Development of a coordinated system for automatic control of the combustion process of a boiler unit with correction for oxygen content
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The object of research is the automatic control system for the boiler-unit combustion process, which coordinates fuel and air supply, stabilizes furnace draft, and provides slow correction of excess air based on the measured oxygen content in flue gases. The system coordinates the supply of fuel and air, applying a gradual correction of excess air based on the measured oxygen content in the flue gases. The main problem is to ensure coordinated control of the fuel, air and draft channels under the conditions of plant inertia, transport delays, actuator limitations, changes in fuel properties and load effects. To solve this problem, a control structure is proposed with a division into fast and slow levels, coordinated with each other. In this structure, the fast control level generates a setpoint air flow rate using the fuel flow rate signal. The slower control level applies a limited correction of the fuel-air ratio coefficient in accordance with the deviation of the oxygen concentration from its setpoint. The proposed control structure was tested using simulation in MATLAB/Simulink (The MathWorks, Inc., USA). The obtained transient characteristics demonstrate the system's response to a change in the set value of the thermal load. The control signal of the fuel channel remained within the permissible range, which confirms the correct operation of the constraints and the absence of accumulation of the integral component beyond the physically permissible limits. The system shows effective compensation of load disturbances and restoration of the required oxygen level without persistent fluctuations. The obtained results demonstrate a clear separation between fast flow coordination and slow oxygen-based correction. Thanks to this separation, the gas analyzer channel does not degrade the dynamic characteristics of the faster control loops. The research results can be used for modernization and tuning of combustion control systems in boiler units of thermal power plants and industrial boiler houses.
Authors: Petro Kachanov, Mykola Tarasenko
Language: English
Subfield: Energy Engineering and Power Technology
Field: Energy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $75
OpenAlex ID: W7204992826