Dynamic combustion control for metal furnace

Abstract

Systems and methods may control a regenerative burner system for a metal furnace. The systems and methods include measuring oxygen in exhaust gas from the regenerative burner system and downstream from a burner media bed of the regenerative burner system. The systems and methods may determine at least one of an amount of excess combustion air or a combustion efficiency based on the measured oxygen in the exhaust gas. A control response may be generated based on the determined amount of excess combustion air or combustion efficiency.

Description

DYNAMIC COMBUSTION CONTROL FOR METAL FURNACEREFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 666,546, filed on July 1, 2024, and entitled DYNAMIC COMBUSTION CONTROL FOR METAL FURNACE, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This application relates to regenerative burners used for heating furnaces for melting metals, and more particularly to systems and methods for combustion control.BACKGROUND

[0003] Furnaces for heating and melting metals, such as but not limited to aluminum and aluminum alloys, often use combustible fuel burners, which require a supply of combustion air and generate combustion gases that are directed into the furnace. Regenerative burners are designed to improve fuel efficiency by recycling heat from combustion gases exiting the furnace that would otherwise go to waste. Commonly, a regenerative burner system includes at least two regenerative burners. Each regenerative burner is associated with a fluid- porous body of heat-absorptive material, usually media beds made of particles of refractory material. The media beds absorb heat from, or deliver heat to, gas passing through the beds depending on the relative temperatures of the gas and the beds at the time of contact.

[0004] During operation of the regenerative burner system, while a first burner is operated, combustion air for the first burner is drawn through a first media bed where it is heated by media already hot from a prior burner cycle, and the waste combustion gas that is generated by the first burner is withdrawn from the furnace and is passed through a second media bed. After a period of time, the first burner is turned off and the second burner is ignited. Combustion air for the second burner is then drawn through the second media bed (the one previously heated by the waste gas from the first burner), and waste combustion gas from the second burner is withdrawn from the furnace and passed through the first media bed so that it is heated once again. Such cycling of the burners of the regenerative burner system captures waste heat andprovides the captured heat back into the furnace so that the furnace is operated with improved efficiency.

[0005] While regenerative burner systems are efficient at capturing and re-using heat, traditional regenerative burner systems are often unable to establish combustion gases with a correct ratio of air and fuel for the burners and instead provide excess fuel or excess air to the burners. Such inefficiencies result in the increased consumption of resources (e.g., air, fuel, etc.) and further may result in excess generation of certain emissions in flue gases. Traditional regenerative burner systems are furthermore unable to provide real-time control of the burner system and instead rely on an initial set-up of the air and fuel to provide a mixture of air and fuel to the burners.SUMMARY

[0006] The terms “invention,” “the invention,” “this invention” and “the present invention” used in this patent are intended to refer broadly to all of the subject matter of this patent and the patent claims below. Statements containing these terms should be understood not to limit the subject matter described herein or to limit the meaning or scope of the patent claims below. Embodiments of the invention covered by this patent are defined by the claims below, not this summary. This summary is a high-level overview of various embodiments of the invention and introduces some of the concepts that are further described in the Detailed Description section below. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood by reference to appropriate portions of the entire specification of this patent, any or all drawings, and each claim.

[0007] According to certain embodiments, a method of controlling a regenerative burner system includes measuring oxygen in exhaust gas from the regenerative burner system and downstream from a burner media bed of the regenerative burner system, determining at least one of an amount of excess combustion air or a combustion efficiency based on the measured oxygen in the exhaust gas, and generating a control response based on the determined amount of excess combustion air or combustion efficiency.

[0008] According to some embodiments, a regenerative burner system for a metal furnace includes a burner, a burner media bed, and an oxygen sensor configured to measure oxygen in exhaust gas downstream from the burner media bed. In some embodiments, the regenerative burner system also includes a controller, which may determine an amount of excess combustion air or a combustion efficiency based on the measured oxygen in the exhaust gas and maygenerate a control response based on the determined amount of excess combustion air or combustion efficiency.

