Define the symptom
Agree on the problem, affected loads, limits, time period and measurable performance indicators.
Combustion Optimization
Diagnose unstable combustion, emissions and fuel-conversion problems with operating data, fuel properties, air distribution and practical engineering checks.
Applications
Problems this service can investigate
Combustion performance is treated as a connected system of fuel, air, temperature, mixing, residence time and equipment condition.
- High or unstable CO at steady or changing load
- NOx behavior linked to fuel and air staging
- Uneven primary or secondary-air distribution
- Poor burnout, high unburned carbon or char carryover
- Bed-temperature and excess-O2 instability
- Slagging, localized hot zones and refractory exposure
- Changed performance after a new biomass fuel supply
- BFB, grate and industrial combustion troubleshooting
Project workflow
Change one cause at a time
The workflow aligns operating trends, fuel data and equipment observations before recommending controlled tests or hardware modifications.
Build the baseline
Align CO, NOx, O2, temperature, load, fuel rate, air settings and pressure data.
Review fuel behavior
Check moisture, nitrogen, volatile matter, ash, heating value, size distribution and consistency.
Check air and equipment
Review primary/secondary-air balance, leakage, distribution, deposits and mechanical condition.
Plan controlled trials
Prioritize safe adjustments and record one variable change against a stable reference condition.
Recommend and verify
Document findings, operating window, limitations and measurements needed to confirm improvement.
What you receive
Typical deliverables
- Structured root-cause assessment
- Time-aligned operating-data review
- Fuel-property and particle-size interpretation
- Air-distribution and combustion-zone assessment
- Prioritized operating or design recommendations
- Controlled test plan and verification indicators
- Engineering report with assumptions and limitations
What is needed
Typical project inputs
- Boiler type, drawings and combustion-system description
- Historian trends and stack-analyzer data
- Primary/secondary-air flows, damper positions and pressures
- Bed, furnace and flue-gas temperatures
- Fuel analysis, particle-size data and delivery history
- Bottom/fly-ash observations and unburned carbon results
- Photos, inspection findings and recent modifications
Technical foundation
Existing combustion engineering resources
These articles explain the mechanisms used to structure a plant investigation and connect operating symptoms to testable causes.
Fuel Properties, CO & NOx
How nitrogen, moisture, volatile matter, ash and heating value influence BFB combustion and emissions.
Read the article →Particle Size & Burnout
Why excessive fines and oversized biomass particles create different combustion and emission risks.
Read the article →Air Distribution by CFD
A staged header and windbox study that reduced modeled outlet-flow variation in a fluidized-bed boiler.
Read the case study →Optimization principles
Evidence before setpoint changes
Average stack O2 alone cannot show whether local zones are fuel-rich, oxygen-rich, too cold or poorly mixed. Recommendations therefore combine emissions with load, temperature, fuel behavior, air distribution and residence-time evidence.
Important: Optimization does not guarantee a fixed CO or NOx reduction. Results depend on equipment condition, fuel variability, measurement quality, operating constraints and the changes the plant can safely implement.
When CFD may be useful
If operating adjustments cannot correct a persistent distribution problem, a separate CFD scope can compare duct, header, windbox or air-port modifications before fabrication.
Project enquiry
Have unstable CO, NOx, slagging or burnout?
Share the operating trends, fuel information, equipment arrangement and when the problem began. CADBoostPro can review the available evidence and propose a focused investigation scope.
Discuss your combustion problem →Useful first comparison
Provide one stable period before the problem and one representative problem period at similar load, using the same emissions reference basis where possible.