FROM THE
COMPANIES
High-energy pneumatic
retraction ignition unit
T
The introduction of High Energy he introduction of High Energy
Retractable Igniters comes
Retractable Igniters comes from from the need to reduce manu-
the need to reduce manufac- facturing and operating costs
in thermal power plants. In thermal power
turing and operating costs in plants, which are mostly coal-ired, the
thermal power plants most frequent way to start coal combus-
tion in boilers is to ignite HFO (Heavy Fuel
Oil). Main HFO burners, in turn, are lighted
by gas pilot burners, mainly natural gas.
Pilot torches have no real function for the
process; their lame is only used to light
the main burner and to support combus-
tion. Usually the pilot is turned on irst;
then, after having detected the lame, fuel
is introduced to ignite the main burner.
This process presents a number of rel-
evant operating costs:
■ pilot torches costs (usually there are 24
in a middle size power plant);
■ pilot torches related equipment
■ BMS (Burner Management System)
costs;
■ cost of natural gas burned in pilot
torches.
Main boilers manufacturers, realizing the
high expenses involved in this process,
have set themselves the challenge to
minimize manufacturing and operating
costs arising from using pilot torches.
It was therefore necessary to design a
new tool with electrical and mechanical
characteristics capable of replacing pilots
thus allowing a decrease in power plant
Andrea Vercellone, Tesi Spa
54 I Power Technology 11-12 2014 n. 86
expenditures. Conventional igniters
manufacturers, including Tesi, have
accepted this challenge by developing
a High-Energy (HE) system that, unlike
High Voltage (HV) igniters, presents
electrical requirements so to deliver en-
ergy up to 24 Joules, needed to light the
HFO directly, without use of gas. The
coniguration of this new high-energy
technology ensures that the type of fuel
employed (liquid or gaseous) does not
affect ignition. High-Energy igniters have
been designed in order to resist to high
temperatures, since for a reliable igni-
tion, the positioning of the ignition tip
close to the fuel mixture is key. Inside
the power plant boiler, main HFO burn-
ers are not ixed but can rotate +/- 15°
in order to create a unique central ire-
ball to heat up the whole furnace before
coal is injected. High-energy igniters,
therefore, has to be able to tilt accord-
ingly to the main burners angle, having a
lexibility of 30°. This lexibility to follow
the angle of HFO burners allow to spark
and light directly heavy fuel oil lames.
HE igniters, furthermore, are able to
satisfy an additional requirement: being
in direct contact with lames, they are
provided with a retraction device devel-
oped to protect the tip from lames once
sparking is inished. In conclusion, the
new ignition tool presents several ad-
vantages, mainly related to the stream-
lining of the process and costs reduc-
Energize Igniter
Command / from DCS
Interface Relay
L
X1
L
Protection Fuses
N N
X1 Power supply
0 Terminal point
230 VAC
X2
HEA Status
Igniter running
1
X2
(feedback to
DCS)
0
X2
2
Transformer TR
overtemperature 240-2100 Vac
thermostat - 120 °C
tion (both manufacturing and operating)
deriving from the replacement of pilot
torches and gaseous fuel previously
needed to light HFO.
THE HIGH ENERGY CIRCUITRY
The High Energy electric Spark dis-
charge Igniter works on the principle of
storing an electric charge in a capaci-
tor and discharging it through a special
spark tip to produce electrical sparks of
suficient energy to ignite oil particles.
When the High Energy system is ener-
gized by the control room, 230 Volts AC,
50 Hz, the high energy control circuit
automatically regulates the power (volt-
age and current) to be supplied to the
primary side of the transformer.
The power is always the minimum value
required to reach the preset perfor-
mances in terms of output energy and
rate, so that device overheating is
limited. An overheating protection circuit
is still provided to avoid any damage in
the case of highly intensive use of the
device. Electrical power supplied to
the primary winding of the transformer
induces a high voltage on the secondary
winding of the power transformer; this is
rectiied and the capacitor is charged.
When the voltage of the capacitor
Protection Fuse
5x20 - 6.3A T
High energy
terminal points
Spark gap
1400 V
reaches the threshold switching voltage
of the spark-gap device, the gap will ion-
ize. The discharge current will low from
the capacitor through the spark gap to
the spark tip through a high-energy cable
and the spark rod. The spark is generated
through special semiconductor material,
not in the air, and therefore is not affected
by any environmental condition. When
the energy is delivered as spark to the
igniter tip, the storage capacitors will be
completely discharged as sparks at the
igniter tip, and immediately the charg-
ing of the capacitors will start again. The
charge-discharge cycle will be repeated
at the rate of 4 times per second (+/-
10%) to produce sparks at the same rate.
The energy of each spark is proportional
to the square of capacitor voltage peak
and half value of capacitance (E=½CV²).
THE RETRACTOR UNIT
The retractor assembly is a pneumatically
operated system designed to advance
the spark tip into the burner zone and re-
tract the spark tip after successful ignition
or after the lapse of a preset time.
The retractor assembly is equipped
with a solenoid valve for controlling the
pneumatic cylinder and end point limit
switches for detecting the advanced or
Power Technology 11-12 2014 n. 86
Spark tip
25μF
2200 V HE Spark rod
connection box
GND
retracted position of the spark-tip.
The unit is powered by compressed air
and must be connected to an instru-
ment air circuit in which the air is pre-
treated to remove water, oil and solid
particles. Air pressure has to be in the 4
to 7 bar range. It can be equipped with
a two-speed regulator, so that speed in
both directions can be inely adjusted if
necessary.
CONCLUSIONS
HE ignition systems, compared to tradi-
tional ignition methods, present a series
of operational beneits:
■ possibility to ignite directly low lam-
mable fuels;
■ replacement of traditional air/gas pilot
torches;
■ retraction systems protecting tips from
dirt and lames;
■ lexible rod to follow the main burners
angle.
All these elements turn in a consider-
able reduction in manufacturing and
operational costs of power plants man-
agement. In brief, HE Ignition systems
can provide the most reliable and cost-
effective fuel ignition whether gas, light
oil, diesel or heavy oil is used.
I 55