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A burner management system for utility boilers-a DCS solution

Conference Paper · February 1995

DOI: 10.1109/IACC.1995.465846 · Source: IEEE Xplore

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 A Burner Management System for Utility Boilers a DCS Solution -
Shailesh Vidyarthi
BHEL - Piping Centre
93, G.N. Road, T.Nagw
Madras 600 017. INDIA

Abstract -This paper describes the design of Burner Management auxiliaries etc. Each area has its own nos. of drives, process inputs
System (BMS) based on Distributed Digital Control (DDC) for and outputs, and these are linked by system logic made the
large Utility Boilers. BMS system is responsible for safety of suppliers of the equipments based on pfocess, existing
Furnace and in turn Boiler. The system protects Personnel and standarddrtgulations and field experiences of the same. All thcse
Machinery from unsafe condition in furnace, and it helps Operator put together ensures safe and efficient operation of the plant.
in safe Operation, Startup, and Shutdown of the Boiler. D D C for
BMS is implemented using Asea Brown Boveri’s PROCONTROL Control and Instrumentation (=I) systems are prwided to
P system. The design highlights Redundancies inbuilt in the system achieve the above. C&I helps the operator in interacting with the
from HardwarelSoftware point of view for a Protection System, equipments in a safe and co-ordinated way. C&I systems have
Fault Tolerance features of PROCONTROL P system and the undergone B major change from Relay-based on-of4Pneumatic
system, Functional Distribution of Control System vis a vis control to Solid State Hard-wired, to Distributed Digital Controls.
mechanical equipments. The design-features also include Fault The major changes have occurred due to the development of
Diagnosis, use of Functional Language for application software, micropmssots. This led to the development of Distributed
ILW -
of C R T based Man Machine Interface for Operator, and Control System (DCS), where control application got
operating feedbacks obtained from different sites. decentralized, distributed geographically, and the system has
become more informative & efficient. As the system is Digital in
INTRODUCTION nature, accuracy of DCS has increased significantly over the
analog and pneumatic control systems used earlier [2]. An on-line
Over the last few years there is a considerable attention Comprehensive information/Status display8 of process
towards higher operating efficiency of Fossil power plants. Fossil equipmeaWparameters, High availability, Easy fault diagnosis,
power plants capacity has also increased and have become more Interface to Unit level automation and other computer system, are
complex. This demands higher reliability of the equipments some of the basic requirements of a DCS system.
supplied by the manufacturers and also the system to handle these
complex equipments. There is more emphasis on automation. BMS
There are many reasons for automatrng the operation of various
sections of a Power Plant. One of the most important reasons is Bharat Heavy Eiectricals Ltd. (BHEL) manufactures boilers
to free the operator of decision making during emergencies[l]. for Utility and Industrial use, of different capacities. The present
The decision regarding protection of the equipment, sub-systcm paper discusses BMS or Furnace Safeguard Supervisory System
and the plant would be taken by automation units although there @SS) for a tangentially fired, drum type, natural circulation,
is always a provision for operators action. In a power plant there mixed fuel type (Coal and Oil), 210 M W power plant. The
are different areas like Boiler area, Turbine area, Plants and its quantity of coal fired is around 120 T/h and steam generated by

$1.OO 0 1995 IEEE

0-7803-2081-6/95 179 -
IA&C 95 - 36
it is around 700 T/h. A typical plant will have six coal elevations 1)ISSI G N I IIC. 1I IAG IITS

