Incineration quantity control method, and program

Abstract

To curb decline in profitability of a waste matter power generation plant.SOLUTION: In an incineration furnace that incinerates waste matters, an incineration quantity control method is for controlling incineration quantity of the waste matters within a predetermined range. A lower limit value of a required vaporization quantity is calculated from a power consumption and a steam consumption in ancillary facilities of the incineration furnace. A changing plan of a vaporization quantity set value is created so that the vaporization quantity set value becomes the lower limit value of the required vaporization quantity or more. The vaporization quantity set value is changed based on the changing plan so that an estimated incineration quantity becomes within a range from a lower limit value to an upper limit value of the incineration quantity.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and program for controlling the incineration amount, and in particular, it is suitable for application to the control of the incineration amount using an evaporation amount control system in a control method of a waste power generation plant.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in a waste power generation plant that generates power using waste as an energy source, a turbine is driven and power is generated using steam generated by heat-exchanging high-temperature combustion gas generated during incineration of waste with a boiler. Therefore, in order to stabilize the power generation amount, generally, the steam generation amount in the boiler, that is, the evaporation amount, is controlled to be constant. In order to make the evaporation amount constant, it is required to control the amount of heat of the combustion gas introduced into the boiler to be constant. However, the amount of heat (also referred to as calories) of the waste that is the heat source of the combustion gas varies greatly depending on the type and state of the waste. As a result, even assuming that the amount of heat of the combustion gas is constant, the amount of waste incinerated to generate the combustion gas, that is, the incineration amount, does not become constant.

[0003] In a waste power generation plant where the incineration amount can be changed relatively freely, while it is possible to stabilize the evaporation amount by controlling the incineration amount, due to the increase in the number of regions where the amount of waste discharged is decreasing due to population decline and the like, there are also waste power generation plants in which an upper limit is set for the amount of waste to be processed. In addition, there may be cases where a lower limit is set for the amount of waste to be processed due to a requirement to process a predetermined amount or more of waste for the incineration of waste, which is the role of the waste power generation plant. Therefore, in a waste power generation plant, generally, while controlling the evaporation amount to be as constant as possible, when the incineration amount falls outside the specified range, the target value of the evaporation amount control (hereinafter, the evaporation amount set value) is changed to control not only the evaporation amount but also the incineration amount.

[0004] Conventionally, in order to control the incineration amount, the operator manually changed the evaporation amount set value, but a method for automating the operation of changing the evaporation amount set value has also been proposed. Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a method for automatically changing the evaporation amount set value in order to bring the incineration amount of one day closer to the target value.

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0005]

Non-Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, if the evaporation amount set value is changed only based on the target value of the incineration amount, there is a possibility that steam will be insufficient when steam or electricity is consumed in the auxiliary equipment of the waste power generation plant. In this case, the power required for the operation of the waste power generation plant becomes insufficient, increasing the possibility of power purchase, where electricity is purchased from the outside. Power purchase incurs costs and becomes a factor that deteriorates the profitability of the waste power generation plant. Therefore, in order to reduce the possibility of power purchase, it is possible to control the incineration amount by changing the evaporation amount set value in consideration of the consumption of steam and electricity required for the operation of the auxiliary equipment, and to suppress the occurrence of power purchase due to steam shortage and the decline in the profitability of the waste power generation plant due to power purchase. There has been a demand for the development of technology.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide an incineration amount control method and a program capable of suppressing a decrease in the profitability of a waste power generation plant.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the above object, an incineration amount control method according to an aspect of the present invention is an incineration amount control method executed by a control unit that controls the incineration amount of waste within a predetermined range in an incinerator that incinerates waste. The method includes deriving a lower limit value of the required evaporation amount from the power consumption and steam consumption in the auxiliary equipment of the incinerator, creating a change plan for the evaporation amount set value so that the evaporation amount set value is equal to or greater than the lower limit value of the required evaporation amount, and changing the evaporation amount set value based on the change plan and such that the predicted incineration amount is within the range from the lower limit value to the upper limit value of the incineration amount.

[0009] In the incineration amount control method according to an aspect of the present invention, in the above invention, the lower limit value of the required evaporation amount is set to the required steam amount in each time zone of the auxiliary equipment, which is derived from the operation time zone of the auxiliary equipment, the power consumption, and the steam consumption of the auxiliary equipment.

[0010] In the incineration amount control method according to an aspect of the present invention, in the above invention, the power consumption of the auxiliary equipment is the predicted power consumption derived based on the measured value of the most recent power consumption in the auxiliary equipment, and the steam consumption of the auxiliary equipment is the predicted steam consumption derived based on the measured value of the most recent steam consumption in the auxiliary equipment.

[0011] In the incineration amount control method according to an aspect of the present invention, in the above invention, the predicted incineration amount is the predicted value of the cumulative incineration amount derived based on the actual value of the cumulative incineration amount in a predetermined integration period for performing the control and the change plan of the evaporation amount set value.

[0012] A program according to an aspect of the present invention causes a control unit that controls the incineration amount of waste within a predetermined range in an incinerator that incinerates waste to derive a lower limit value of the required evaporation amount from the power consumption and steam consumption in the auxiliary equipment of the incinerator, create a change plan for the evaporation amount set value so that the evaporation amount set value is equal to or greater than the lower limit value of the required evaporation amount, and change the evaporation amount set value based on the change plan and such that the predicted incineration amount is within the range from the lower limit value to the upper limit value of the incineration amount.

Advantages of the Invention

[0013] According to the incineration amount control method and program according to the present invention, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the profit of a waste power generation plant.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7A

Figure 7B

Figure 8A

Figure 8B

Figure 8C

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings of the following embodiment, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Further, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below.

