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On my first project as a combustion control engineer, I was responsible for loop checks and for
watching the experts tune the system controls. The first loop I tried to tune solo was the drum level
control. At that time the trend-tune program defaulted to a 2-minute window, and no one bothered to
mention to me that the proper time span to tune drum level control to is 20 to 30 minutes. I also
zoomed in on the drum level, which has a normal range of 15 inches, though my trend range was
3 inches. Finally, I did not know that drum level can be a very "noisy" signal, so the hours I spent
trying to tune out that noise were wasted.
Eventually, I got the bright idea to add a little derivative to the loop control. In the time it took to
program 0.01 as the derivative gain and then immediately remove it, the boiler tripped. Thus began
my career in boiler tuning.
In the 20-plus years since my inauspicious debut, Ive had the opportunity to successfully tune
hundreds of boilers, new and old, that needed either a control loop tweak or a complete overhaul.
Many inexperienced engineers and technicians approach boiler tuning with a heavy hand and little
insight into the inner workings of individual control loops, how highly interconnected they are with
other loops in the boiler system, or what change should be expected from the physical equipment
the loops are to control. My purpose in writing this article is to explore these fundamentals and share
my experiences. I trust these insights will be of value to the power industry and specifically to those
who want to tune boilers for rock-solid stability yet agility when responding to process changes.
There will be process variation, of course, but the goal is to tune the controls to keep that variation
as small as possible and then tune for accuracy.
Boiler control processes are where I will begin. Additional control functions outside the furnace will
be explored in Part II in a future issue of POWER.
Operator Controls
The operators window into the control system is referred to as a master or as a hand/auto station,
control station, or operator station. The station is the operator interface to a given control loop and is
typically a switch located on the control panel in older plants or accessible from the operators
keyboard in those equipped with all-digital controls. Typically, the control station allows the operator
to move between manual and automatic modes of operation. All of the control loops discussed in
this article combine to form the set of controls that manage the key boiler operating functions.
When a control loop is placed in manual mode, the operator will have direct control of the output. In
automatic mode the output is modulated by the proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller. In
automatic mode the operator usually has some control over the set point or operating point of the
process, either directly or through the use of a bias signal. Occasionally, as in primary airflow
control, the set point is displayed either on the controller located on the control panel or on the
computer screen graphic display. Cascade mode is a subset of the automatic mode in which the
operator turns over control of the set point to the master, whose internal logic generates the set
point. Usually, there is some digital logic that requires the station to be interlocked to manual, as well
as control output tracking and set point tracking.
The NFPA also requires some additional logic for the furnace pressure control loop to ensure
adequate operating safety margins. There should be high and low furnace pressure logic to block
the ID fan from increasing or decreasing speed, as is appropriate. For example, because this fan
sucks flue gas out of the furnace, on a high furnace pressure signal the fan should be blocked from
decreasing speed and on a low furnace pressure signal it should be blocked from increasing speed.
On a very negative furnace pressure signal, there should be an override that closes the ID inlet
damper or decreases ID fan speed. The settings of these signals are determined by the boiler and
fan supplier during the design of the plant.
Also, on a main fuel trip (MFT) there should be MFT kicker logic. An MFT occurs when the burner
management system detects a dangerous condition and shuts down the boiler by securing the fuel
per NFPA and boiler manufacturer requirements. When fuel is removed, the flame within the furnace
collapses violently, which can cause a lot of wear and tear on the boiler and related boiler
equipment. It also presents the very real danger of an implosion. The MFT kicker should immediately
reduce the control output to the fan(s) proportional to the load being carried at the time of the MFT
and then release the device back to normal operation.
I am constantly amazed at how well furnace pressure can be controlled, especially when you
consider the amount of fuel and air being injected into a ball of fire many stories tall and the
ferocious and chaotic environment inside a boiler. The fact that a well-tuned system can maintain
furnace pressure to 0.5 inches H2O is remarkable.
