For presentation to client

SOUND BLAST
SONIC SOOT BLOWER

Theory & Application

SOUND BLAST SONIC POWER COMPANY LIMITED 2010 v01

 Content

Part 1 Sonic Soot Blowing:

A better understanding

Part 2 Boiler and Air Preheater:

Replacing LRSB with Sonic Soot Blowers

Part 3 Electrostatic Precipitator:

Restoring Dynamic Balance with Sonic
Soot Blowing

Part 4 Selective Catalytic Reactor:

Cleaning SCR with Sonic Soot Blowing
What sonic soot blowing
can do for you
What sonic soot blowing can do for you

1. Enhances plant operation safety, availability,

reliability, and stability.

2. Better operation economy as a whole.

3. Better air pollution control.

4. Facilitates overall plant management.

And in terms of soot blowing operation

1. Reduces soot blowing costs.

2. Less investment in soot blowing system.

3. Less investment in ESP.

4. Reduces SCR catalyst replacement frequency.

5. ROI (Return on investment) period is shorter.

 Financial savings in TPP
through sonic soot blowing
 Financial savings in TPP

Savings through sonic soot blowing in TPP:

1. Direct savings: Less fuel consumption.

2. Indirect savings:
a. Longer operation time between outages.
b. Reduce outage down time and less repair.
c. Less unplanned outages for fly ash problems.
d. Reduce soot blowing operation costs.
e. Reduce environmental related penalties.
f. Reduce operation costs due to better
availability, reliability, and stability.
 Example 1

210 MWe TPP coal fired boiler

Coal consumption p.a. : 1.03 million tons (approx.)

Cost of coal to site : ~ INR 3,000/ton
Annual coal cost : INR 3.09 billion

Sonic soot blowing:

Direct savings @ 0.75% : INR 23.2 million
Indirect savings @ 1% : INR 30.9 million
Total savings p.a. : INR 54.1 million (INR 5.41
Crores)
 Example 2

250 MWe TPP coal fired boiler

Coal consumption p.a. : 1.4 million tons (approx.)

Cost of coal to site : ~ INR 3,000/ton
Annual coal cost : INR 4.2 billion

Sonic soot blowing:

Direct savings @ 0.75% : INR 31.5 million
Indirect savings @ 1% : INR 42.0 million
Total savings p.a. : INR 73.5 million (INR 7.35 Crores)
 Example 3

500 MWe TPP coal fired boiler

Coal consumption p.a. : 3.2 million tons (approx.)

Cost of coal to site : ~ INR 3,000/ton
Annual coal cost : INR 9.60 billion

Sonic soot blowing:

Direct savings @ 0.75% : INR 72 million
Indirect savings @ 1% : INR 96 million
Total savings p.a. : INR 168 million (INR 16.8 Crores)
 Example 4

Existing NTPC Plants

Total installed capacity : 29,144 MWe

Coal based capacity : 21,395 MWe
Coal consumption p.a. : 155 million tons (approx.)
Cost of coal to site : ~ INR 3,000/ton
Annual coal cost : INR 465 billion

Sonic soot blowing:

Direct savings @ 0.75% : INR 3.48 billion
Indirect savings @ 1% : INR 4.65 billion
Total savings p.a. : INR 8.31 (INR 831 Crores)
 Example 5

NTPC projects for 11th Five Year Plan

Total installed capacity : 22,430 MWe

Coal based capacity : 15,180 MWe
Coal consumption p.a. : 110 million tons (approx.)
Cost of coal to site : ~ INR 3,000/ton
Annual coal cost : INR 330 billion

Sonic soot blowing:

Direct savings @ 0.75% : INR 2.47 billion
Indirect savings @ 1% : INR 3.3 billion
Total savings p.a. : INR 5.77 billion (INR 577 Crores)
Understanding Sonic Soot Blowing
2 main types of soot blowing technology

One that cleans with strong

mechanical impact forces
with restricted applications,
and usage a few times daily.
E.g. : steam soot blowing

The other that cleans with

gentle physical forces with
wider application and can be
applied more frequently.
E.g. : sonic soot blowing
 History of sonic soot blowing

Legend has it that more than 50 years ago a young

shipyard engineer discovered that every time the
ship’s whistle was tested, soot came falling down
inside the boiler!

Ship’s whistle ? Sonic soot blower?

 Mechanics of sonic soot blowing

Sound waves sent into an

enclosed space propagate
spherically in all directions.

Particulates are fluidised by

sound energy and jump up
from surfaces to be swept
away by flue gas stream.