[0016] First, the intensive studies conducted by the present inventor until the idea of the present invention was developed will be described. FIGS. 8A and 8B are graphs showing examples of an incineration amount control method by changing the evaporation amount setting according to the prior art.

[0017] As shown in FIGS. 8A to 8C, in a waste power generation system equipped with a waste incinerator, the incineration amount is generally controlled based on the incineration amount obtained by accumulating the incineration amount for one day (hereinafter, cumulative incineration amount), for example, the cumulative incineration amount for 24 hours from 0:00 to 24:00.

[0018] That is, as shown in FIG. 8A, at a certain time T1, the predicted incineration amount derived based on the actual incineration amount (actual incineration amount L0 in FIG. 8A) may exceed the upper limit value of the incineration amount (hereinafter referred to as the incineration amount upper limit value). Here, the predicted incineration amount is the predicted value of the daily cumulative incineration amount calculated by linear interpolation from the actual value of the daily cumulative incineration amount, and the predicted incineration amount derived at a certain time T1 is the predicted value of the daily cumulative incineration amount at the 24-hour stage at the time point of time T1. For example, when the predicted incineration amount exceeds the incineration amount upper limit value (thick dotted line L1 in FIG. 8A) at time T1, as shown in FIG. 8B, by reducing the set value of the evaporation amount (hereinafter referred to as the evaporation amount set value), the increasing rate of the cumulative incineration amount is reduced (part S1 in FIG. 8B). Thereby, as shown in FIG. 8A, the increasing rate of the actual incineration amount is reduced, and the cumulative incineration amount at the 24-hour time point is made closer to the target value (actual incineration amount L0 after time T1 in FIG. 8A). The degree to which the incineration amount changes with respect to the change in the evaporation amount depends on the calorific value of the incinerated waste. In this regard, generally, since there is a positive correlation between the incineration amount and the evaporation amount, when the evaporation amount decreases by reducing the evaporation amount set value, the incineration amount also decreases.

[0019] FIG. 8C shows the change in the power generation amount when the above-described evaporation amount set value is changed, the change in the power generation amount when the steam consumption amount (hereinafter referred to as the steam consumption amount) increases due to the operation of the auxiliary equipment, and the change in the in-plant power when the power consumption amount (hereinafter referred to as the power consumption amount) increases due to the operation of the auxiliary equipment. As shown in FIG. 8C, when the time point T1 at which the evaporation amount set value is lowered to bring the cumulative incineration amount closer to the target cumulative incineration amount (hereinafter referred to as the target incineration amount) overlaps with the time period when the in-plant power amount increases due to the operation of the auxiliary equipment, or when the steam consumption amount increases and the power generation amount decreases, a situation occurs where the power generation amount sufficient to cover the in-plant power cannot be secured and power shortage occurs, making it necessary to purchase power. Therefore, when controlling the incineration amount of waste by changing the evaporation amount set value, it is desirable to change the evaporation amount set value after considering not only the value of the target incineration amount but also the operation time of the auxiliary equipment, the power consumption amount, and the steam consumption amount.

[0020] Therefore, the inventor of the present invention conceived the following first to fourth steps as the control realized by the incineration amount control system. That is, first, information on the operating time zone, power consumption, and steam consumption related to the auxiliary equipment is acquired. Second, based on the actual values of the recent evaporation amount and power generation amount, the conversion coefficients of the evaporation amount and power generation amount, that is, the power generation efficiency, are derived. Third, based on the obtained information and the derived information, the evaporation amount lower limit value for each time zone is set to generate a change plan for the evaporation amount set value. Fourth, based on the following priority order in the order of (1), (2), and (3) (the smaller the number, the higher the priority), the evaporation amount set value is changed to control the incineration amount. (1) When the current evaporation amount set value falls below the lower limit value of the evaporation amount (evaporation amount lower limit value) after a certain time, the evaporation amount set value is increased. (2) When the predicted incineration amount exceeds the upper limit value of the incineration amount (evaporation amount upper limit value), or when the exhaust gas flow rate exceeds the upper limit, the evaporation amount set value is decreased. (3) When the predicted incineration amount exceeds the target incineration amount by a predetermined value or more, the evaporation amount set value is decreased. Note that the predetermined value when the predicted incineration amount exceeds the target incineration amount by a predetermined value or more is a threshold value that can be changed by the user, and for example, about 1% of the target incineration amount is preferable. The following embodiment is devised based on the above earnest studies by the inventor of the present invention.

[0021] (Waste power generation system) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a waste power generation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a waste power generation system 1 as a combustion amount control system according to an embodiment includes an incineration amount control device 10 as an information processing device that controls the incineration amount of waste and an automatic combustion control device 30 that can communicate with each other via a network 2. The automatic combustion control device 30 is configured to be able to control the waste incinerator 100. The waste incinerator 100 is configured to be able to supply steam and power to the auxiliary equipment 200. Here, examples of equipment with a large steam consumption among the auxiliary equipment 200 include a soot blower that removes ash adhering to the heat transfer surface of a boiler with steam, a warm bath facility, and the like. Further, examples of equipment with a large power consumption among the auxiliary equipment 200 include a crusher for bulky waste. Note that the auxiliary equipment 200 is not limited to these, and includes all auxiliary equipment with a large power consumption and steam consumption in the target plant. Although details will be described later, all of these auxiliary equipment 200 are equipment that should be considered in calculating the lower limit value of the evaporation amount.

[0022] The network 2 is composed of an Internet line network, a mobile phone line network, and the like. The network 2 may be, for example, a public communication network such as the Internet, and may include other communication networks such as a WAN (Wide Area Network), a telephone communication network such as a mobile phone, and a wireless communication network such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark). Note that the data transmitted and received in the communication between the incineration amount control device 10 and the automatic combustion control device 30 may include operation management indicators important for the operation of the waste incinerator 100. Therefore, considering the security of the transmitted and received data, it is preferable that the communication line between the incineration amount control device 10 and the automatic combustion control device 30 be a dedicated line or a VPN line.

