Working in a controlled manner in industrial combustion process

ICAM Industrial burner technology from Mijdrecht in the Netherlands specializes in advanced burner technology and provides a large spectrum of products, services and customized systems for industrial applications. In this way they provide gas burners for example baking ovens, spray booths and drying ovens; oil burners and various components. 

What is pyrolysis anyway?

Pyrolysis is also called cracking or dry distillation. It is a process in which organic material is decomposed by heating it at high temperature. The temperature here is between 200-900 ° C with no oxygen can get to. This ensures that large molecules are degraded and become smaller. In contrast to combustion, which however takes place with the presence and consumption of oxygen. A practical use of pyrolysis, the cleaning program of some modern furnaces that, when up to 518 ° C, remove all the incrustations. The cracking of petroleum is a pyrolysis process.

Fig .: Schematic representation pyrolysis process

Application ICAM / Pyrox oven

The furnace of ICAM / Pyrox is used by a client for the recycling of equipment. Many industrial devices must be stripped for recycling, paint and varnish remains as stubborn grease or dirt. Pyrolysis lends itself eminently for the removal of such fouling. During this process, the oven should be set at a certain temperature. For the burning process a number of steps are necessary. So first all the necessary actuators and inputs need to be checked for errors by automation. If there are no error messages the next program step is started, the air ventilated into the furnace and post-combustion chamber is ventilated over a short period of time after which the post-combustion chamber is warmed up.

When the desired temperature is reached, then the furnace burner is started. The oven temperature will follow the set value of the process program. When the oven burner is switched off, the afterburner continues to burn for some time in order to ensure clean air. When all of the burners are turned off, the air valves may be opened in order to cool the product back in the oven until the set temperatures are reached again. If they are to reached the fan is stopped and the process has been terminated.

Fig .: ICAM / Pyrox pyrolysis furnace

Cooperation JUMO

It goes without saying that with industrial combustion processes should be proceeded in a controlled manner. For the application with ICAM they were looking for an automation with customer-specific customization options to control, monitor, regulate and register the entire combustion process. JUMO mTRON T provides the ability to select different user levels.

The freedom to make adjustments has made the decision for ICAM to enter into cooperation with JUMO. So the client can from an operating mode of the mTRON T system servicing the furnace, from the manager level furnace settings can be adjusted and from the master level the user has the authority to modify user settings and run parts manual.

For individual control applications the automation system JUMO mTRON T includes a PLC controller (CoDeSys V3), program controller, limit control functions and mathematical or logical modules. The configuration of the hardware and the software and the configuration of the measured values and control functions are performed in the setup program.

The user of the oven of ICAM can by means of the program editor of CoDeSys in accordance with IEC 61131-3 itself easily modify an existing program or create a new program. As a result, process efficiency increases significantly.

Because, in the furnace in addition to the oven temperature, the air pressure, gas pressure and water pressure from the built-in extinguishing installation are to be controlled there is also made use of different industrial sensors JUMO.

For monitoring of the maximum furnace temperature, the thermal protection of the internal ventilation system, and the gas leak detection system is in addition to the mTRON T system, made use of JUMO safety temperature limiters, and monitors.

Fig.: JUMO mTRON controlling system