test sample, the sample being obtained by mixing the biomass with coal that is main fuel of the coal-mixed combustion boiler, at a predetermined additive ratio; sintering the ashed test sample under a combustion temperature condition of the coal-mixed combustion boiler to generate sintered ash; testing the sintered ash by a rattler tester to obtain a sticking degree from a ratio obtained by dividing a weight of the sintered ash after the test by a weight of the sintered ash before the test; and evaluating in advance an adhesion state of the combustion ash in the coal-mixed combustion boiler on a basis of the sticking degree.

A system and method for estimating steam quality for a steam generator is provided which involves obtaining raw measurement values for process variables of the steam generator from sensors coupled to the steam generator; receiving the raw measurement values and slow-rate steam quality samples in order to determine a steam quality estimate, using a measurement module to receive the raw measurement values and determine model input values and a robustness index; using an estimator module to determines a raw steam quality estimate using the model input values and a model that is selected from several models depending on reliability of some of the raw measurements; and using a corrector module to determine the steam quality estimate using the raw steam quality estimate, robustness index, and slow-rate steam quality samples. An output receives the steam quality estimate and can provide the steam quality estimate to another device.

A system and method for estimating steam quality for a steam generator is provided which involves obtaining raw measurement values for process variables of the steam generator from sensors coupled to the steam generator; receiving the raw measurement values and slow-rate steam quality samples in order to determine a steam quality estimate, using a measurement module to receive the raw measurement values and determine model input values and a robustness index; using an estimator module to determines a raw steam quality estimate using the model input values and a model that is selected from several models depending on reliability of some of the raw measurements; and using a corrector module to determine the steam quality estimate using the raw steam quality estimate, robustness index, and slow-rate steam quality samples. An output receives the steam quality estimate and can provide the steam quality estimate to another device.

A method for controlling a chemical recovery boiler. The method includes measuring concentrations of sodium carbonate, sodium sulfide, and sodium sulfate from green liquor of the chemical recovery boiler, determining a target temperature for smelt, imaging at least an area of a char bed of the chemical recovery boiler, the area being close to a smelt spout, to obtain an image of the area, determining a measured temperature of the char bed using the image of the area. The method further includes determining that the measured temperature of the char bed is less than the target temperature for smelt, and controlling the chemical recovery boiler such that the temperature of the char bed increases. A chemical recovery boiler for the same.

Provided is a correlation deriving method including the steps of: generating coal ash by incinerating coal; generating sintered ash by heating the coal ash at a predetermined heating temperature within a range of a combustion temperature of a coal burning boiler; measuring hardness of the sintered ash; measuring an exhaust gas temperature exhibited when coal which is to have the hardness is burnt in the coal burning boiler; and deriving a correlation between the hardness and the exhaust gas temperature.

Provided is a correlation deriving method including the steps of: generating coal ash by incinerating coal; generating sintered ash by heating the coal ash at a predetermined heating temperature within a range of a combustion temperature of a coal burning boiler; measuring hardness of the sintered ash; measuring an exhaust gas temperature exhibited when coal which is to have the hardness is burnt in the coal burning boiler; and deriving a correlation between the hardness and the exhaust gas temperature.

In some aspects, a computer-implemented method of reducing a rate of fouling in a recovery boiler system is provided. A computing device receives boiler operating information for a period of time. The boiler operating information includes boiler operating parameters and a rate of fouling for the period of time. The boiler operating parameters include one or more boiler input parameters. The computing device performs a regression analysis to determine at least one correlation between the boiler operating parameters and the rate of fouling. The computing device causes at least one boiler input parameter to be adjusted based on the at least one correlation to minimize the rate of fouling. In some aspects, a system configured to perform such a method is provided. In some aspects, a computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that cause a computing device to perform such a method is provided.

A steam turbine plant is provided with: a boiler; a fuel valve; a low-temperature steam generation source; a steam turbine; a main steam line that guides steam generated in the boiler to the steam turbine; a main steam adjustment valve that is provided to the main steam line; a low-temperature steam line that guides low-temperature steam from the low-temperature generation source to a position closer to the steam turbine-side than the main steam adjustment valve in the main steam line; a low-temperature steam valve provided to the low-temperature steam line; and a control device. During a stopping process of the steam turbine plant, the control device sends a command to close the fuel valve, and then sends a command to open the low-temperature steam valve.