A typical mistake made by boilers tuners is the use of very fast integral action to the furnace
pressure controller. Furnace pressure changes quickly, but not instantaneously, so consider the size
of your furnace and the amount of duct work between the furnace and the fans as capacitance in the
system, because air is compressible. I recommend restraint when tuning furnace pressure when it
comes to adding integral gain. Interestingly, the feedforward for almost every boiler is on the order of
0% to 100% in, and 0% to 80% out.
The trends in the following figures show what you should expect to see from your furnace pressure
control. The plant from which these data were taken uses both fan inlet damper position and fan
speed to control furnace pressure. Figure 1 illustrates an ID fan tuning trend and the reaction of the
ID fans and the furnace pressure to a change in set point.
1.
Blowing hot air. Induced draft fans are used to control furnace pressure and primary
combustion airflow. In this test, induced draft fan and furnace pressure respond to a step increase in
furnace pressure set point. Source: Tim Leopold
2.
Favorite trend. I typically monitor airflow, O2 content in the flue gas, and furnace pressure
control when I tune airflow. The particular response of those variables was observed after a 20%
load increase in coordinated control mode. Source: Tim Leopold
Air and, consequently, O2 control are critical to the safe and efficient operation of a boiler. The airflow
signal is normally measured in terms of a percentage and is usually not available in volumetric or
mass flow units. The obvious question is, "Percentage of what?" The answer is the percentage of
airflow that is available from a given fan or system of fans. The actual measured pounds per hour of
air does not matter, because air is free, and the final arbiter of proper airflow is the O2 content in the
flue gas (gases leaving the furnace). Because of variations in coal heat content, air temperature, and
combustion conditions inside a boiler, we ensure proper burning by measuring the amount of oxygen
content in the flue gas, commonly referred to simply as O2.
Pulverized coal has an interesting property: Under certain conditions of heat in a low-oxygen
atmosphere, coal can self-ignite or even explode. Therefore, personnel safety and equipment
protection require boiler operators to maintain excess O2 in the flue gas. The amount of excess O2 is
determined by the load on the plant and the type and design of boiler. Typically, the load signal used
is steam flow. In any coal-fired boiler, airflow demand is a function of the boiler firing rate or boiler
demand (Figure 3). Gas- and oil-fired boilers have lower O2requirements at higher loads.
3.
Extra air is a good thing. A typical O2 set point curve for a coal-fired plant is a function of boiler
firing rate or boiler demand. Minimum levels of air are required so that reducing conditions in the
furnace never occur. Source: Tim Leopold
The term cross-limiting refers to the function of fuel flow that limits the decrease in air demand and
the function of airflow that limits the increase in fuel demand. When decreasing load, the air demand
follows its lag function and the fuel demand follows the boiler demand to ensure that there is always
more air than fuel going into a furnace so explosive conditions never develop inside the furnace.
When increasing load, the opposite is true. This is truly an elegant piece of logic.
The output from the boiler master is the boiler demand. Cross-limited air demand is developed by
choosing the highest of four calculated values: boiler demand function, the lag of the boiler demand
signal, a minimum value (per the boiler manufacturer under the NFPA codes), and a function of the
actual fuel flow. The cross-limited fuel demand is selected from the least of three signals: boiler
demand function, a lag of boiler demand, and a function of actual airflow. When load is increased, air
demand follows the function of the boiler demand and the fuel demand follows its lag of the boiler
demand.
To develop the air demand for your boiler, hold your O2 trim controller in manual at 50% output. At a
low, medium, and high load, place your FD fan master, or secondary airflow dampers (if the boiler is
so equipped), and your fuel master in manual. Then manipulate the airflow until you find the amount
that satisfies your O2 set point requirement, using stack opacity as a reality check on the O2 set point.
Next, manipulate the airflow characterization curve as required to allow the air demand to equal or
slightly exceed the fuel flow or boiler demand. Record the airflow required for that fuel flow and then
move on to another fuel flow setting. Three points should be sufficient for a good airflow curve.