Sonic soot blowers can be

installed almost anywhere in
the space with little unclean
dead corners.
 Utilising flue gas velocity to advantage

Flue gas velocity inside Inside boiler

boiler is high so that High flue gas velocity

particulate
fluidised fly ash are swept
Swep
away from tube surfaces. t a wa y

Flue gas velocity inside

Low flue gas velocity
ESP is low so that fluidised
fly ash drop to hoppers.

Dro

particulate
ps t
obott
Expansion nozzle

om
at ESP and SCR
entry are similar
Inside
ESP
 Sound waves in sound spectrum

2 types of sound waves are proven to be more

effective in removing particulates

Audible sound waves Inaudible sound waves

between 110~250 Hz between 10~25 Hz

for large and loose particulates for small and sticky particulates
 Sound spectrum

Our sound spectrum

uses broad frequency dB
range and low energy
level to clean; it is:

• Economical to operate Hz

• Harmless to structures

• Effective all the way

 Constructive interference of sound waves
Isobaric
line

Football stadium loud Sound

source
speakers are clustered
in order to broadcast
Distance
across the field.
Cleaning
range

Sonic soot blowers

also operate in cluster
to enhance cleaning
effect.

Range is increased by clustering

 Noise reduction with sound hood
Sound hood

Useful sound energy sent

into a space must be high
for good cleaning results.

Useless noises generated Packed with compressed rock wool

on the outside can be

abated with sound hood.

Sound hood can reduce

noise level to below 85 dB.
 Are sound waves harmful to human body?

It depends on:

1. Duration of exposure
2. Intensity of sound

Our sonic soot blowers

comply with international
standards to ensure safety.
e.g. OSHA
 Cleaning effect is controlled by cyclic time

Sonic soot blowing cleans We clean with time

on-line with gentle sound
forces.
On

Cleaning effect is controlled

by “ON” time (in seconds)
and “OFF” time (in minutes).

Off
Imagine what it is like to
clean your desk once a year,
and cleaning it every hour! Time
 What sonic soot blowing cannot do

By using gentle sound forces to

clean, there are certain prices
to pay as well …

1. It cannot remove slags

2. It cannot remove clinkers

3. It cannot remove sticky

ash caused by acid drops
(acid dew point temperature)
 Which areas are suitable for sonic soot blowing
Boiler 2nd pass is suitable for sonic soot blowing, as up to
1.7% of heat energy from burning fuel can be salvaged
here.

Heat
energy
from
fuel
Sonic soot blower
range of action

Exit
loss
1st pass ~64% 2nd pass ~36%
 Does it matter what type of fuel is burnt?
No, because sonic soot blowing is effective
in fly ash zone only

Sonic soot blower

action zone
Fuel type
Slag & clinker zone Fly ash zone
Acid
A
48% ash

C
6% ash
D
1600oC Ash transformation temperature 100oC

e.g. Fuel type “D” is typical lignite with 6~8% ash and low ash fusion temperature at ~ 950 oC
 Total Cleaning concept

Total Cleaning Concept is a

TPP system solution for
Boiler
fuel economy and to meet
environmental exit limits
through sonic soot blowing SCR ESP
in an overall sense.

Management time is saved,

and overall plant efficiency APH IDF
and effectiveness are
maximised.
 Simple data to present your case

1. Simple dimensioned sketches

2. State flue gas temperatures
3. Which areas to be cleaned
4. What are the problems
5. What fuel is used
6. Any installation restrictions
7. What compressed air system

That’s all…
 Learning curve of sonic soot blowing

I am thrown into the deep end !

There is a simple
learning curve for
successful application
of sonic soot blowing.

It is easier to start
with simple cases and
gradually proceed to
more difficult cases.
I feel comfortable and happy!
 Win-win combination to serve better

Both steam and sonic soot

blowing technologies have
advantages and draw backs.

Our aim is to adopt the best

from both systems to better
serve our clients and the
industry as a whole.

A win-win situation can be

so much more successful !
Installations that benefit from
sonic soot blowing
 Sonic soot blowing in TPP

Stack

NH3

Boiler
SCR APH FGD
ESP

Sonic soot blowing can be commonly applied to

installations in TPP to facilitate management

Boiler SCR APH ESP Bag House I.D. Fan

 Applications

Conventional Circulating
Coal Fired Boiler Fluidised Bed Boiler

Sonic soot blower

 Applications

Sonic soot blower

Air Preheater

Electrostatic Precipitator
Sonic soot blower
 Applications

SCR Bag House Filter

Sonic soot blower

 Applications

I.D. Fan Cyclone separator dryer

Sonic soot blower

Some pictures on installation
Audible sonic soot blower
Inaudible sonic soot blower
How sound waves are generated
 How sound waves are generated - 1

Diaphragm is pressed
on seat by cover; and
solenoid valve cuts off
compressed air supply
to chamber under
diaphragm.
 How sound waves are generated - 2

Solenoid valve opens

to admit air and
pressure builds up
under diaphragm to
flex it upwards and
release air to escape
 How sound waves are generated - 3

Solenoid valve closes

and diaphragm reseats
as air pressure is
released; air pulse
travels down horn
mouth as sound wave
 Diaphragm cleaning and cooling

Diaphragm is kept
cool and clean by
tiny air stream to
prevent damage
 Useful information

1. Diaphragm is the only moving part and

has 3 ~ 5 years service life normally.