[0023] (Waste Incinerator) Figure 2 shows a waste incinerator as an incineration facility to which an automatic combustion control device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. As shown in Figure 2, a waste incinerator 100, such as a grate-type garbage incinerator, includes a furnace 101 where garbage, which is waste, is burned, a garbage inlet 102 for introducing garbage, and a boiler 109. The boiler 109 includes a heat exchanger 109a and a steam drum 109b installed downstream of the furnace outlet 107 of the furnace 101.

[0024] The garbage introduced from the garbage inlet 102 is conveyed to the grate 104 by a garbage supply device 103. By the reciprocating motion of the grate 104, the garbage is agitated and moved. The garbage on the grate 104 is burned while being dried by the blowing of combustion air supplied by a combustion air blower 106 into the air box below the grate 104, and exhaust gas and ash are generated. The generated ash falls through the ash outlet 105 and is discharged outside the furnace 101.

[0025] The total amount of combustion air supplied from below the grate 104 into the furnace 101 is adjusted by a combustion air damper 114 provided immediately downstream of the combustion air blower 106. The flow rate of the combustion air supplied to each air box is adjusted by combustion air dampers 114a, 114b, 114c, 114d provided respectively in the pipes supplying combustion air to the respective air boxes. That is, the ratio of the flow rate of the combustion air supplied to each air box is adjusted by the combustion air dampers 114a to 114d below the grate. In Figure 2, the area below the grate 104 is divided into four air boxes along the garbage conveyance direction, and combustion air is supplied through each air box. However, the number of the combustion air dampers 114a to 114d and the number of air boxes are not necessarily limited to four, and can be appropriately changed according to the scale and purpose of the garbage incinerator.

[0026] Furthermore, the combustion air damper 114 is connected to a combustion air temperature damper 126a connected in series, for example, and a combustion air temperature damper 126b connected in parallel. The temperature of the combustion air supplied from below the fire grate 104 into the interior of the furnace 101 is adjusted by these combustion air temperature dampers 126a and 126b.

[0027] Cooling air is blown into the furnace 101 by a cooling air blower 111 from a cooling air inlet 110 provided in the furnace wall or ceiling of the furnace 101. By blowing the cooling air into the furnace 101, unburned components in the combustion gas are further burned, and the temperature of the furnace wall is prevented from rising excessively. The flow rate of the cooling air supplied from the cooling air inlet 110 into the furnace 101 is adjusted by a cooling air damper 115 provided immediately upstream of the cooling air blower 111. An exhaust gas recirculation air damper 128 for adjusting the flow rates of the exhaust gas and the combustion air when mixing the exhaust gas from the outlet of an exhaust gas treatment device (not shown) with the combustion air and recirculating it into the furnace 101 by a recirculation blower 127 is provided on the ceiling of the furnace 101 or the like. By low air ratio combustion by the exhaust gas recirculation air damper 128, it becomes possible to suppress the generation of NOx during combustion.

[0028] Along the conveying direction of the refuse in the fire grate 104, the combustible gas generated in the upstream refuse drying process and the main combustion process and the combustion exhaust gas generated in the downstream afterburning process merge at a gas mixing section provided on the furnace outlet 107 side of the furnace 101. The combustible gas and the combustion exhaust gas merged at the gas mixing section are stirred and mixed again, and then secondary combustion is performed by the supply of secondary combustion air. The boiler 109 is installed downstream along the conveying direction of the refuse with respect to the portion where the secondary combustion is performed (hereinafter referred to as the secondary combustion section). The combustion gas after the secondary combustion is exhausted to the outside from the chimney 108 after the heat energy is recovered by the heat exchanger 109a of the boiler 109.

[0029] Inside the furnace 101, an intermediate ceiling 116 is provided at an upper position along the height direction of the furnace 101. The gas flowing inside the furnace 101 can be discharged separately by the intermediate ceiling 116 into a gas containing a large amount of combustible gas generated in the upstream waste drying process and main combustion process, and a combustion exhaust gas generated in the downstream afterburning process. Specifically, while the combustion exhaust gas flows through a flue (main flue) below the intermediate ceiling 116, the gas containing a large amount of combustible gas flows through a flue (auxiliary flue) above the intermediate ceiling 116. By the combustion exhaust gas and the gas containing a large amount of combustible gas merging in the gas mixing section, the stirring and mixing of the gas in the gas mixing section are further promoted. Thereby, the combustion in the secondary combustion section becomes more stable, the generation of dioxins in the combustion process can be suppressed, and the generation of unburned components of the waste can be suppressed. Note that the configuration may be such that the intermediate ceiling 116 is not provided inside the furnace 101.

[0030] At a plurality of positions inside the furnace 101, thermometers are provided as sensors for measuring the gas temperature inside the furnace 101. Specifically, along the height direction of the furnace 101, a combustion chamber gas thermometer 117 is provided at an intermediate position between the fire grate 104 and the cooling air inlet 110.

[0031] Along the height direction of the furnace 101, a main flue gas thermometer 118 is provided at a position below the furnace outlet 107. Along the height direction of the furnace 101, a furnace outlet lower gas thermometer 119 is provided at a lower position of the furnace outlet 107. Along the height direction of the furnace 101, a furnace outlet middle gas thermometer 120 is provided at a middle position of the furnace outlet 107. Along the height direction of the furnace 101, a furnace outlet gas thermometer 121 for measuring the combustion management temperature is provided at a downstream position of the furnace outlet 107. The measured values of the temperatures measured by the combustion chamber gas thermometer 117, the main flue gas thermometer 118, the furnace outlet lower gas thermometer 119, the furnace outlet middle gas thermometer 120, and the furnace outlet gas thermometer 121 are stored in the storage unit 34 (see FIG. 3) of the automatic combustion control device 30 as combustion process measurement values. The data of the measured values of the temperatures stored in the storage unit 34 may be transmitted from the automatic combustion control device 30 to the incineration amount control device 10 as measured value data.

