Patents by Inventor James M. Niziolek

James M. Niziolek has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7280891
    Abstract: A signal processing technique that allows the flame signal from a first source of flame and the flame signal from a second source of flame to be discriminated from each other when only both the first and second flame signals are viewed by the same flame scanner. The signal from the flame scanner is processed to enhance one or more of the attributes associated with the first flame and is simultaneously processed to enhance one or more attributes associated with the second flame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2007
    Assignee: ABB Inc.
    Inventors: Paul H. Chase, James M. Niziolek, Terry M. Grayson, Gregory F. Rossano
  • Patent number: 7008218
    Abstract: There is described a method and apparatus for controlling the combustion by-product formation rate in at least one burner of a fossil fuel fired power plant. The burner has an associated flame scanner which is focused on a small area of the burner flame to obtain an image signal of the flame. A flame signal that represents properties of temporal combustion in the visible light spectrum of the burner is generated from the image signal. Combustion turbulence at the burner is analyzed from the flame signal by a dynamic invariant that has a relationship to the combustion by-product values and different combustion by-product levels at the burner and the combustion turbulence is correlated to the combustion by-product formation rate at the burner. The method and apparatus can also be used to correlated the combustion turbulence at a multiplicity of burners to the associated combustion by-product formation rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2006
    Assignee: ABB Inc.
    Inventors: Hui Zhang, Paul H. Chase, James M. Niziolek
  • Publication number: 20040033457
    Abstract: There is described a method and apparatus for controlling the combustion by-product formation rate in at least one burner of a fossil fuel fired power plant. The burner has an associated flame scanner which is focused on a small area of the burner flame to obtain an image signal of the flame. A flame signal that represents properties of temporal combustion in the visible light spectrum of the burner is generated from the image signal. Combustion turbulence at the burner is analyzed from the flame signal by a dynamic invariant that has a relationship to the combustion by-product values and different combustion by-product levels at the burner and the combustion turbulence is correlated to the combustion by-product formation rate at the burner. The method and apparatus can also be used to correlated the combustion turbulence at a multiplicity of burners to the associated combustion by-product formation rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2002
    Publication date: February 19, 2004
    Applicant: ABB Inc.
    Inventors: Hui Zhang, Paul H. Chase, James M. Niziolek
  • Patent number: 6472669
    Abstract: A flame scanner for effecting therewith individual burner flame discrimination in multi-fossil fuel fired steam generators. The subject flame scanner is based on the use therein of a silicon carbide photodiode that is operative for converting into a photocurrent ultraviolet light, which impinges upon the silicon carbide photodiode after passing through a focusing lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2002
    Assignee: ABB Research Ltd.
    Inventors: Paul H. Chase, Terry M. Grayson, Donald J. Kwapien, James M. Niziolek
  • Patent number: 6356199
    Abstract: An ionic flame monitor. The flame monitor has a flame rod that produces an ionization current when the flame rod is immersed in a flame and excited by a voltage. The ionization current has a DC component and an AC component each dependent on the intensity of the flame, and a flicker frequency. The flame monitor also has a computing device that is responsive to signals representative of the flicker frequency, and the AC and DC components of the ionization current for determining the existence of the flame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2002
    Assignees: ABB Inc., ABB Automation Inc.
    Inventors: James M. Niziolek, William M. Clark, James M. Bialobrzeski, Terry M. Grayson
  • Patent number: 5947110
    Abstract: The pressure pulsations caused by the flow patterns of flue gases entering a flue gas stack from a horizontal duct are eliminated or reduced by the installation of a partition plate in the stack opposite the inlet duct. This negates the adverse interaction of the two vortices in the stack formed by the entering flue gases and allows the vortices to travel independently up the stack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 7, 1999
    Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark R. Malo, Raymond W. Cournoyer, James M. Niziolek
  • Patent number: 5729470
    Abstract: A system including a resonant cavity for measuring in-situ and in real time the Carbon content of the fly ash produced from the combustion process occurring within a pulverized coal-fired steam generator. The resonant cavity basically includes an intelligence section, a transmitting section, a cavity section and a receiving section. When the system including the resonant cavity is so employed the measurements gained therefrom may be utilized either by an operator or as input to a boiler control system or both in order that corrective action may be implemented when such is required.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 17, 1998
    Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc.
    Inventors: Gunar Baier, Armin Gasch, Dietmar Treibert, Juris G. Labrencis, James M. Niziolek, Joseph W. Quinn
  • Patent number: 4890920
    Abstract: A particle size measuring device for effecting with regard to particles present in a fluid substance the simultaneous measurement in situ of two parameters thereof; namely, particle size distribution and volumetric density. The particle size measuring device comprises a laser light source (14), a laser light conveying device (40), a collimator, a first focusing device (64), a defined sample path (74) through which particles to be measured pass, a second focusing device (78) and a detector device (82). The mode of operation of the particle size measuring device is such that the laser light from the laser light source (14) is conveyed by means of the laser light conveying device (40) to the collimator. After being collimated the laser light is transmitted to the first focusing device (64) whereby the laser light is focused and is then made to pass across the sample path (74).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 1987
    Date of Patent: January 2, 1990
    Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc.
    Inventors: James M. Niziolek, James P. Sutton, III