Sequence Control Patents (Class 15/318.1)
  • Publication number: 20150089767
    Abstract: Cleaning device employing air under pressure is coupled to an external air source and cleans workpieces being carried. The cleaning device includes a mounting base, an air conduit, and a controller. The air conduit and the controller are mounted on the mounting base. The mounting base defines an air inlet communicating with the air conduit, and a free end of the air conduit is facing the workpiece. The controller is capable of sealing the air inlet and turning on and turning off the air conduit. The free end of the air conduit is designed and made of such material that the conduit swings across the moving workpieces to enable the air flow to blow metal chips and all other contaminants from the surfaces of the workpieces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2014
    Publication date: April 2, 2015
    Inventors: DAO-PING KAN, XING-WU WANG
  • Patent number: 8924024
    Abstract: A controller determines and adjusts system parameters, including cleanliness levels or sootblower operating settings, that are useful for maintaining the cleanliness of a fossil fuel boiler at an efficient level. Some embodiments use a direct controller to determine cleanliness levels and/or sootblower operating settings. Some embodiments use an indirect controller, with a system model, to determine cleanliness levels and/or sootblower settings. The controller may use a model that is, for example, a neural network, or a mass energy balance, or a genetically programmed model. The controller uses input about the actual performance or state of the boiler for adaptation. The controller may operate in conjunction with a sootblower optimization system that controls the actual settings of the sootblowers. The controller may coordinate cleanliness settings for multiple sootblowers and/or across a plurality of heat zones in the boiler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: NeuCo, Inc.
    Inventors: W. Curt Lefebvre, Daniel W. Kohn
  • Patent number: 8578551
    Abstract: This invention relates to a method of rebuilding a sootblowing system of a recovery furnace, said sootblowing system including a plurality of sootblowers (1), and each sootblower (1) including a frame (10), a moveable carriage (14) supported by the frame (10), a motor (2) for moving the carriage (14), a lance tube (11) mounted on the carriage (14) to be insertable into and retractable from the recovery furnace (8), said lance tube (11) having at least one nozzle (12), and a steam feed tube (45, 35, 15) connected to the lance tube (11) for feeding sootblowing steam to be ejected through said at least one nozzle (12) into the recovery furnace, said steam feed tube (45, 35, 15) having a first valve (3) arranged to admit steam through said at least one nozzle (12) only when the carriage with the lance tube (11) is in an activated position, i.e.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: Soottech Aktiebolag
    Inventors: Erik Dahlén, Daniel Eliasson
  • Patent number: 8498746
    Abstract: A sootblowing control system that uses predictive models to bridge the gap between sootblower operation and boiler performance goals. The system uses predictive modeling and heuristics (rules) associated with different zones in a boiler to determine an optimal sequence of sootblower operations and achieve boiler performance targets. The system performs the sootblower optimization while observing any operational constraints placed on the sootblowers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: NeuCo, Inc.
    Inventors: John Robert James, John McDermott, Stephen Piche, Fred Pickard, Neel J. Parikh
  • Patent number: 8447431
    Abstract: A controller determines and adjusts system parameters, including cleanliness levels or sootblower operating settings, that are useful for maintaining the cleanliness of a fossil fuel boiler at an efficient level. Some embodiments use a direct controller to determine cleanliness levels and/or sootblower operating settings. Some embodiments use an indirect controller, with a system model, to determine cleanliness levels and/or sootblower settings. The controller may use a model that is, for example, a neural network, or a mass energy balance, or a genetically programmed model. The controller uses input about the actual performance or state of the boiler for adaptation. The controller may operate in conjunction with a sootblower optimization system that controls the actual settings of the sootblowers. The controller may coordinate cleanliness settings for multiple sootblowers and/or across a plurality of heat zones in the boiler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: NeuCo, Inc.
    Inventors: W. Curt Lefebvre, Daniel W. Kohn
  • Patent number: 8340824
    Abstract: A sootblowing control system that uses predictive models to bridge the gap between sootblower operation and boiler performance goals. The system uses predictive modeling and heuristics (rules) associated with different zones in a boiler to determine an optimal sequence of sootblower operations and achieve boiler performance targets. The system performs the sootblower optimization while observing any operational constraints placed on the sootblowers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: NeuCo, Inc.