[0032] The boiler 109 is provided with a boiler outlet oxygen concentration meter 122 for measuring the concentration of oxygen (O2) in the exhaust gas on the outlet side. At the inlet of the chimney 108, a gas concentration meter 123 for measuring the concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen oxides (NO x ) in the exhaust gas is provided. In the pipe connecting the outlet of the boiler 109 and the chimney 108, an exhaust gas flow meter 124 for measuring the exhaust gas volume is provided. The measured values of the gas concentration and flow rate measured by the boiler outlet oxygen concentration meter 122, the gas concentration meter 123, and the exhaust gas flow meter 124 are stored in the storage unit 34 of the automatic combustion control device 30 as combustion process measurement values. Note that the combustion process measurement values are also simply referred to as measurement values.

[0033] A combustion image imaging unit 125 is provided on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the garbage inside the furnace 101. The combustion image imaging unit 125 images the combustion state of the garbage on the fire grate 104 and stores the captured combustion image data in the storage unit 34 of the automatic combustion control device 30. Further, the combustion image imaging unit 125 images the combustion state of the garbage on the fire grate 104, and the captured combustion image data may be stored in, for example, the process value database 12b (see FIG. 4) of the storage unit 12 of the incineration amount control device 10.

[0034] (Automatic Combustion Control Device) FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the automatic combustion control device 30. As shown in FIG. 3, the automatic combustion control device 30 as an automatic combustion control device includes a calculation control unit 31, an operation amount reference value adjustment unit 32, an operation amount reference value correction unit 33, a storage unit 34, and an operation amount adjustment unit 35.

[0035] The calculation control unit 31, the operation amount reference value adjustment unit 32, the operation amount reference value correction unit 33, and the operation amount adjustment unit 35 specifically include a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), and a main storage unit such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory) (none of which are shown). The storage unit 34 is composed of a storage medium selected from a volatile memory such as a RAM, a non-volatile memory such as a ROM, an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), a hard disk drive (HDD), and a removable medium. The removable medium is, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory or a disk recording medium such as a CD (Compact Disc), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or a BD (Blu-ray (registered trademark) Disc). Alternatively, the storage unit 34 may be configured using a computer-readable recording medium such as a memory card that can be externally attached.

[0036] Based on the set value of the incineration amount of waste in a predetermined period (hereinafter referred to as the garbage incineration amount set value) received from the incineration amount control device 10, the calculation control unit 31 derives the set value of the evaporation amount in the predetermined period. The predetermined period is typically one day (24 hours), but is not necessarily limited to one day and can be arbitrarily set.

[0037] The storage unit 34 can store an operating system (OS) for executing the operations of the automatic combustion control device 30, various programs, various tables, various databases, and the like. Specifically, an evaporation amount database 341 and a process value database 342 are stored in the storage unit 34. Further, the various programs include a program for realizing processing based on a learning model or a learned model generated by machine learning, and an automatic combustion control program for performing predetermined automatic combustion control. These various programs can also be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a hard disk, a flash memory, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, or a flexible disk and widely distributed. Note that the storage unit 34 may be provided in another server that can communicate via various networks.

[0038] The automatic combustion control device 30 loads the programs stored in the storage unit 34 into the working area of the main storage unit and executes them, and can realize a function that matches a predetermined purpose by controlling each component and the like through the execution of the programs. In the present embodiment, various functions of the calculation control unit 31, the operation amount reference value adjustment unit 32, the operation amount reference value correction unit 33, and the operation amount adjustment unit 35 can be realized by the execution of the programs by the automatic combustion control device 30. Note that the automatic combustion control device 30 may have a function of a learning unit. In this case, machine learning such as deep learning can be performed by the learning unit of the automatic combustion control device 30, and the automatic combustion control device 30 can function as an artificial intelligence (AI) or a generative AI.

[0039] The automatic combustion control device 30 controls the combustion air volume, the cooling air volume, the feeding speed of the refuse supply device, and the feeding speed of the grate as the operation amounts of the respective operation ends based on a preset operation amount reference value setting relational expression. Note that the automatic combustion control device 30 also controls the stop and operation of the feeding speed of the refuse supply device and the feeding speed of the grate. The operation amount reference value setting relational expression is a relational expression between the refuse incineration amount set value or the refuse quality set value and the operation amount reference value (the target value of the operation amount), and includes control parameters as correction coefficients. The control parameters are adjusted by the operation amount reference value adjustment unit 32 so as to conform to the refuse incineration amount set value and the refuse quality set value. When at least one of the set values of the refuse incineration amount set value and the refuse quality set value is changed, the adjusted control parameters are changed by the operation amount reference value adjustment unit 32 corresponding to the changed set value. When the control parameters are changed, the preset operation amount reference value is corrected.

[0040] The calculation control unit 31 executes various controls and calculations. Specifically, for example, the calculation control unit 31 derives, as an evaporation amount set value, the evaporation amount per unit time generated by the combustion of the waste in the waste incinerator 100 over a predetermined period, for example, one day (24 hours). Also, for example, when the calculation control unit 31 functions as a refuse calculation unit, it calculates the refuse quality (the lower calorific value of the refuse) according to the refuse incineration amount set value. The operation amount reference value adjustment unit 32 adjusts the operation amount reference value by adjusting the control parameters included in the operation amount reference value setting relational expression. The operation amount reference value correction unit 33 corrects the operation amount reference value adjusted by the operation amount reference value adjustment unit 32 based on a predetermined control algorithm (such as PID control or fuzzy calculation). Note that the data referred to by the calculation control unit 31, the operation amount reference value adjustment unit 32, and the operation amount reference value correction unit 33 are stored in the storage unit 34 in a readable manner. The storage unit 34 stores a preset operation amount reference value setting relational expression, a control algorithm, the daily evaporation amount set value and incineration amount set value transmitted from the incineration amount control device 10, and further the combustion process measurement values transmitted from the waste incinerator 100 and obtained as the combustion state amounts in the furnace 101.