Typically, the airflow measurement is a differential pressure taken in air ductwork and requires a
square root in order to make it linear. Ensure that your signal is also temperature-compensated.
Each boiler should have an airflow characterization curve that should be a virtual straight line. If it
isnt, I would be concerned about unexplained "correction factors" or "magic numbers" that should
not be necessary.
Next, the characterized airflow is multiplied against a function of the O2 trim controller. The O2 trim
control loop uses the set point curve, discussed above, plus an operator bias to calculate an O2 set
point for various loads. This set point is compared with the O2 content of the flue gas used by the
control system. It is best to have several O2 measurements because of striations or variations of
temperature and oxygen that are present across the stack cross-section.
Different plants use different measurement schemes, selecting the average, the median, or the
lowest measurement to control. O2 trim is designed to be a steady state trim of the airflow. If you, or
your tuner, are trying to control airflow with the trim controller, stop it. The O2 trim controller should
be mostly integral action with very little proportional and no derivative gain. Your time is better spent
reworking your air demand curves or airflow characterization than attempting to tune the airflow
using the O2 controls.
The output from the O2 trim control station then goes through a function generator such that a 0% to
100% input signal equals a 0.8 to 1.2 output signal. This value is then multiplied against the
characterized airflow. This means that the O2 trim controller can adjust the airflow 20%. In some
extreme cases this amount can be varied, but for most boilers 20% is more than sufficient. The final
result is a signal referred to as "O2 trimmed airflow." This value is then used by the airflow controller
to modulate the ID fans or dampers.
Because O2 trim control uses a primarily integral-only controller, it does not have the dynamic
capabilities of most controllers. As a result, there are times when the controller should not be
allowed the full range of control. At low loads, typically less than 30% to 35%, output from the O2 trim
controller should not be allowed to go below 50% but should be limited to some minimum setting so
that an air-rich atmosphere is always maintained in the furnace.
Also, when the lag function in the cross-limited air demand is driving air demand, airflow will lag
behind. That is, the air will remain elevated for a period of time as the load, and the fuel flow,
decreases. As a result, oxygen in the flue gas will spike up. If the O2 trim controller is not limited, the
controls would see the O2 go higher than the set point and start cranking, cranking, cranking down.
Then, when the load gets to where the operators have set it and the fuel flow is no longer
decreasing, airflow demand will catch up with the boiler demand, and the O2 will quickly begin to fall.
The controller will see the O 2 falling and begin to crank up. But because there is very little, or no,
proportional gain, it will take a long time to bring the air back. This can result in an unsafe or, at the
least, a nerve-wracking condition.
The NFPA requires some additional logic for the airflow control loop. There should be high and low
furnace pressure logic to block the airflow from increasing or decreasing, as is appropriate. Because
this fan forces air into the furnace, on high furnace pressure, the fan should be blocked from
increasing speed; on a low furnace pressure signal, it should be blocked from decreasing.
Also, on an MFT there are NFPA and boiler manufacturer requirements that must be considered.
One important consideration is the need to hold the air in place for a time after an MFT or if the
airflow should drop very low during or just after a trip. The dampers should go to a full open position
shortly after the loss of all FD or ID fans (providing a natural draft air path). Moreover, in the typical
boiler air control system, if the ID fan is placed in manual, then the FD fan is normally forced to
manual. If the FD fan is in manual, then O2 trim is forced to manual.
A well-tuned drum level control can be placed in automatic as soon as a pump is started. By the time
steam flow has passed 25% of the total range, we can consider steam flow signals to be reliable.
That is a good point at which to switch to three-element control.
There really is not much in the way of manual interlocks or control tracking when it comes to the
drum level loop. If the drum level signal or the feedwater flow valve control output goes out of range,
or no pump is running, this station is normally locked to manual mode. Thats about it.
