Real-time furnace monitoring: infrared camera reveals what’s happening inside

E.ON Blackburn Meadows in Sheffield, UK, was retrofitted in 2015 to become a biomass-fueled combined heat and power (CHP) plant. It operates solely on recycled wood waste, burning 28 tonnes per hour to produce power for up to 69,000 homes and businesses in the South Yorkshire region. Its BFB boiler combusts biomass fuel with high efficiency and low emissions.  

E.ON Blackburn Meadows biomass power plant in Sheffield, UK.

A Visual aid for monitoring the furnace

During a routine service visit, the Valmet team noticed that E.ON was struggling with excessive buildup of dirt, ash and slag on the boiler walls. These issues affect any boiler’s performance. To optimize maintenance, a diagnostics solution is needed to monitor and predict accumulation. Valmet recommended a Valmet Furnace Imaging System as a solution. It is an infrared (IR) camera that can see through dust, flue gas and fly ash at temperatures up to 1,600 °C (2912 °F).

“We have worked very closely with Valmet for a number of years now,” says Grant Houldsworth, Maintenance Coordinator for E.ON UK plc in Sheffield. “It was always something we missed – a visual aid that shows what’s happening inside the furnace.”

It was always something we missed – a visual aid that shows what’s happening inside the furnace.”

Universal Camera Enclosure (on the left) for the Valmet Furnace Infrared Imaging System (on the right).

Top-down monitoring of boiler conditions

“We prepared an on-site demonstration in September 2023 to show the E.ON team the high-resolution images possible with our camera,” says Chris Heywood, Country Manager, UK and Ireland, Automation, Valmet.

The camera’s imaging capabilities impressed E.ON. However, one of their specifications was a vertical camera mounting to look straight down from the top of the boiler. This would enable operators to observe slug accumulation across the entire boiler bed without the need for camera tilting.

“This installation was a special one for us. The standard setup for our infrared imaging system is typically horizontal or slightly tilted. Customized vertical mounting was new for us and exigent from an engineering point of view,” says Jesús Nuncira Valencia, Product Manager, Boiler Diagnostics Systems at Valmet. “But we were ready to accept the challenge.”

On the left is a 90° camera installation on the boiler roof, aimed at the boiler bed. On the right is the pneumatic controller station with a control cabinet for the camera’s movement and insertion/retraction cycles, and an air tank for emergency retraction.

Customized high-quality imaging and analysis tools for combustion

In the spring of 2024, E.ON decided to proceed with the purchase. Valmet delivered the custom-designed solution within a short 16 weeks of signing the contract. The scope of delivery included the Valmet Furnace Imaging System (IR) and the Valmet Slag Indexing application for real-time monitoring and data analysis.

Valmet’s infrared camera imaging capabilities are some of the best available on the market, providing information about slag buildup, burner operation, flame position and heat exchanger tube plugging. The comprehensive view minimizes risks of downtime and increases boiler availability and capacity.

Our camera gives a clear view through dust and gas of fouling developments, so operators can monitor all parts of the combustion chamber. Additionally, we provided the customer with intelligent purpose-built software tools to analyze the process images.”

“Our camera gives a clear view through dust and gas of fouling developments, so operators can monitor all parts of the combustion chamber,” says Nuncira Valencia. “Additionally, we provided the customer with intelligent purpose-built software tools to analyze the process images.”

The Valmet Slag Indexing application offers easy-to-understand slag metrics. It combines live-feed information and historical data to support better decision-making.

Images from Valmet’s Infrared Thermal Viewer software, part of Valmet Image Processing Solutions (IPS). It displays the boiler’s bed temperatures and the condition of the boiler walls, enabling monitoring of slag accumulation.

Optimizing furnace performance with temperature and slag monitoring

Houldsworth says this insight has been valuable for E.ON. “The fuel we receive varies in moisture content, so we need to compensate for that in different parts of the furnace,” he says. “The camera’s temperature mapping gives us a better picture of the actual fuel condition. And we also appreciate that it can be broken into eight different setpoints within the furnace.”

The fuel we receive varies in moisture content, so we need to compensate for that in different parts of the furnace. The camera’s temperature mapping gives us a better picture of the actual fuel condition. And we also appreciate that it can be broken into eight different setpoints within the furnace.”

The camera is also important for managing slag accumulation. “The camera allows us to easily monitor boiler slag buildup. The quality of the visual image is really good, giving us a view inside the furnace that we hadn’t had before,” Houldsworth says.

The camera allows us to easily monitor boiler slag buildup. The quality of the visual image is really good, giving us a view inside the furnace that we hadn’t had before.”

Enhanced monitoring for faster actions

Installation was extremely smooth, with Valmet’s local team completing the setup in less than a day. Half-day training sessions followed to ensure that as many people as possible on E.ON’s team could effectively use the system.

The training was good. By design, the camera is relatively easy to use. Building the temperature graphs is fairly simple. Once it’s set up, the camera does its own thing and doesn’t require much human intervention, which is always good.”

“The training was good. By design, the camera is relatively easy to use. Building the temperature graphs is fairly simple. Once it’s set up, the camera does its own thing and doesn’t require much human intervention, which is always good,” says Houldsworth. 

Now we benefit from a clearer understanding of the slag and fouling accumulation in the BFB boiler. The new camera also allows us to adjust for variations in fuel moisture content, plan cleaning and maintenance more effectively – and react faster. All contribute to improved boiler availability, efficiency and overall performance.”

“Now we benefit from a clearer understanding of the slag and fouling accumulation in the BFB boiler. The new camera also allows us to adjust for variations in fuel moisture content, plan cleaning and maintenance more effectively – and react faster. All contribute to improved boiler availability, efficiency and overall performance,” says Houldsworth

Strong collaboration with local team

The success of this project marks the first vertical camera installation for Valmet’s Boiler Diagnostics Systems (BDS) product group, showcasing their engineering expertise and adaptability.

E.ON expressed satisfaction with the solution, citing high-quality service and excellent collaboration. The successful implementation of this standalone project strengthens Valmet’s position as a pioneer in innovative boiler diagnostics.

“Valmet has expertise in this area, and our operators appreciated being able to work alongside them throughout the project. Everything was smooth and worked well – which is all you can ask for, really,” Houldsworth concludes.

Valmet has expertise in this area, and our operators appreciated being able to work alongside them throughout the project. Everything was smooth and worked well – which is all you can ask for, really.”

The UK team has built a strong partnership with the customer. This strong collaboration, along with the local team’s ability to quickly respond and arrange plant visits for both site activities and potential warranty issues, means Valmet is always close to the customer.

 

Take control of your furnace operations with real-time IR monitoring. Chris and Jesús are available to answer any questions:

Chris Heywood, Country Manager UK and Ireland, Automation
chris.heywood(at)valmet.com, tel. +44 7887 952 432 

Jesús Nuncira Valencia, Product Manager, Boiler Diagnostics Systems
jesus.nunciravalencia(at)valmet.com, tel. +358 50 330 2869