[0041] The operation amount adjustment unit 35 adjusts the respective operation amounts of each operation end so as to follow the operation amount reference value. Specifically, the operation amount adjustment unit 35 includes a combustion air amount adjustment unit 351, an air amount ratio adjustment unit 352, a cooling air amount adjustment unit 353, a refuse supply device feed speed adjustment unit 354, a grate feed speed adjustment unit 355, a combustion air temperature adjustment unit 356, and an exhaust gas recirculation air flow rate adjustment unit 357.

[0042] The combustion air amount adjustment unit 351 adjusts the operation amount so that the combustion air amount follows the operation amount reference value (hereinafter referred to as the corrected operation amount reference value) corrected by the operation amount reference value correction unit 33. The air amount ratio adjustment unit 352 controls each of the combustion air dampers 114a to 114d under the grate to adjust the mutual ratio of the flow rates in the respective wind boxes. The cooling air amount adjustment unit 353 adjusts the operation amount so that the cooling air amount follows the corrected operation amount reference value. Here, the adjustment of the combustion air amount and the cooling air amount is performed by controlling the respective opening degrees of the combustion air damper 114, the combustion air dampers 114a to 114d under the grate, and the cooling air damper 115. The refuse supply device feed speed adjustment unit 354 adjusts the operation amount so that the refuse supply device feed speed follows the corrected operation amount reference value. The grate feed speed adjustment unit 355 adjusts the operation amount so that the grate feed speed follows the corrected operation amount reference value. The combustion air temperature adjustment unit 356 controls the combustion air temperature dampers 126a and 126b so that the temperature of the combustion air follows the corrected operation amount reference value. The exhaust gas recirculation air flow rate adjustment unit 357 controls the exhaust gas recirculation air damper 128 so that the flow rates of the exhaust gas and air to be recirculated follow the corrected operation amount reference value. When the operation amount reference value is not corrected by the operation amount reference value correction unit 33, the operation amount adjustment unit 35 adjusts the respective operation amounts based on the uncorrected operation amount reference value.

[0043] (Incineration amount control device) FIG. 4 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the incineration amount control device 10. As shown in FIG. 4, the incineration amount control device 10 has a configuration of a general computer that can communicate via the network 2. The incineration amount control device 10 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, a communication unit 13, and an input / output unit 14. The control unit 11 and the storage unit 12 are physically and functionally the same as the calculation control unit 31 and the storage unit 34 described above.

[0044] The communication unit 13 is, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) interface board or a wireless communication circuit for wireless communication. The LAN interface board and the wireless communication circuit are connected to a network 2 such as the Internet which is a public communication network. The communication unit 13 transmits and receives various information such as the target incineration amount, the target evaporation amount, the operation information, and the operation plan information to and from the automatic combustion control device 30 via the network 2.

[0045] The input / output unit 14 is composed of, for example, a touch panel type keyboard incorporated inside a keyboard or a display unit to detect touch operations on the display panel, or a voice input device that enables a call with the outside. The display unit constituting the input / output unit 14 is composed of, for example, an organic EL panel or a liquid crystal display panel, and notifies external information by displaying characters, graphics, etc. on the display panel.

[0046] The control unit 11 comprehensively controls the operations of the storage unit 12, the communication unit 13, and the input / output unit 14 by executing various application programs. The storage unit 12 can store an OS, various programs, various tables, various databases, etc. Here, the various programs also include learning models and learned models generated by machine learning. These various programs can also be recorded on computer-readable recording media such as hard disks, flash memories, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, and flexible disks and widely distributed. The control unit 11 loads the program stored in the storage unit 12 into the working area of the main storage unit and executes it, and controls each component through the execution of the program, thereby realizing functions that meet a predetermined purpose, specifically, a calculation condition input unit 11a, a derivation unit 11b, and a timing unit 11c.

[0047] The calculation condition input unit 11a is a processing unit that acquires various information such as calculation conditions input from the input / output unit 14 by the user and stores it in the storage unit 12, or acquires information from the storage unit 12.

[0048] Based on the conditions for operating the waste incinerator 100 acquired by the calculation condition input unit 11a, the derivation unit 11b reads the incineration amount control program 12d stored in the storage unit 12 and performs calculations to generate an operation plan for the waste incinerator 100 for a predetermined period, for example, one day. The derivation unit 11b stores the generated operation plan in the operation plan database 12a. The derivation unit 11b of the control unit 11 generates and outputs a signal for controlling the incineration amount of waste in the waste incinerator 100 based on the operation plan read from the operation plan database 12a.

[0049] The timing unit 11c is, for example, a clock synchronized with an atomic clock that measures the passage of time and outputs time information. Note that the timing unit 11c can also calculate the time between a predetermined time and another time and output this time information. The output time information and time information are input to the derivation unit 11b. Note that the time information and time information in the incineration amount control device 10 are based on the information output from the timing unit 11c, but repeated explanations are omitted.

[0050] The storage unit 12 stores, as a database, various types of information collected from the automatic combustion control devices 30 that control the waste incinerators 100 built in various locations. That is, the storage unit 12 stores an operation plan database 12a, a process value database 12b, and an evaporation amount database 12c as information regarding the operation plan, the actual operation state, and the combustion state of each waste incinerator 100 in which various types of data are stored in a searchable manner. Note that the databases stored in the storage unit 12 are not limited to the above databases. These databases 12a, 12b, and 12c are, for example, relational databases (RDBs). Also, the database (DB) described in the present embodiment is constructed by a program of a database management system (DBMS) executed by the above-described processor managing the data stored in the storage unit 12.

