NeuCo is the leading provider of asset optimization software solutions that help electric power producers reduce emissions and improve generating unit efficiency, reliability and availability. NeuCo’s closed-loop boiler optimization solutions streamline the combustion and boiler cleaning processes to reduce NOx and GHG emissions, reduce sootblowing-related tube ruptures, improve boiler efficiency, steam temperatures and sprays, and reduce SCR reagent consumption. Its unit-wide optimization solutions detect and help determine the cause, criticality and remediation of equipment health, heat loss and capacity issues.
NeuCo’s core differentiator is its ProcessLink® technology platform that combines multiple optimization methods (neural networks, model predictive control, expert systems and first principles) within an industrial-scale enterprise software architecture. ProcessLink establishes a system-wide context to gather information, derive knowledge and take real-time action, and enables an unprecedented level of integration between individual process optimizers. This integrated approach is key to optimizing power generator operational and financial performance.
Comprehensive boiler optimization
BoilerOpt™ is NeuCo’s total boiler optimization software solution that combines the functions of both CombustionOpt® and SootOpt® to optimize power plant performance in closed loop to achieve overall unit availability, efficiency and emissions goals. Combustion quality, fuel and air mixing, gas and steam temperatures, fouling and slagging, tube erosion and emissions control are several of the interrelated variables that BoilerOpt continually manages for successful boiler operations.
The SootOpt component models the effect of sootblowing activity on heat transfer throughout the furnace and backpass, and dynamically determines the optimal boiler cleaning actions to improve availability, heat rate and emissions performance and avoid boiler over- or under-cleaning.
The CombustionOpt component uses neural networks, model predictive control (MPC) and other technologies to extract knowledge about the combustion process and determine the optimal balance of fuel and air mixing in the furnace to reduce NOx emissions and improve boiler efficiency and unit operations.
The integrated optimizers manage trade-offs between the combustion and heat transfer processes and align combustion control and sootblowing operations with a plant’s overall objectives. This optimization package maximizes boiler performance and ensures that sub-processes are in sync instead of working at cross purposes.
Benefits of boiler optimization software
Key BoilerOpt benefits include:
- Lowers NOx and CO2 emissions
- Improves boiler efficiency, temperatures, sprays and heat rate
- Lessens risk of forced outages and derates
- Reduces tube ruptures, fouling, slagging and plugging
- Lowers SCR ammonia consumption
- Avoids opacity and CO excursions and reduces LOI
- Improves operational consistency
Equipment anomaly detection and predictive analytics
The primary goal of MaintenanceOpt® equipment health monitoring and diagnosis is to drive actions that improve a generating plant’s availability. MaintenanceOpt employs adaptive neural network models that monitor plant data in real-time, constantly searching for anomalies that point to potential equipment health problems.
MaintenanceOpt predicts expected values for signals under current operating conditions, compares them to actual values, and, when the difference between the predicted and actual values exceeds an appropriate threshold, generates an alert to notify users of a potential equipment problem. Problems are identified as soon as a deviation occurs, resulting in fewer false alarms than with other detection systems.
MaintenanceOpt’s embedded diagnostic support system accelerates issue diagnosis and remediation by providing users with all relevant historical and real-time contextual data, models of expected performance, and a list of potential causes and corrective actions.
Benefits of power plant equipment health monitoring and diagnostics
Key MaintenanceOpt benefits are:
- Minimizes likelihood of catastrophic failures
- Increases unit uptime
- Improves unit efficiency
- Shortens the issue detection-through-resolution lifecycle
- Customizes to meet the variety of workflow and resource requirements
- Integrates with existing maintenance infrastructure
Unit-wide performance management
PerformanceOpt® is a real-time proactive performance management system. It continuously monitors unit efficiency and notifies the user when it finds potential opportunities to improve heat rate or capacity or when there are significant changes in the way the unit is performing. In addition to alerting users to issues that are keeping the unit from achieving its efficiency and capacity potential, PerformanceOpt provides diagnostic assistance tools to expedite problem identification and resolution.
PerformanceOpt provides a wealth of performance information to other NeuCo optimizers installed on a unit, such as real-time coal quality and boiler efficiency information to CombustionOpt, boiler cleanliness targets to SootOpt and information about possible equipment problems to MaintenanceOpt.
Benefits of real-time performance management for process efficiency
Key PerformanceOpt benefits:
- Improves unit heat rate and capacity
- Reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
- Enhances process health
- Shortens the issue detection-through-resolution lifecycle
- Strengthens other optimizer benefits
- Supports multiple user profiles: high-level snapshots to deep drills