Normally, tuning for the single-element controller consists of big proportional and very small integral
gain settings. Tuning for the three-element controller has some additional requirements. As in any
cascaded loop, it is absolutely crucial that the inner controller be tuned as tightly as time will allow.
The inner controller, the feedwater controller in this case, must have an integral action that is faster
than that of the outer, or drum level, controller (Figure 4). This is true for all cascade loops.
4.
Rapid responder. A typical coal-fire boiler with a properly tuned drum level control will respond
very quickly to a substantial load increase (top) or load decrease (bottom). The dynamic response of
other key variables in boiler drum level control system is also illustrated. Source: Tim Leopold
You may notice that as the load decreases, the drum level sags downward, and as the load
increases, the drum level is slightly elevated. This means that the steam flow feedforward is just a
tad too strong. A minute adjustment to the feedforward signal can add stability to the control loop
(Figure 5).
5.
Small is big. A small increase in the feedforward signal added more stability to the drum level
controls. Only very small incremental changes in feedforward should be made when tuning drum
level controls. Source: Tim Leopold
Patience is a virtue when tuning these feedforwards, because steam temperature processes may
have long time constants.
Tim Leopold (tim.leopold@hotmail.com) is a field service engineer with ABB and has more than 20
years experience tuning controls on power plants around the world. His book You Can Tune a Boiler
But You Cant Tuna Fish is slated for publication in March
Boilers have enormous thermal mass and are relatively slow to react. Turbines are nimble and
quickly answer an operators command. Coordinating an entire plant requires an intimate knowledge
of both systems and selecting the right logic tools to bring them together.
The front end, in the jargon of the power plant controls engineer, consists of the boiler master and
turbine master. As explained in Part I of this two-part series, the operators window into the control
system is referred to as a station or master, and it provides the operator interface for a given control
loop. Access to that loop is typically from a switch or hand station located on the control panel in
older plants or, more commonly, the operators keyboard in plants fortunate enough to be equipped
with digital controls.
The best case is when both the turbine and boiler masters are in the distributed control system
(DCS). But this is not always the case. We often find that only the boiler controls have been
upgraded. In such cases it is important that the DCS be able to interface with the existing turbine
controls if you want to take advantage of the DCSs full abilities. Options for tuning the entire plant
are limited with a DCS that includes the boiler master but lacks a communications link with the
turbine controls.
There are four usual modes of operation in the world of drum boilers: base mode, boiler-following
mode, turbine-following mode, and coordinated control (Table 1). Each of these operating modes is
described in the following paragraphs.
Table 1.
In general, the boiler master will be either in auto or manual control mode. The turbine is another
matter. Turbine controls generally have a number of stand-alone loops such as megawatt,
pressure, valve position, or speed which are control loops that do not respond to the DCS turbine
master. If the turbine controls are not looking at the front end, then as far as the front end is
concerned, the turbine is in manual control. For our purposes, "auto" under the turbine master
heading in Table 1 means the front end is controlling the turbine governor valves.
Base Mode. In this mode, there is no automatic response to changes in main steam or throttle
pressure or megawatt setpoint by the front-end controllers. An operators steady hand is required to
make the final boiler control adjustments. The turbine might be in one of its own stand-alone loops,
but the turbine master has no control of the plant. Many plants operate in this or a similar mode prior
to upgrading their turbine controls to a DCS.
Boiler-Following Mode. In this mode of operation, the boiler master is in automatic and the turbine is
not. This is an automatic control loop, controlling steam pressure. Depending on the boiler, it can be
well controlled. Generally, this is the loosest of the three typical automatic front-end modes of
operation (Figure 1).
1.
Leopold
This is one of those loops that uses the dreaded derivative gain. The proportional gain is normally
pretty high, the integral action slow, and the derivative is absolutely a must. The real keys to tuning
the front end are a few simple concepts. For example, dont add to an upset; that is, dont have any
of your gains disproportionately high. We use the derivative because we are trying to anticipate the
steam pressure deviation.