[0051] (Incineration Amount Control Method) Next, a method for controlling the incineration amount executed by the incineration amount control device 10 of the waste power generation system 1 configured as described above will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the incineration amount control method according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the determination loop process in FIG. 5. FIGS. 7A and 7B are graphs showing an example of the set value of the evaporation amount, the lower limit value of the evaporation amount, the predicted steam consumption amount, and the predicted in-plant power consumption amount for each control condition, and an example of the actual incineration amount and the target incineration amount when the incineration amount control method according to the present embodiment is executed, respectively, showing an example of controlling the incineration amount by changing the set value of the evaporation amount. In the following description, the transmission and reception of information between the incineration amount control device 10 and the automatic combustion control device 30 are performed via the network 2, and the information acquired by the incineration amount control device 10 and the automatic combustion control device 30 is stored in and read from the storage units 12 and 34, respectively, but the description of each time is omitted. Further, the flowchart shown in FIG. 5 is repeatedly executed for each predetermined integration period such as one day (24 hours).

[0052] As shown in FIG. 5, first, the user uses the input / output unit 1 of the incineration amount control device 10 to input the creation conditions (calculation conditions) of the operation plan and the creation instruction signal. Note that it is also possible to input the calculation conditions by an external terminal device (not shown) communicable via the network 2. It is also possible to acquire the creation conditions (calculation conditions) of the operation plan and the creation instruction signal from an external storage unit (not shown) or the like. That is, in step ST1, the calculation condition input unit 11a of the control unit 11 acquires the planned operation time zone (hereinafter, the planned operation time zone) in which the auxiliary equipment 200 is expected to operate, the predicted power consumption amount (hereinafter, the predicted power consumption amount), and the predicted steam consumption amount (hereinafter, the predicted steam consumption amount) on the day when the waste incinerator 100 operates. The calculation condition input unit 11a stores the acquired information in the operation plan database 12a.

[0053] Next, the process proceeds to step ST2, and the calculation condition input unit 11a acquires the measured values of the evaporation amount and the power generation amount, which are the latest actual values, from the automatic combustion control device 30 of the waste incinerator 100, and stores them in the process value database 12b. Note that the process value database 12b may be synchronized with the process value database 342 in the storage unit 34 of the automatic combustion control device 30 as appropriate. The calculation condition input unit 11a outputs the acquired measured values to the derivation unit 11b. The derivation unit 11b derives a conversion coefficient from the evaporation amount to the power generation amount based on the input measured values of the latest evaporation amount and power generation amount. The derivation unit 11b stores the derived conversion coefficient in the evaporation amount database 12c of the storage unit 12 in a readable manner. Note that the evaporation amount database 12c may be synchronized with the evaporation amount database 341 in the storage unit 34 of the automatic combustion control device 30 as appropriate.

[0054] Next, the process proceeds to step ST3, and the derivation unit 11b acquires the planned operation time period, the predicted power consumption, and the predicted steam consumption from the storage unit 12. The derivation unit 11b derives a lower limit value of the required evaporation amount (hereinafter referred to as the evaporation amount lower limit value) for not causing power purchase for each predetermined unit time period, such as one hour, within the planned operation time period. The derivation unit 11b stores the information on the derived evaporation amount lower limit value in the operation plan database 12a. In addition, the derivation unit 11b of the incineration amount control device 10 generates a change plan for the evaporation amount set value in the operation plan based on the acquired calculation conditions and the derived evaporation amount lower limit value. The derivation unit 11b stores the generated change plan information in the operation plan database 12a.

[0055] Next, the process proceeds to step ST4, and the processing by the incineration amount control device 10 proceeds to the determination loop processing. Note that the determination loop processing is executed by the control unit 11 reading the incineration amount control program 12d and realizing the function of the derivation unit 11b. That is, the determination loop processing shown in FIG. 6 is executed by the derivation unit 11b according to the incineration amount control program 12d.

[0056] First, in step ST40 of the determination loop process, the derivation unit 11b determines whether the integration period of the incineration amount, for example, one day (24 hours), has ended based on the time measurement by the time measurement unit 11c. When the derivation unit 11b determines that the integration period of the incineration amount has ended (step ST40: Yes), the determination loop process is terminated, and as shown in FIG. 5, the incineration amount control process ends.

[0057] On the other hand, when the derivation unit 11b determines in step ST40 that the integration period of the incineration amount has not ended (step ST40: No), the process proceeds to step ST41. In step ST41, the derivation unit 11b reads the information of the evaporation amount set value from the operation plan database 12a. The derivation unit 11b reads the current evaporation amount set value and determines whether the evaporation amount setting will fall below the evaporation amount lower limit value after a predetermined time. When the derivation unit 11b determines that the evaporation amount set value after the predetermined time will fall below the evaporation amount lower limit value (step ST41: Yes), the process proceeds to step ST42.

[0058] In step ST42, the derivation unit 11b increases the evaporation amount set value and stores the increased evaporation amount set value in the operation plan database 12a. That is, as shown in the control condition (1) of FIG. 7A, when the evaporation amount set value falls below the evaporation amount lower limit value after a predetermined time, control is performed to change the evaporation amount set value so as to increase it so as not to fall below the evaporation amount lower limit value.