and three oil elevations, which supply fuel to the boiler. Primary Design highlights of the system are mentioned, without going
air is the carrier of Pulverized coal. There are numbers of into the details of detailed design. This enumerates important
interlock, operating steps and protections required for admitting points with respect to the design of a BMS using DCS.
fuel into the furnace safely and properly. This cannot be left to the
operator only. Adequacy of ignition energy is important which -
Fault Tolerance Features
should not be left to operator interpretation as mentioned in [3].
Major explosions have occurred at the time of admission of fuel. Power Supply : Procontrol P system hardware works on 24V,DC.
All these are supervised by BMS. It provides interface to unit level ?his helps in easy handling, trouble shooting of process
automatic startup/shutdown commands from other system. This InpuVOutput signals. Two 24 V, DC, independent, 100% Battery
system should be, highly available as this is like an engine for a backed up Charger Power supplies are used. This ensures a very
power plant. Flame monitoring system is used to monitor each reliable power supply.
corner level flames of oil burners and flame characteristic of coal
firing. This plays a n important part for proper combustion or else Partitioning : As explained in the Functional Distribution, the
absence of it shuts off the fuel supply. same structure of logic and mechanical arrangement of different
firing elevations is mapped into independent automation units like
FUNCTIONAL DISTRIBUTION Unit level control, Group level control and its Drive level control.
This makes the structure decentralized and distributed. This helps
BMS logics are based on National Fire Protection Association in clear hierarchy of the control system structure, following the
(NFPA) guidelines. The system logics have been functionally Pyramid structure. It helps in managing process information,
divided into Unit logic, Elevation logic and comer logic. Unit logic faults, execution of commands. Different Local stations are
supervises overall furnace condition, continuously monitors various assigned on two Intra-plant Bus System so that Intra-plant Data
boiler related safety conditions, shuts off the fuel should any Traffic is balanced. The same is shown in Fig. 1.
unsafe condition arise. It supervises furnace purge whenever boiler
trip occurs after shutting off the fuel. Elevation logic is for each Dual Channel Tripping : BMS system designed works on
elevation of coal or oil. It receives Permit to start, from unit logic. Energise-to-trip principle and this ensures higher availability and
Its sequence and interlocks depend on types of fuel fired. Comer avoids nuisance trips. 'There are two independent, mutually
logic is applicable in case of oil firing where each comer has its exclusive, stations to take care of Boiler Trip functions.
own set of drives, interlock and protection and receives startup Input/output signals acquisition/ processing is also independent,
and shutdown commands from its elevation logic. and trip is initiated from each of the two channels. Trip voting is
1 out of 2. 2 o u t of 3 signal processing is done for critical inputs
PROCONTROL P System was specially developed by ABB for like Drum level Very High/Low, Furnace pressure Very HigNLow,
use in thermal power plant(41. It is a Distributed Digital Control and each processed signal is fed to each of the trip processing
System and modular in nature, can be used for different processes stations. Two separate field contacts are used for tripping each of
in a power plant. In a nutshell, it has a set of input/output the Master Fuel Trip Channels (MIT).Intra-plant bus P42 is used
modules for Binary, Analog application, programmable processing for data transfer to, and from local stations and to plant computer
modules, a set of communication modules for data exchange system. Intra-plant Bus is a serial bus, and has a very high S / N
between local station and Intra-p!ant Bus. Detailed descriptions ratio, and is used throughout the plant for a geographically
are available in the references mentioned [5-71. distributed system, for data transfer.

180

-
 Two channels of Intra-plant Bus systems are used, called a feature that its output resets to a zero status in case of a fault.
Channel 1 & 2 which are mutually exclusive. Each is connected to Each channel of Intra-plant Bus has two coaxial cables, called line
one of the MFT stations 1 & 2. This ensures dual channel trip A & B, for data transmission/reception, and in case of failure of

signals to different stations of BMS, and also availability of a MFT one line, communication switches to the other one. Additionally
channel, in case of failure of the other one. These two channels MFT'contacts from each of the trip channel is hardwired in
are supervised by a third station called Purge Station. Fig. 1. A parallel to the existing close/stop contact of fuel related
discrepancy between these two stations is annunciated by this valve/drive. This ensures a very high availability of trip channels
station and an alarm is raised. PROCONTROL P modules have and ensures safety of the boiler.

Fig. 1. Distributed Structure of BMS

181
Decentralized-structure : As already mentioned under Partitioning,
- 1 7
k
thc dcccntralized structure is further maintained by assigning I, 306
-6- '
a SIUI
individual processing modules to each Oil elevation and Coal
elevation, and a set of InputlOutput modules for each. Each oil
elevation is assigned to its adjacent coal elevation as shown in the -A -

Fig. 1. For critical drives which admit fuel to the boiler and have U

Control Desk interface, Drives Control Modules (DC) are I

.- CO6

generally used. This module has its own microprocessor and can
EPROM LISTING.
be programmed in a limited way, unlike the processor module .ttt**~*..t*.t. 0784 34FF ;00HBK01EG100 XPOl
0 7 ~ sAA06 ;Local: 230071
where application program can run from 4K to 8K. Each drive 07A8 le00 ;IdLoop: OOHBKOlEGlOO 07B6 COBl ;FName: h
O7A9 lOBO ;Idpage: F50l 0787 2806 ;Local: 230020
07AA COBl ;FName: h 0788 34FF ;OOHBKOlBG100 XPOl
control module is programmed for its interlock and protection, so 07AB 2306 :00HBKOlBZ100 XU01 0789 AB06 ;Local: 230090
07AC 34FF ;00HBKOlEG100 XFOl 07BA COBl ;FName: &
07AD A506 ;Local: 229187 07BB 2C06 ;00HBKOlBZ100 XU17
that in the event of failure of its associated processor module, 07AB COB2 ;FName: >-1 07BC 34PF ;00HBKOlEG100 XPOl
07AP 2606 ;OOHBKOlEZ100 XU16 07BD AD06 ;Local: 230141
drive level protectiori and unit level trip commands can be 3780 2706 ;ooHBKoiBzioo xp53 07BB COB5 ; m a m e : RSR
O7Bl A 8 0 6 ;Local: 230020 078F 2506 ;Local: 229187
0782 COBl ;FName: h 07CO 43BB ;00HBK01EA100 XBO8
initiated. In the event of failure of D C module, processor initiates 0783 2906 ;00HBKOlBZ100 XU02 07C1 AB06 ;OOHBKOlEGlOO XF02

trip. This is called Back up Tripping, Fig. 2.

