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Image-based methods to improve burner control?

A Sira product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jul 6, 2001

Sira has drawn together a team to develop a compact sensor using intelligent image-based methods to improve burner control, which could lead to significant savings in energy consumption.

Burners are used in a variety of industries to heat bulk materials or burn waste products.

Improvements in burner efficiency can therefore lead to significant savings in energy consumption.

With this in mind, Sira has drawn together a team to develop a compact sensor using intelligent image-based methods to improve burner control.

The two-year project involves an innovative technique enclosing sensors for both visible and infrared images in the same unit.

Each dual sensor unit would monitor a single burner, and it is expected that the ability to characterise accurately the performance of single burners within multiple burner furnaces would lead to considerable energy savings and operational advantages in current furnace monitoring systems.

The factors that need to be taken into account in the design of the sensors are long-term operation in high temperature environments, and the flexibility to be used in different types of burners.

"Advantage will be taken of recent advances in visible and infrared light sensors," said Dr Andrew Crookell, Sira's Programme Manager.

"In addition, data fusion methods will be used to combine the information from the two sources." To address all the issues that are important in the various industries, the initiative is a collaboration between Sira, as experts in visible imaging sensors, and Irisys, Ceram, Stordy, Corus and ETOL UK.

These organisations are active in the fields of infrared imaging, ceramics research, burner control systems, steel manufacture and power generation.

Sectors that make extensive use of burners include the steel, petrochemical, power generation, ceramics and glass industries.

It is estimated that there are 9000 furnaces in the UK alone to which this technology could be applied.

A variety of fuels are used, but the most common are gas and oil.

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