[0059] Here, it is desirable to change the evaporation amount set value a predetermined time before the time when the evaporation amount lower limit value starts to increase. The predetermined time is set to be longer than the time during which the evaporation amount set value can be changed without falling below the evaporation amount lower limit value, that is, from the time when it is possible to make the evaporation amount set value larger than the evaporation amount lower limit value at the point in time when the evaporation amount lower limit value starts to increase to the point in time when the evaporation amount lower limit value starts to increase. Specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 7A, the timing of changing the evaporation amount set value (control condition (1)) is more than a predetermined time before the time when the evaporation amount lower limit value starts to increase. This is because there is a delay of more than a predetermined time from when the evaporation amount set value is changed until the actual evaporation amount stabilizes at an evaporation amount close to the changed evaporation amount set value. In this way, considering the time delay in the change of the evaporation amount, the change of the evaporation amount set value is planned so as not to fall below the evaporation amount lower limit value. Then, the process returns to step ST40.

[0060] In step ST41 shown in FIG. 6, when the derivation unit 11b determines that the evaporation amount set value after a predetermined time is equal to or greater than the evaporation amount lower limit value (step ST41: No), the process proceeds to step ST43. In step ST43, the derivation unit 11b determines whether either the predicted incineration amount exceeds the incineration amount upper limit value or the predicted exhaust gas flow rate exceeds the upper limit value. When the derivation unit 11b determines that at least one of the state where the predicted incineration amount exceeds the incineration amount upper limit value and the state where the predicted exhaust gas flow rate exceeds the upper limit value is established (step ST43: Yes), the process proceeds to step ST44.

[0061] In step ST44, the derivation unit 11b decreases the evaporation amount set value and stores the decreased evaporation amount set value in the operation plan database 12a. Specifically, in the examples shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, due to the change in the incineration amount caused by the change in the evaporation amount set value, there may be a case where it is predicted that the regulated value or the self - imposed standard value (hereinafter referred to as the regulated value) imposed on the waste - to - energy system 1 such as a cleaning factory exceeds the limit. In this case, within the range of the control condition (1) where the evaporation amount does not fall below the lower limit value, the evaporation amount set value is changed so as not to exceed the regulated value.

[0062] Here, specific examples of the process values to be regulated for which the regulation values are set include the incineration amount of waste and the exhaust gas flow rate discharged from the waste incinerator 100. Further, the incineration amount to be regulated is the cumulative incineration amount per day, and the exhaust gas flow rate to be regulated is the flow rate of the average value per hour. Therefore, in step ST43, when it is predicted that the cumulative value of the incineration amount or the average value of the exhaust gas flow rate at the time of determination exceeds the regulation value by the derivation unit 11b (control condition (2) in FIG. 7B), the evaporation amount set value is decreased in step ST44. Thereby, while securing the minimum evaporation amount without purchasing electricity, the evaporation amount can be adjusted so as not to exceed the regulation values such as the incineration amount and the exhaust gas flow rate. Then, the process returns to step ST40.

[0063] On the other hand, when the derivation unit 11b determines in step ST43 shown in FIG. 6 that the predicted incineration amount is less than or equal to the incineration amount upper limit value and the exhaust gas flow rate is less than or equal to the upper limit value (step ST43: No), the process proceeds to step ST45. In step ST45, the derivation unit 11b determines whether the predicted incineration amount is more than a predetermined amount more than the target incineration amount. When the derivation unit 11b determines that the predicted incineration amount is more than a predetermined amount more than the target incineration amount (step ST45: Yes), the process proceeds to step ST46.

[0064] In step ST46, the derivation unit 11b decreases the evaporation amount set value and stores the decreased evaporation amount set value in the operation plan database 12a. Specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 7B, after satisfying the above-described control conditions (1) and (2), the evaporation amount set value is decreased so that the incineration amount approaches the target incineration amount, in other words, so that the incineration amount falls within a predetermined range with respect to the target incineration amount. Thereby, the incineration amount decreases and approaches the target incineration amount (control condition (3) in FIG. 7B). Then, the process returns to step ST40.

[0065] On the other hand, when the derivation unit 11b determines in step ST45 that the excess amount of the predicted incineration amount from the target incineration amount is less than the predetermined amount (step ST45: No), the process proceeds to step ST47. In step ST47, the derivation unit 11b determines whether the predicted incineration amount is less than a predetermined amount less than the target incineration amount.

[0066] In step ST47, when the derivation unit 11b determines that the decrease amount of the predicted incineration amount from the target incineration amount is less than a predetermined amount (step ST47: No), the process returns to step ST40. On the other hand, when the derivation unit 11b determines that the predicted incineration amount is less than the target incineration amount by a predetermined amount or more (step ST47: Yes), the process proceeds to step ST48.

[0067] In step ST48, the derivation unit 11b increases the evaporation amount set value and stores the increased evaporation amount set value in the operation plan database 12a. Specifically, contrary to the example shown in FIG. 7B, after satisfying the above-described control conditions (1) and (2), the evaporation amount set value is increased so that the incineration amount approaches the target incineration amount. In other words, the evaporation amount set value is increased so that the incineration amount falls within a predetermined range with respect to the target incineration amount. As a result, the incineration amount increases and approaches the target incineration amount. Note that steps ST45 and ST46 described above and steps ST47 and ST48 may be performed in the reverse order. Thereafter, the process returns to step ST40 shown in FIG. 6, and the determination loop process of steps ST41 to ST48 is repeatedly executed until the derivation unit 11b determines that the integration period of the incineration amount has ended.

[0068] According to the above-described embodiment, the determination of control condition (1) is performed as a condition for not generating power purchase, the determination of control condition (2) is performed as a condition for complying with the regulation value in the waste power generation system 1, and the determination of control condition (3) is sequentially performed as a condition for bringing the incineration amount closer to the target, thereby controlling the evaporation amount set value. That is, the evaporation amount set value is controlled in the order of priority according to control conditions (1), (2), and (3). In other words, the higher the number in the parentheses, the lower the priority. As a result, it is possible to achieve both control for bringing the incineration amount closer to the target incineration amount and control for suppressing a situation in which power purchase occurs due to a shortage of evaporation amount or a situation in which the regulation value is exceeded. Therefore, compared with the incineration amount control according to the prior art, it is possible to reduce the possibility of power purchase and suppress a decrease in the profit of the waste power generation system 1.