The feedforward signal is an important part of this control loop and is often referred to as target
steam flow. Target steam flow is the measured steam flow multiplied by the ratio of throttle pressure
setpoint to throttle pressure. Typically, there is a function generator designed such that 0% to 100%
of the input signal is proportional to a 0% to 100 % output signal. The nicely dynamic nature of the
ratio helps the boiler master move in the right direction. Additional "kickers" may also be available.
One option is a throttle pressure setpoint kicker that adds a little to the feedforward signal if the
setpoint is changed. The derivative action of the controller also acts as a kicker.
Turbine-Following Mode. In many ways, this is my favorite plant operating mode, because it is the
easiest to tune. It also offers a good strong safety net to operators in times of crisis. In turbinefollowing mode the boiler master is in manual and the turbine master is in automatic mode. The
turbine master controls throttle pressure by modulating the turbine governor valves. Megawatts are
then produced in the generator and pushed to the grid as a function of the boiler load.
Compared to the slow and sometimes lumbering response of the boiler, turbine response is usually
fast and agile. Proportional gains are usually moderately large, and the integral action can be quite
fast. Although adaptive tuning is possible, there usually isnt the need for this; many units use only
one value for the proportional and/or the integral gain. Also, the need for a feedforward is minimal.
The turbine governor valves operate as one large pressure control valve that can easily control
throttle pressure when the control loops are well-tuned.
Turbine-following mode is also a favorite among operators. If the plant is in coordinated mode, and
the unit starts to go out of control for almost any reason, operators simply have to put the boiler
master into manual. Immediately, the controls will automatically default to turbine-following mode.
The valves open or close, as necessary to control the main steam pressure. Meanwhile, because
the firing rate has steadied, the boiler controls will soon settle out.
Figure 2 plots the data taken during start-up of a 320-MW power plant. At the lower left corner you
can see where the valve transfer occurred. The valve transfer is a process in which the turbine, upon
start-up, transfers control from the stop valve to the governor valve. There are actually two sets of
valves in the main steam line before the turbine: the main stop valve and the governor valves. The
next interesting point on this figure is the area that I call the "disturbing delta." There was a long
period, during this load ramp, when the difference (delta), between the throttle pressure and the
throttle pressure setpoint was virtually constant (the purple and green lines at the first vertical white
dotted line). When we expect the controls to act one way, and they do not, its time to investigate.
2.
Under control. Taming a control loop that switched out the integral control on a load
During a change in unit load demand, in coordinated control, it is common practice to decrease the
integral action of the boiler master controller to zero until the load ramp is finished. This strategy was
used in all of the turbine and boiler master controller modes. This is a case where more is definitely
not better; there was a touch of feedforward, based on boiler demand, substantial proportional gain,
and no integral gain when I looked at the logic. Tuned as it was, the error signal between throttle
pressure and throttle pressure setpoint will never go away.
I tried to tune out the error without success. Although the error decreased, as shown in Figure 2, we
soon discovered that the tuning was not robust under all operating conditions. We then downloaded
the necessary logic modifications (the second white vertical dotted line), causing the unit to drop out
of turbine-following and into base load mode, and then back again. When the logic modifications
were made, from that point on (the third white vertical dotted line) you can see good control of the
throttle pressure. This is how a well-tuned turbine-following mode should operate.
me by Al Shultz, PhD, is 10 parts throttle pressure error to 1 part megawatt error for the boiler
master; for the turbine its 10 parts megawatt error to 4 parts throttle pressure error.
If there is no coordination between the boiler and turbine controls, they will fight each other to the
death. The boiler really cannot do much more than control throttle pressure, and even then it is slow
because of its massive thermal capacitance.
The turbine valves are much faster and are capable of controlling both megawatts and pressure. The
valves tap into the boilers thermal capacitance when the plants load changes. These ratios focus
the turbine controls on megawatt production with the megawatt setpoint and throttle pressure are
near the setpoint. When deviations occur, the throttle pressure error becomes more important and
slows the turbine down, moving it in the opposite direction that a pure megawatt controller would
demand. Amazingly, for all boilers (drum or once-through, coal- or gas- or oil-fired) this rule of thumb
will give you a good solid starting point to begin tuning the front-end coordinated mode controls.
