Active model-based suppression of thermo-accoustic instabilities in gas-fired household boilers and heaters (EWE.7107)

Project nummer: ewe7107

Omschrijving van het onderzoek

Acoustical phenomena are almost inherent to any closed system with a flowing medium and can cause problematic behavior. In the case of condensing boilers, the combustion process itself can act as a driving force for acoustic fluctuations, and considerable care must be taken into account when designing a boiler in order to avoid noise problems.
Within the market for household boilers and heating equipment, a strong demand exists for large variations in operation conditions of the boilers. For heating a house, the best performance is obtained with constant heating, but this requires a very low heat output of the heater (typically 1-5 kW). When the same heater is used as a boiler for hot water, the desired heat output is in the range 20-40 kW. The desired modulation range is therefore at least 1:10, but preferably more. The current state-of-the-art is 1:5, and is often limited by acoustic instabilities, since silent operation cannot easily be obtained for all desired operation conditions within one apparatus, if at all. It is generally acknowledged that boiler noise is one of the most important problems to solve in order to make any further advance in condensing boiler technology.
The goal of this project is to investigate the possibility to use model-based feedback control to suppress acoustic instabilities in boiler equipment. This involves the detection of instabilities with a sensor and a subsequent suppression of the unwanted fluctuations by an actuator. Active control generally leads to the broadest range of controllable operation.
The research will encompass controller design, and the applicability and behavior of different sensors and actuators. Experimentally validated models of the flame dynamics will be the core of the controller. Since these models are non-linear, the design of the controller will be challenging, but the unprecedented accuracy of new models describing laminar flame dynamics will enable the use of the flame itself as (part of) the actuator and sensor. This will give rise to a range of cost effective solutions for increasing the performance of condensing boilers.

Resultaten van het onderzoek

More information can be found on the website of the research group.

Gebruikers

Eight companies are involved in this project.

Projectleider

Dr. K.R.A.M. Schreel

Technische Universiteit Eindhoven
Werktuigbouwkunde
Sectie Energietechnologie

Postbus 513
5600 MB Eindhoven

Status van het project

Gestart	: 24-02-2005
Einddatum	: 24-02-2008

Trefwoorden

Akoestiek, Branders, Geluid, Laser diagnostiek, Model-based control, Numerical modelling, Regeltechniek, Verbranding

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