An Ultrasonic-Capacitive System for Online Characterization of Fuel Oils in Thermal Power Plants
Mateus Mendes Campos,
Luiz Eduardo Borges-da-Silva,
Daniel de Almeida Arantes,
Carlos Eduardo Teixeira,
Erik Leandro Bonaldi,
Germano Lambert-Torres,
Ronny Francis Ribeiro Junior,
Gabriel Pedro Krupa,
Wilson Cesar Sant’Ana,
Levy Ely Lacerda Oliveira,
Renato Guth de Paiva
Affiliations
Mateus Mendes Campos
Gnarus Institute, R&D Department, Itajuba 37500-052, MG, Brazil
Luiz Eduardo Borges-da-Silva
Institute of Engineering Systems and Information Technology, Itajuba Federal University, Pro-Reitoria de Pesquisa e Pos-Graduacao (PRPPG), Itajuba 37500-903, MG, Brazil
Daniel de Almeida Arantes
Institute of Engineering Systems and Information Technology, Itajuba Federal University, Pro-Reitoria de Pesquisa e Pos-Graduacao (PRPPG), Itajuba 37500-903, MG, Brazil
Carlos Eduardo Teixeira
Gnarus Institute, R&D Department, Itajuba 37500-052, MG, Brazil
Erik Leandro Bonaldi
Gnarus Institute, R&D Department, Itajuba 37500-052, MG, Brazil
Germano Lambert-Torres
Gnarus Institute, R&D Department, Itajuba 37500-052, MG, Brazil
Ronny Francis Ribeiro Junior
Gnarus Institute, R&D Department, Itajuba 37500-052, MG, Brazil
Gabriel Pedro Krupa
Gnarus Institute, R&D Department, Itajuba 37500-052, MG, Brazil
Wilson Cesar Sant’Ana
Gnarus Institute, R&D Department, Itajuba 37500-052, MG, Brazil
Levy Ely Lacerda Oliveira
Gnarus Institute, R&D Department, Itajuba 37500-052, MG, Brazil
Renato Guth de Paiva
Norte Energia S.A., Vitoria do Xingu 68383-000, PA, Brazil
This paper presents a ultrasonic-capacitive system for online analysis of the quality of fuel oils (FO), which are widely used to produce electric energy in Thermal Power Plants (TPP) due to their elevated heating value. The heating value, in turn, is linked to the quality of the fuel (i.e., the density and the amount of contaminants, such as water). Therefore, the analysis of the quality is of great importance for TPPs, either in order to avoid a decrease in generated power or in order to avoid damage to the TPP equipment. The proposed system is composed of two main strategies: a capacitive system (in order to estimate the water content in the fuel) and an ultrasonic system (in order to estimate the density). The conjunction of the two strategies is used in order to estimate the heating value of the fuel, online, as it passes through the pipeline and is an important tool for the TPP in order to detect counterfeit fuel. In addition, the ultrasonic system allows the estimation of the flow rate through the pipeline, hence estimating the amount of oil transferred and obtaining the total mass transferred as a feature of the system. Experimental results are provided for both sensors installed in a TPP in Brazil.