[0009] According to various embodiments, non-transitory computer readable storage medium with a plurality of instructions executable by one or more processors includes instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform actions including obtaining an oxygen measurement from an oxygen sensor of oxygen in exhaust gas from the regenerative burner system and downstream from a burner media bed of the regenerative burner system, determining at least one of an amount of excess combustion air or a combustion efficiency based on the measured oxygen in the exhaust gas, and generating a control response based on the determined amount of excess combustion air or combustion efficiency.

[0010] Various implementations described in the present disclosure can include additional systems, methods, features, and advantages, which cannot necessarily be expressly disclosed herein but will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. It is intended that all such systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within the present disclosure and protected by the accompanying claims.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The features and components of the following figures are illustrated to emphasize the general principles of the present disclosure. Corresponding features and components throughout the figures can be designated by matching reference characters for the sake of consistency and clarity.

[0012] FIG. 1 illustrates a metal processing system with a regenerative burner system according to embodiments.

[0013] FIG. 2 illustrates a method of controlling the regenerative burner system of FIG. 1 according to embodiments.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] Described herein are systems and methods for controlling a regenerative burner system. The regenerative burner systems described herein may be utilized with various metal processing equipment, such as but not limited to various metal furnaces (e.g., pusher and pit furnaces, annealing furnaces, melting furnaces, side well furnaces), soaking lines, coating line furnaces, combinations thereof, and / or as otherwise desired. In certain embodiments, thesystems and methods described herein may provide dynamic combustion control of the regenerative burner system and allow for real-time control while the furnace is being utilized. In various embodiments, the systems and methods described herein may measure and / or monitor oxygen coming from the regenerative burner system, such as oxygen measured in exhaust gas from the regenerative burner system. In some embodiments, the measured oxygen may be obtained by one or more sensors provided in an exhaust line of the regenerative burner system downstream from a burner media bed of the regenerative burner system. The measured oxygen may be provided to a control system of the regenerative burner system. In some embodiments, the control system may utilize the measured oxygen to regulate excess combustion air for burners of the regenerative burner system and / or to improve combustion efficiency of the regenerative burner system. As non-limiting examples, based on the measured oxygen, the control system may control a flow of fuel, a flow of air, and / or a flow of exhaust gas to the one or more burners of the regenerative burner system to control excess combustion air and / or combustion efficiency. The systems and methods described herein may improve the efficiency and performance of the regenerative burner system, thereby providing monetary savings, resource savings, and environmental benefits. Various other benefits and advantages may be realized with the systems and methods described herein, and the aforementioned benefits and advantages should not be considered limiting.

[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates a metal processing system 100 for metal according to embodiments. The metal processed by the metal processing system 100 may be various metals as desired, including but not limited to aluminum, aluminum alloys, steel, or other metals as desired. In some examples, the metal may be aluminum or an aluminum alloy in the Ixxx series, 2xxx series, 3xxx series, 4xxx series, 5xxx series, 6xxx series, 7xxx series, 8xxx series and / or any other aluminum or aluminum alloy.

[0016] The metal processing system 100 generally includes one or more pieces of equipment 102 with a regenerative burner system 104. In the embodiment illustrated, the equipment 102 is a melting furnace 106; however, in other embodiments, other equipment and / or combinations of equipment may be utilized with the regenerative burner system 104 as desired.

[0017] The regenerative burner system 104 generally includes one or more burner devices 108, each with a burner 110 and associated media bed 112. In certain embodiments, the regenerative burner system 104 includes at least two burner devices 108A-B which work in tandem as discussed in detail below. In other embodiments, any number of burner devices 108 may be utilized as desired. The media bed 112 may include refractory media particles 114, such as but not limited to ceramic spheres and / or other regular shapes or irregular shapes.

[0018] During operation of the regenerative burner system 104, the burner 110 of one burner device (e.g., burner device 108 A) may be ignited and burned for a period of time. Combustion air (represented by arrow 116) for supporting the combustion of fuel (represented by arrow 118) is provided to the burner device 108A and may be directed through the media bed 112 to the burner 110. In certain embodiments, as a result of a previous cycle, the media particles 114 of the media bed 112 may be hot or heated, and as a result the combustion air directed through the media bed 112 is heated before it mixes with the fuel at the burner 110. The resulting flame (represented by arrow 121) generates heat for the furnace 106 and exhaust gas is directed into the interior of the furnace 106. In various embodiments, because the combustion air is heated by the media bed 112, less fuel may be required to obtain a desired heating effect within the furnace 106.