2. Compressed air at 4 ~ 7 bar is required;

and consumption varies from 40 ~ 240
litres/sec (STP condition).

3. General Service air quality is adequate for

audible sonic soot blowers.

4. Inaudible sonic soot blowers must use

moisture free compressed air to prevent
condensation and cause fly ash to clog the
resonance tube exit mouth.
 Useful information

5. Sonic soot blower output power is

proportional to supply air pressure.

6. Sound frequency of audible sonic soot

blower is fixed; sound frequency of
inaudible sonic soot blower is adjustable.

7. Audible sonic soot blower requires oil mist

lubricator; but not inaudible models.

8. Working temperature of audible sonic

soot blower horn mouth is up to 1,300oC
 Audible sonic soot blower components

Simple, isn’t it?

 Sonic soot blower accessories

Sonic soot blower

Stainless flex hose

Sonic soot
blower has few
accessories
Solenoid valve

On-line filter
Ball stop valve
SOUND BLAST sonic products
 SOUND BLAST sonic product lines

SOUND BLAST is the registered brand name of OEM and

ODM sonic products of Sound Blast Sonic Power Co. Ltd.

There are 2 sonic soot blower product lines :

1. Audible sonic soot blowers

(Models SB60, SB38, SB23, SB15)

2. Inaudible sonic soot blowers

(Models SBx40, SBx20)

Together they can cover all applications.

SOUND BLAST sonic product lines at a glance
 Sonic soot blowing system configuration
3 elements to make up a sonic soot blowing system:
1/ Sonic soot blower(s)
2/ Control panel
3/ Air handling unit

Sonic soot blowers

Air Control panel

handling
Power supply
units

Compressed air
1st element: sonic soot blower
2nd element: control panel
3rd element: air handling unit
Typical installation of audible sonic soot blower

Horn installed from outside Horn installed from inside

Typical installation of inaudible sonic soot blower

Straight type 120o bend type

 International warranty

All sonic soot blower products manufactured

by SOUND BLAST SONIC POWER CO., LTD.
carry limited international warranty against
defects in material and workmanship for 18
months from delivery.
Company profile
 Company profile

Sound Blast Sonic Power Company Limited experts

in sonic soot blowing for more than 20 years and
has a team of well trained and user friendly staff.

The company has subsidiaries in China and USA;

and business partners in Europe and Asia.

The company is incorporated in Hong Kong.

 Intellectual property and accreditation

Designs and trade marks

of our sonic soot blower
products are intellectual
property of the company.

Accreditation of our sonic

soot blower products are
by national authorities.
 International exhibitions
Regular exhibitors in international power exhibitions
PowerGen Europe 2004 CoalGen 2004 PowerGen Asia 2004
Barcelona Kansas City Bangkok

PowerGen Europe 2005 PowerGen Int’l 2004

Milan Orlando
 International exhibitions
PowerGen Asia 2005 PowerGen Int’l 2005
Singapore Las Vegas

PowerGen Europe 2006 PowerGen Asia 2006 PowerGen Int’l 2006

Cologne Hong Kong Orlando
Customer List
Customer List
Contact us for any soot cleaning problems
Sound Blast Sonic Power Company Limited
A1, 2/F, 65~67 Bonham Strand,
Central, Hong Kong.

Tel: + 852 - 2541 8289

Fax: + 852 - 8148 1175
e-mail: soundblast@sound-blast.com
Web: http://www.sound-blast.com

Our business partner in India:

Keromiyons Intech Private Limited
# 110, Renga Villas, New Damu Nagar,
Coimbatore – 641 037, Tamil Nadu, India.

Tel: +91 422 4214124

Fax: +91 422 4214125
e-mail: uchandar@keromiyons.com
Web: http://www.keromiyons.com
Thank You
Real life cleaning photos

before and after

 Coal fired boiler example 1

Before and after

 Coal fired boiler example 2
Before After

Hard
scale

Clinker
 ESP example 1
Negative discharge wires
Before After
 ESP example 2

Positive collection plates

Before
After
 ESP example 3

Hopper discharge during sonic soot blowing