Next comes the tuning of the controllers. In general, the turbine master is the easier of the two
components to tune, so that is the one to attack first. The gains will be less aggressive than were
used for the turbine-following mode, but it is good practice to have the turbine master control the
megawatts as tightly as possible at first. If that response is too much for the boiler to handle, the
tuning can be loosened up later. Note that this will only be proportional and integral tuning with no
derivative action.
The key to tuning the boiler master is balancing the proportional, integral, and derivative action of the
controller so that the pressure is maintained with good control, moves toward the setpoint in a timely
manner, and correctly anticipates the movement of the error signal. In general, the proportional gain
will be fairly large, the integral action slow, and the derivative gain in the controller should be
relatively small.
Finally, the controls that make up the coordinated front end may use some feedforward and the
various kickers that are part of it. The feedforward signals to both the turbine and the boiler master
controllers, in coordinated mode, is a function of unit load demand.
the operator can enter that are determined by the operator, the boiler and turbine suppliers, and
good practice. A unit load increase rate limit is also available to the operator. Typical values used by
the industry are 1% or 2% per minute unit load rate of change. I have tuned boilers that can go up to
5% a minute, but nobody really uses that value because of the wear and tear on the equipment. I
normally expect to see a rate limit of about 1 MW/minute for a 100-MW unit or 8 MW/minute for an
800-MW unit.
The feedforward to the turbine will usually be a very weak function of unit load demand, when used.
This is because the turbine is quite capable of doing its part in this coordinated control dance it
can respond much faster than the boiler. The feedforward to the coordinated boiler master controller
is quite different. The important aspect of feedforward is the slope of the line. This is determined by
the function of unit load as well as the rate of change of the unit load demand chosen by the
operator. This feedforward helps the boiler master keep up with the increase or decrease in load to
maintain the throttle pressure at setpoint.
However, a simple feedforward addition is almost never sufficient for a robust coordinated control
system. Remember that the boiler is a reservoir of energy trapped by the turbine governor valves as
the load demand changes. However, its not an infinite reservoir, and the main steam pressure tends
to sag or balloon as the unit increases and decreases load. That is why kicker circuits are included in
the controls.
The first kicker is based on the feedforward (that is a function of unit load demand), and it should be
a derivative kick that can be tuned to minimize the pressure sag on a load change. Remember, the
closer the throttle pressure can stay to the setpoint, whatever it is, the easier it is for the turbine to
provide megawatts and the less swing will occur when the load change is finished. Some boilers are
well behaved and very responsive, so this kick is minimal. Some boilers are not well behaved, and
their kickers can be pretty substantial. There can be other kickers, possibly based on the throttle
pressure or the throttle pressure setpoint kicker, as described for the boiler-following mode.
3.
Unresponsive. A load change on this 800-MW unit showed poor response and controls in need
4.
New lease on life. The same 800-MW unit as in Figure 3 showed much better response to a
load change after tuning the proportional and integral gain and increasing the derivative action of the
controller by 25%. Source: Tim Leopold
the fuel master is not in auto, then the only device that can respond is the turbine, and so it does.
This last scenario has a very high potential for tripping the unit.
Usually, the fuel master will be in auto. The boiler demand is then reduced by the rundown logic from
where it was to some value that allows the error that is driving the rundown to fall below some preset
limit. If the error does not go down, the rundown will continue to reduce boiler load to a set minimum
value.
