Accredited laboratory for diagnostics and operation of thermal power generating equipment has developed its activities since 1996, when the first work-team dealing with large power plants was established. The power industry requires diagnostic measurements to support the documentation for the upcoming reconstruction of the facilities, and documentation to optimize operation of the facilities. It further requires verification measurements, complex and guarantee tests, and burning tests with various types of fuels, alternative fuels, pure bio-fuels and bio-fuels co-burned with coal. The results of the testing are used to support the decisions on fuel replacement and/or as data for power engineering equipment designers responsible for the equipment upgrade. This is the only workplace in the Czech Republic equipped with special diagnostics technology to measure temperature, pressure, concentration of the flue gases in the combustion chambers of big boilers, exhaust fume ducts as well as in the burner area. This workplace has been an accredited testing laboratory since 2000.
Research Focus:
- Combustion equipment and combustion process.
- Emissions reduction.
- Desulphurization processes.
- Renewable energy sources utilization.
- Mills and milling equipment.
- Combustion process monitoring and stability.
Research and development in combustion facilities and combustion processes. Measurement of temperatures, exhaust fume composition, flow velocity and/or taking solid samples from combustion chambers of the boiler furnaces. Identification of parameters necessary for CFD modelling. Cooperation with renowned boiler manufacturers on the reduction of NOx emissions from the combustion process.
Research and development of desulphurization processes due to the requirements for lowering the pollutant emission limits. Cooperation in diagnostics of desulphurization equipment and cooperation in projects to optimize desulphurization equipment operation.
Research in renewable energy source utilization, especially combustion of biomass, wooden chips and agricultural plant biomass. Projects of combustion process adjustment, optimization of equipment operation. Adaptation and optimization projects of biomass transport equipment.
Research, development and proposals of combustion equipment for renewable sources of energy.
Optimization of milling equipment and milling circuit operation for power-engineering purposes, diagnostics of mills and milling circuits. Concepts of their adjustment.
Monitoring of combustion stability, development of equipment for this purpose and for the control of the combustion processes with regards to non-catalytic denitrification systems.
Research and development in heavy metal emission reduction, namely of mercury from pilot equipment applications. Cooperation in launching of such facilities.
Burning tests with different types of fuels and alternative fuels. Research in sorbents and additives improving combustion efficiency. Reduction in encrust deposits and lowering of combustion process emissions.
Adjustment and optimization of combustion processes.
Equipment:
- DUCATO and IVECO emission laboratory vans equipped with emission measuring analyzers by Hartmann & Braun and Siemens, which work in the mode of infra-red spectrum absorption to measure CO, SO2 and NOx concentrations. There are also analyzers working on the principle of para-magnetic properties of oxygen to detect O2 concentrations, FID analyzer to measure CxHy, FTIR analyzer and continual analyzer of Hg.
- Two laboratory vans Fiat Ducato equipped for specialized measurements and measurement of solid pollutants.
- Special-purpose cooled probes with operational length up to 6 meters to measure velocity, concentration and temperature fields in the combustion chambers and devices for denitrification SNCR and SCR methods.
- Instruments by National Instruments Co. for diagnostics of milling circuits and sampling pulverized coal
- Thermovision diagnostic equipment, thermovision camera.
- Rosemount and Yokogawa pressure sensors with Field Bus digital communication equipment.
- Velocity probes (Prandtl, wedge and cylinder type), propeller and heat-proof anemometers for flow measurements.
- Measurement of a broad range of temperatures, thermocouples R, B, S, K. Precision Pt thermometers. Continual records of measured values.
- Measuring device for exhaust fume dew-point.
- Two-channel analyzer to measure CO2 concentrations in gaseous mixtures working on the principle of GFC IR method (to eliminate interferences with other exhaust fume components).
- Liquids flow sensor (flow-meter) working on ultrasonic principle (Doppler-effect) to measure liquids that are heavily polluted with mechanical particles and/or carrying admixtures, such as gas bubbles in the liquid.
- System for measurement and data collection (temperature: Pt100, thermo-couples, current loops of 4–20 mA, voltage 0–100 mV) with digital communication Foundation fieldbus.
Service Offer:
- Guarantee measurement of power generation units, boilers, turbines, pumps, heat exchangers and cooling towers.
- Efficiency testing of power equipment and power units according to ČSN and EN Standards.
- Diagnostics of burning processes, measurement of temperatures, concentration of flue gas components, flow velocity, taking of solid samples from the burning chambers of the powder-coal-fired as well as of the fluidized bed boilers of large capacities.
- Diagnostics and optimization of milling equipment and milling circuits for black coal and lignite. Adjustment of the milling circuits to enhance their reliability and milling fineness.
- Diagnostics of the air and exhaust fume ducts concerning their flow and temperatures. Leak-proof assessment of exhaust fume ducts.
- Flow measurements of air and gaseous fumes using velocity probes. Diagnostics of boiler air ducts, optimization and adjustment of the boiler air ducts, design of operational measuring probes for the boiler air ducts.
- Combustion tests of bio-fuels co-burning with coal, and/or alternative fuels and assessment of possible co-burning in certain types of equipment.
- Measurement of internal power consumption and compressed air consumption.
- Accredited measurement of emissions and gaseous fume components of CO, NOx, SO2, CxHy (TOC), HCl, HF, O2 and solid pollutants released from combustion.
- Continuous measurement of gaseous emissions and fume components NO, NO2, N2O, NH3, measuring of mercury (Hg).
- Measurement of surface temperatures on the pressure units, measurements on the not-heated and heated sides of the pressure unit. Diagnostics of pressure unit failures with assessment of the failure causes. Concurrent temperature measurements on max. 80 points.
- Assessments, expert statements and equipment adjustment proposals.
- Thermovision supported diagnostics. Burning process and flow modelling.
- Design and installation of burning stability monitoring device for hard and lignite coal. This system is currently run on 8 coal fired boilers in the Czech Republic. It may also be used for SNCR system optimization.
- Measurement of exhaust fume dew-point.