[0069] (Recording medium) In the above-described embodiment, a program capable of executing the incineration amount control method by the incineration amount control device 10 and the automatic combustion control device 30 can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium in a computer or other machines and devices (hereinafter referred to as a computer, etc.). By causing a computer or the like to read and execute the program of the recording medium, the computer functions as the incineration amount control device 10 or the automatic combustion control device 30. Here, a computer-readable recording medium refers to a non-temporary recording medium that accumulates information such as data and programs by an electrical, magnetic, optical, mechanical, or chemical action and can be read from a computer or the like. Among such recording media, removable ones from a computer or the like include, for example, flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, CD-ROMs, CD-R / Ws, DVDs, BDs, DATs, magnetic tapes, memory cards such as flash memories, and the like. Also, as recording media fixed to a computer or the like, there are hard disks, ROMs, and the like. Furthermore, an SSD can be used as both a removable recording medium from a computer or the like and a recording medium fixed to a computer or the like.

[0070] Also, the program to be executed by the incineration amount control device 10 and the automatic combustion control device 30 according to an embodiment may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network.

[0071] (Other Embodiments) Also, in the incineration amount control device 10, the terminal device 20, and the automatic combustion control device 30 according to an embodiment, the above-described "section" can be read as "circuit" or the like. For example, the communication section can be read as a communication circuit.

[0072] Further effects and modifications can be easily derived by those skilled in the art. The broader aspects of the present invention are not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments presented and described as above. Accordingly, various changes are possible without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. For example, the numerical values and types of information cited in the above-described embodiment are merely examples, and different numerical values and types of information may be used as necessary. The present invention is not limited by the description and drawings that form part of the disclosure of the present invention according to the above-described embodiment.

[0073] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is applied to a waste incinerator, but the present invention can be applied to various plants that require adjustment of the evaporation amount of steam.

Explanation of Signs

[0074] 1 Waste power generation system 2 Network 10 Incineration amount control device 11 Control unit 11a Calculation condition input unit 11b Derivation unit 11c Timing unit 12, 34 Storage unit 12a Operation plan database 12b, 342 Process value database 12c, 341 Evaporation amount database 12d Incineration amount control program 13 Communication unit 14 Input / output unit 20 Terminal device 30 Automatic combustion control device 31 Calculation control unit 32 Operation amount reference value adjustment unit 33 Operation amount reference value correction unit 35 Operation amount adjustment unit 100 Waste incinerator 101 Furnace 102 Inlet 103 Feeding device 104 Fire grate 105 Ash discharge opening 106 Combustion air blower 107 Furnace outlet 108 Chimney 109 Boiler 109a Heat exchanger 109b Steam drum 110 Cooling air inlet 111 Cooling air blower 114 Combustion air damper 114a, 114b, 114c, 114d Air damper for under-grate combustion 115 Cooling air damper 116 Intermediate ceiling 117 Combustion chamber gas thermometer 118 Main flue gas thermometer 119 Lower furnace outlet gas thermometer 120 Middle furnace outlet gas thermometer 121 Furnace outlet gas thermometer 122 Boiler outlet oxygen concentration meter 123 Gas concentration meter 124 Exhaust gas flow meter 125 Combustion image capturing unit 126a, 126b Combustion air temperature damper 127 Recirculation blower 128 Exhaust gas recirculation air damper 200 Auxiliary equipment 351 Combustion air quantity adjustment unit 352 Air quantity ratio adjustment unit 353 Cooling air quantity adjustment unit 354 Supply device feed speed adjustment unit 355 Fire grate feed speed adjustment unit 356 Combustion air temperature adjustment unit 357 Exhaust gas recirculation air flow adjustment unit

Claims

1. A method for controlling the incineration amount, which is executed by a control unit that controls the incineration amount of waste within a predetermined range in an incinerator for incinerating waste, deriving a lower limit value of the required evaporation amount from the power consumption and steam consumption in the auxiliary equipment of the incinerator, creating a change plan for the evaporation amount setting value such that the evaporation amount setting value is equal to or greater than the lower limit value of the required evaporation amount, changing the evaporation amount setting value based on the change plan and such that the predicted incineration amount is within the range from the lower limit value to the upper limit value of the incineration amount Incineration amount control method.

2. The lower limit value of the required evaporation amount is set to the required steam amount in each time zone of the auxiliary equipment, which is derived from the operating time zone of the auxiliary equipment and the power consumption and steam consumption of the auxiliary equipment, The incineration amount control method according to Claim 1.

3. The power consumption of the auxiliary equipment is a predicted power consumption derived based on the measured value of the most recent power consumption in the auxiliary equipment, and the steam consumption of the auxiliary equipment is a predicted steam consumption derived based on the measured value of the most recent steam consumption in the auxiliary equipment The incineration amount control method according to Claim 1.

4. The predicted incineration amount is a predicted value of the cumulative incineration amount derived based on the actual value of the cumulative incineration amount in a predetermined integration period for performing the control and the change plan of the evaporation amount setting value The incineration amount control method according to Claim 1.

5. A program for causing a control unit that controls the incineration amount of waste within a predetermined range in an incinerator for incinerating waste to 、 derive a lower limit value of the required evaporation amount from the power consumption and steam consumption in the auxiliary equipment of the incinerator, create a change plan for the evaporation amount setting value such that the evaporation amount setting value is equal to or greater than the lower limit value of the required evaporation amount, change the evaporation amount setting value based on the change plan and such that the predicted incineration amount is within the range from the lower limit value to the upper limit value of the incineration amount to execute.

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