Improving Recovery Boiler Performance by Controlling Variability (New tools for an old problem), 2010 TAPPI/PAPTAC International Chemical Recovery Conference

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The operators of recovery boilers have long known that the best operating recovery boiler is one that sees little change or variation. However changes do occur. The black liquor being delivered to the recovery boiler is a part of a larger liquor cycle that is constantly being exposed to change. A change in one part of the cycle often leads to a change in the black liquor being delivered to the boiler. The traditional means of control for a recovery boiler operator are percent (%) solids, firing temperature, air flow, and, gun pressure. However these old tools are not always sufficient to maintain a stable environment in the recovery boiler. This paper looks at why the old tools don’t always work. It also evaluates the potential of two new tools that provide new information and understanding of the black liquor being fed to the recovery boiler. These two new tools are the FT-NIR (Fourier Transform -Near Infrared) spectrometer-based analyzer and the on-line black liquor viscometer. Finally the paper looks at furnace draft as an under appreciated cause of boiler fouling, increased maintenance and poor performance.