The invention relates to a method and a control device for operating a furnace (10), in particular an anode furnace, the furnace being formed by a plurality of heating channels (12) and furnace chambers (13), the furnace chambers serving to receive carbonaceous products, in particular anodes, and the heating channels serving to control the temperature of the furnace chambers, the furnace comprising at least one furnace unit (11), the furnace unit comprising a heating zone (18), a fire zone (19) and a cooling zone (20), which for their part are formed by at least one section (37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42) comprising furnace chambers, a suction ramp (15) of the furnace unit being disposed in a section of the heating zone, and a burner ramp (16) of the furnace unit being disposed in a section of the fire zone, process air in the heating channels of the fire zone being heated by means of the burner ramp, and exhaust gas being suctioned from the heating channels of the heating zone by means of the suction ramp, an operation of the ramps being controlled by means of a control device of the furnace unit. An amount of fuel of the burner ramp is determined by means of the control device, a ratio of the combustion air and the amount of fuel being determined for at least one section by means of the control device.

A process for producing cement clinker, may involve preheating raw meal in a preheater, calcining the preheated raw meal in a calciner, and burning the preheated and calcined raw meal in a furnace to give cement clinker. The furnace may be supplied with a combustion gas having an oxygen content, and the temperature within the furnace is ascertained. The process may involve cooling the cement clinker in a cooler. The oxygen supply to the furnace is under closed-loop control as a function of the temperature ascertained within the furnace. The temperature ascertained is compared with a target value and, in the event of any variance of the temperature ascertained from the target value, the oxygen supply to the furnace and/or to the calciner is increased or decreased. The target value is adjusted depending on a particle size distribution and/or a lime standard.

A method includes firing a first burner into a furnace process chamber in a first initial condition, firing a second burner into the process chamber in a second initial condition, and measuring temperature at each of an array of locations in the process chamber. The first burner is adjusted to a first adjusted condition while the second burner is being fired at the second initial condition, and a resulting first temperature change is measured at each of the locations. The second burner is adjusted to a second adjusted condition while the first burner is being fired at the first initial condition, and a resulting second temperature change is measured at each of the locations. The measured first and second temperature changes are recorded as reference data for adjusting burner conditions to adjust temperatures at each of the locations. The method can thus be used to improve temperature uniformity throughout the array of locations.

The invention relates to a method for operating a furnace (12), comprising a furnace chamber (14), which is heated by means of at least one burner (16), wherein the method comprises a monitoring of a combustion in the furnace chamber (14), and monitoring a calorific value of a fuel determined for the burner (16). The invention further relates to a furnace system (10), and to a control unit (24).

Operation of a combustion control system of furnace is controlled by image analysis, outside of the furnace or within the furnace, of a flame produced by combustion within the furnace, to correlate the image with carbon monoxide content of the flame, and adjustment of the oxygen and/or fuel flow into the furnace in response to the correlation.

A glass tank furnace and a glass melting method. The tank furnace comprises a melting portion. The melting portion comprises a melting tank. The melting tank is provided with at least one burner mounted on a crown. Each burner is provided with a gas fuel conduit for supplying gas fuel and an oxygen conduit for providing oxygen. A gas fuel flowmeter and a gas fuel control valve are provided on the gas fuel conduit. An oxygen flowmeter and an oxygen control valve are provided on the oxygen conduit. The gas fuel flowmeter, the gas fuel control valve, the oxygen flowmeter and the oxygen control valve are all connected with a control unit.

An example autoignition system includes a pressure vessel defining a vessel chamber. The vessel chamber is configured to be pressurized to about 101 kPa (1 atmosphere). The autoignition system also includes a furnace disposed in the vessel chamber. The furnace defines a furnace chamber and the furnace is configured to control the temperature of the furnace chamber. The furnace also defines at least one sample inlet. The autoignition system additionally includes at least one gas source configured to supply a gas to the vessel chamber thereby pressurizing the vessel chamber to about 101 kPa and at least one pressure sensor configured to determine a pressure of the vessel chamber.

The dry oxygen content in the exhaust of an industrial furnace may be controlled to 1% or less by determining one or more of: the temperature of: each or a group of one or more burner (flame); one or more section of the radiant walls adjacent (e.g., within 5 feet of the burner); the temperature gradient across the process coils; the combustion products of one or more burners; the mass flow rate or the volume flow rate of air to each burner (e.g., the pressure drop across the variable forced air aperture ii) comparing the result to said target value; and iii) adjusting either a) the opening of the variable forced air aperture; or b) adjusting the mass flow rate or the volume flow rate of air from said one or more fans.

Operation of a combustion control system of furnace is controlled by image analysis, outside of the furnace or within the furnace, of a flame produced by combustion within the furnace, to correlate the image with carbon monoxide content of the flame, and adjustment of the oxygen and/or fuel flow into the furnace in response to the correlation.

A method includes firing a first burner into a furnace process chamber in a first initial condition, firing a second burner into the process chamber in a second initial condition, and measuring temperature at each of an array of locations in the process chamber. The first burner is adjusted to a first adjusted condition while the second burner is being fired at the second initial condition, and a resulting first temperature change is measured at each of the locations. The second burner is adjusted to a second adjusted condition while the first burner is being fired at the first initial condition, and a resulting second temperature change is measured at each of the locations. The measured first and second temperature changes are recorded as reference data for adjusting burner conditions to adjust temperatures at each of the locations. The method can thus be used to improve temperature uniformity throughout the array of locations.