ABB AZ20 & AZ40

Welcome to November’s Product(s) of the Month – ABB AZ20 & AZ40. Process facilities use fired equipment to generate steam, to heat oil, water or glycol, and more. When a burner is installed, optimization/efficiency and safety are important considerations.

Many fired appliances employ a forced draft fan to move an appropriate amount of air through the system. This air provides the oxygen required at the burner (where a specific ratio of fuel is then combined for combustion). Complete stoichiometric combustion takes place when fuel (E.G. natural gas) is added to oxygen and ignited, releasing heat and producing carbon dioxide, and water as final products.

Fuel-to-air ratio control is used to ensure safe and complete combustion and this control is often handled by a Combustion Control System (CCS). In addition to the CCS, a Burner Management System (BMS) actively monitors parameters like pressure, temperature, flow, valve position and flame status to ensure the equipment is operating safely.

Both the CCS and BMS monitor conventional process variables like pressure, temperature, & flow, in addition to inputs like valve position, fan speed, and flame status. However, additional inputs can be added to a system to improve efficiency and safety.

ABB’s Endura AZ40 oxygen and combustibles analyzer continuously samples and analyzes combustion waste gases, often referred to as flue gas. The AZ40 determines the levels of excess oxygen in the flue gas using a zirconia based oxygen sensor, and measures unburnt fuel with an enhanced carbon monoxide detector to measure the carbon monoxide equivalent (COe). Knowing these values, the control system can take action to ensure optimum combustion exists. The AZ40 is particularly well suited to burners of a size equal to or greater than 10 million BTUh, and can help to reduce fuel consumption over the life of the fired appliance.

Where complete combustion analyzers with COe analysis capability are not required, ABB offers the Endura AZ20. The AZ20 is a zirconium oxide analyzer that will provide accurate and rapid oxygen readings for combustion control and optimization (commonly referred to as “O2 trim”), and emissions monitoring.

To learn more about optimizing your fired equipment using ABB combustion gas analyzers, please visit www.TundraSolutions.ca