The first runback logic that I ever came into contact with was very severe. On a loss of equipment,
the boiler controls would attempt to stay in coordinated mode. The unit load demand would run
down, at some preset, fast, rate. This would decrease the boiler demand and the demand to the
turbine governor valves. That worked all right for some boilers, but the rate that was necessary for
the boiler to get to a safe operating load was very fast. The difficulty is that the turbine governor
valve would close down at the same rate. When these valves close, the main steam pressure must
climb and may eventually lift the boiler pressure safety relief valves. This is very hard on the drum
level and your ears, and often results in a master fuel trip. Granted, it was a trip from a lower boiler
load, rather than if we had otherwise simply tripped the boiler, but it was a trip nonetheless.
As a result, what I like to call a kinder, gentler runback was developed. Some call it the turbinefollowing runback, where the boiler switches to manual on the loss of a piece of equipment. If you
are in coordinated mode, the boiler should go to manual control and turbine-following mode for the
steam turbine. At this time, the runback logic reduces the boiler demand to a predetermined level at
a preset rate. In the meantime, the turbine is free to control the main steam pressure. The megawatt
load is then gently reduced, and the plant experiences a soft landing. Turbine-following is the best
mode to select in an emergency.
A further goal of a runback is to recover automatically so the operators can figure out what
happened to the equipment and fix it while the unit is still online and avoid a master fuel trip.
The data shown in Figure 5 were collected during an actual runback test on a 95-MW plant that
operated with three pulverizers. The runback occurred when an ID fan was tripped, which had the
effect of tripping one of the FD fans. The runback of the boiler was set to a point that was below the
three-mill minimum load for safe and stable operation. As a result, automatic mill tripping on a
runback was developed.
5.
Avoiding unit trips. A runback test is necessary when any changes are made to boiler gas
pass, fans, or mills. In this test of a 95-MW unit, the runback occurred when an ID fan was
tripped. Source: Tim Leopold
You can see the boiler demand dropping, and the fuel flow percentage dropping even further as one
of the three mills is shut down by the runback logic. The pulverizer master (coal master demand)
picks up momentarily as the mill is stopped, then ramps back down, eventually getting the fuel
percentage down to the boiler demand. Automatic mill tripping is generally a good idea, especially
on larger units with a lot of mill capacity. Also, notice how the turbine pushes the throttle pressure
back to the setpoint. Drum level also dropped slightly before it recovered. The entire runback
occurred in just over two minutes. Figure 6 is a longer view of the entire episode.
6.
Many moving parts. The same runback test (Figure 5) of a 95-MW unit but with a longer time-
span is illustrated. Here you can see the pulverizer master ramping back and the lowering of the
turbine operating pressure setpoint. Source: Tim Leopold
In this test, as is true for most of the tests I have run over the years, the fan and fuel runbacks are
easily handled by the turbine-following runback logic. However, the boiler feedwater pump runback
can be another matter. The turbine valves are relatively slow to respond and tend to suck steam
from the drum. Though some boilers are able to survive this without tripping on low drum level, many
can not.
As a result, new logic was developed. I like to call this special type of runback the separated
runback. On the loss of a boiler feed pump, the boiler master goes to manual, coal mills are tripped,
and the boiler demand is driven to minimum. The turbine master remains in auto to stay in turbinefollowing mode. At this point, we add a special high-limit override enabled during this runback that
overrides the turbine-following controller and marches the governor valves to a predetermined
position. The rate at which the valves are closed is variable and depends on the throttle pressure.
Higher pressures tend to depress the drum level, which we do not want, and really high pressures lift
safeties, which started us on this runback logic journey in the first place.
If you plan to test your runback logic, its a good idea to elevate the drum level a few inches before
your test. At this same 95-MW plant, we tested the boiler feedwater pump runback using separated
runback logic from 75% load with the drum level rundown initiated when the runback was complete.
Figure 7 data illustrate this successful test from the feedwater perspective. Notice the action of the
feedwater control valve. The drum level dropped about 6.5 inches. The low drum level trip was set at
7.7 inches. That was successful, but a little too close for comfort.
7.
Different perspective. The same runback test (see Figure 5) of a 95-MW unit but from the
perspective of the feedwater system. Note the drum level response. Source: Tim Leopold