    Inventors: John Robert James, John McDermott, Stephen Piche, Fred Pickard, Neel J. Parikh
  • Publication number: 20100064470
    Abstract: This invention relates to a method of rebuilding a sootblowing system of a recovery furnace, said sootblowing system including a plurality of sootblowers (1), and each sootblower (1) including a frame (10), a moveable carriage (14) supported by the frame (10), a motor (2) for moving the carriage (14), a lance tube (11) mounted on the carriage (14) to be insertable into and retractable from the recovery furnace (8), said lance tube (11) having at least one nozzle (12), and a steam feed tube (45, 35, 15) connected to the lance tube (11) for feeding sootblowing steam to be ejected through said at least one nozzle (12) into the recovery furnace, said steam feed tube (45, 35, 15) having a first valve (3) arranged to admit steam through said at least one nozzle (12) only when the carriage with the lance tube (11) is in an activated position, i.e.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2007
    Publication date: March 18, 2010
    Applicant: SOOTTECH AKTIEBOLAG
    Inventors: Erik Dahlén, Daniel Eliasson
  • Patent number: 7624470
    Abstract: A cleaning apparatus for cleaning a heat exchange coil includes a gas-dispensing member having a cavity for carrying a gas and at least one orifice in communication with the cavity. An actuating device which couples to the gas dispensing member and moves the gas dispensing member relative to a coil such that the gas dispensed from the gas dispensing member through the at least one orifice removes dust and debris from the coil. A timer initiates operation of the gas-dispensing member and the actuating device at given time intervals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2009
    Inventor: Keith A. Heyman
  • Publication number: 20080250598
    Abstract: A sootblower to project a blowing medium into a boiler is disclosed herein. The sootblower includes a hub, in which a first end of the hub is configured to receive a lance and a second end of the hub is configured to receive the blowing medium. The sootblower further includes a drive assembly configured to convert bidirectional rotation from a drive shaft to bidirectional rotation for the hub. The drive assembly then includes a rotation delay mechanism configured to delay a transition between a first directional rotation and a second directional rotation of the bidirectional rotation for the hub with respect to the drive shaft when the drive shaft is transitioning from a first directional rotation to a second directional rotation of the bidirectional rotation for the hub.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2007
    Publication date: October 16, 2008
    Applicant: HOLDEN INDUSTRIES, LLC
    Inventors: W. Wayne Holden, Michael C. Holden
  • Patent number: 7383790
    Abstract: A statistical process control system employs a consistent soot blowing operation for a heat exchange section of, for example, a fuel burning boiler, collects heat absorption data for the heat exchange section and analyzes the distribution of the heat absorption data as well as various parameters of the heat absorption distribution to readjust the soot blowing operation. The statistical process control system may set a desired lower heat absorption limit and a desired upper heat absorption limit and compare them, respectively, with an actual lower heat absorption limit and an actual upper heat absorption limit to determine the readjustment to be made to the soot blowing operation. Alternatively, the statistical process control system may be used to determine permanent slagging of the heat exchange section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2008
    Assignee: Emerson Process Management Power & Water Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter N. Francino, Xu Cheng
  • Publication number: 20040006841
    Abstract: A multi-media rotating sootblower that includes multiple rotating and individually controlled cleaning fluid applicators, such a set of steam nozzles and two sets of water nozzles, and an automatic boiler cleaning system using these sootblowers. The boiler superheater typically includes a system of these sootblowers to clean a number of large platens that are arranged in rows. The boiler may also include additional boiler cleaning equipment, including water cannons to clean the furnace, and conventional steam sootblowers to clean other heat exchangers of the boiler. A number of sensors, including heat transfer gauges that measure the heat transfer at the furnace wall, strain gauges that measure the weight of slag deposits on platens, and boiler cameras are used to monitor slag accumulations within the boiler. A control system uses this sensor data to automatically operate the boiler cleaning system to implement an automatic boiler cleaning regimen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2003
    Publication date: January 15, 2004
    Inventors: Mohomed Ishag Jameel, Bruce Townsend, Hans Schwade
  • Patent number: 6170117
    Abstract: A multiple rake sootblower reciprocates over an area to clean an entire surface using a minimum of space for the sootblower stroke. An internal valving manifold and a plurality of bushings inside of a plenum isolate the rakes from each other and operate one rake at a time. This maintains the required sootblowing media pressure at the nozzles of each of the rakes. The internal valving manifold may either be reciprocated or rotated to select the desired rake.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2001
    Assignee: ABB Air Preheater, Inc.
    Inventor: Paul J. Batt