Fig. 3. Programming Language PROCONTROL P10

Man Machine Inlerface: C R T based Man Machine Interface
(MMI) is provided with the help of a dedicated Mini Computer
and its associated CRTs and Keyboards. It gets plant data through
Intra-plant Bus. Operator can initiate a command, call a display,
alarm logs etc. on the CRT, with the help of Functional Keyboards
CLOSE .--I

t
1
(FKB). Missing Criteria displays are shown on the CRT to help
I
L__ the operator to know which process permissive is not fulfilled in
automatic stattuplshutdown of an elevation, as shown in Fig. 4.
Each step of the sequence is programmed for its time monitoring,
BV - BUS w m c DIRECTOR DC - DRIM CONTROC
PR - PROCESSNO MODULE AB - OVTF'UT MOWE and an alarm is initiated, if its feedback is not received in the set
EE - INPUT MOWLE .
time.

R.naY.9Y UNrULrlLLCD C R l l L R l P l UFF- 67

I I ~ C I ~ L B Im
~ q
~ i C O A L E L E U - A / S T A R T SEQ

Fig. 2. Backup Tripping

Functional Language : Application programming is done in
Functional language PROCONTROL P10, where it is easy to
implement control applications as shown as in Fig. 3. N o prior
special programming experience is necessary. Application
programs are implemented on CAE tool, which with it's
comprehensive checks, ensures high reliability of the software.
Proven models of application software are used[8]. This is to avoid
software bugs. Fig. 4. Missing Criteria Display

182

. ~ .
 Fault Diagnosis: An on-line Diagnostic Station is provided to REFEKENCES
monitor control system faults and some of the process faults[')).
This helps in easy diagnosis of a fault like missing module James W. Bayless, Joseph Fishbein, and John E Webre
detection. Sixteen different faults, from a local station are "Power Plant Automation Via a Hierarchial Distributed
annunciated on the DLgnostic station CRT. Emphasis is given on Microprocessor Based-Control System" in The 1983
quick location and identification of a fault, and to reduce Mean Power Inc.
Time to Repair (m).
hlodules can be inserted or taken out
during operation without causing any maloperation. Running light Douglas J. Smith "New Control Systems will use
and flashing light indications are used for the control desk advanced instrumentation",Power & n g l d n g , Sep.
annunciation,as per DIN 19235.This helps in discriminating easily 1992 pp: 17 - 22.
command and disturbed status.
"Botlerand Auxfllarles", BHEL publication, pp 126 -
In House Testing: Each system is tested in home with simulators 140.
by physically hard-wiring system inputs and outputs lo it. This
helps in removing any programminghardware error, and quick Wilhelm Keck, "Walsum district lieating power plant a -
commissioning of the system at site (101. clean coal fired-facility controlled and supervised by
PROCONTROL P " M B R e o w , April 90,pp 11 - 16.
CONCLUSION
"PROCONTROL PI3 Programmable Process Control
The features mentioned above have been implemented using System" Brown Booed Publlcution No CH-
PROCONTROL P System for BMS. It is easy to implement all E8.WS83.2E
the above using DCS which otherwise is very difficult to
implement using a Hard-wired system. The systems based on the "Digital Decentralized Control and Monitoring System
above DCS system, are in operation at different sites in India, with Bus Transmission for Power Plants " Brown Booed
which have high Plant Load Factor (PLF), and plant operators Publicaffon No CH-KWllOaS7E
and maintenance engineers find it easy lo handle and Lmubleshmt
the system, because of the features mentioned. "PROCONTROL P Module Overview" As- Brown
Booed Publlcatlon No CH-KWM6187E
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thomas C Elliott, "Understanding Software" Power
The author wishes to thank the design teammates of Boiler January 1991,pp 11 - U).
Control Dept. at BHEL, Electronics Division, Bangalore, for their
total involvement in implementation of the above, and DHEL "Praut 80.13 L Man-Machine Interface", Brown Booed
Trichy, ABB Baden, Switzerland; for their participation at the Publicatton No HTDG 403729E
duign-concept stage. The author expresses sincerc lhanks to the
management of BNEL for encouragement and permission to David J Demoret, " Avoid contrd-system problems with
publish this paper. -
checkout before startup" P o w , May 1991,pp 58 61.

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