[0019] The exhaust gas (represented by arrow 120) may be exhausted from the furnace 106 and may be drawn through the media bed 112 of the other burner device (e.g., burner device 108B) to heat the media particles 114 of the media bed 112. In certain embodiments, the exhaust gas 120 may be vented through the inactive burner (e.g., burner 110 of burner device 108B). After passing through the media bed 112 and heating the media particles 112, the exhaust gas may be vented (arrow 132) and / or recirculated to form combustion air 116 as discussed in detail below. After a period of time, the previously activated burner (e.g., burner 110 of burner device 108A) may be deactivated, and the previously deactivated burner (e.g., burner 110 of burner device 108B) may be activated.

[0020] Optionally, the regenerative burner system 104 includes a fuel supply 122 for supplying the fuel 118 (e.g., such as but not limited to gas) to the burner 110. A fuel controller 124, such as but not limited to a valve and / or other control device as desired, may at least partially control the flow of the fuel 118 to the burner 110. Additionally, or alternatively, the regenerative burner system 104 includes a combustion air supply 126 for providing new combustion air 130 which may at least partially define the combustion air 116. In such embodiments, a combustion air controller 128 may at least partially control the flow of the new combustion air 130 from the combustion air supply 126 to the burner device 108. In certain embodiments, and as illustrated in FIG. 1, the combustion air 116 may be at least partially defined by recirculated exhaust gas 120. In these embodiments, an exhaust gas controller 134 may at least partially control the flow of exhaust gas 120 to the burner device 108 after the exhaust gas 120 has exited the media bed 112.

[0021] In certain embodiments, and as illustrated in FIG. 1, the regenerative burner system 104 includes a combustion control system 138 which includes one or more oxygen sensors 140 and a control system 142.

[0022] The one or more oxygen sensors 140 are provided downstream from the media beds 112. In certain embodiments, the one or more oxygen sensors 140 downstream from the media beds 112 provides an improved location for obtaining oxygen measurements while accommodating temperatures, speeds, and / or directions of flow of the exhaust gas. In various embodiments, the one or more oxygen sensors 140 downstream from the media beds 112 allows for a determination of actual performance of the regenerative burner system 104 and subsequent control based on the actual performance as discussed in detail below.

[0023] While a single oxygen sensor 140 is illustrated in FIG. 1, in other embodiments, any number of oxygen sensors 140 may be utilized as desired. The one or more oxygen sensors 140 may be various suitable devices for measuring and / or detecting oxygen in the exhaust gas 120 after the exhaust gas has passed through the media beds 112. In one non-limiting example, the one or more oxygen sensors 140 includes an electronic oxygen analyzer.

[0024] The control system 142 may be operably coupled to at least the one or more oxygen sensors 140. Optionally, the control system 142 is operably coupled to one or more of the controllers 124, 128, 134 of the regenerative burner system 104.

[0025] The control system 142 may include one or more processing units and / or one or more memory devices. The processing unit may be various suitable processing devices or combinations of devices including but not limited to one or more application specific integrated circuits, digital signal processors, digital signal processing devices, programmable logic devices, field programmable gate arrays, processors, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, other electronic units, and / or a combination thereof. The one or more memory devices may be any machine-readable medium that can be accessed by the processor, including but not limited to any type of long term, short term, volatile, nonvolatile, or other storage medium, and is not to be limited to any particular type of memory or number of memories, or type of media upon which memory is stored. Moreover, as disclosed herein, the term “storage medium,” “storage” or “memory” can represent one or more memories for storing data, including read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic RAM, core memory, magnetic disk storage mediums, optical storage mediums, flash memory devices and / or other machine readable mediums for storing information. The term “machine-readable medium” includes, but is not limited to, portable or fixed storage devices, optical storagedevices, wireless channels, and / or various other storage mediums capable of storing that contain or carry instruction(s) and / or data.

[0026] In certain embodiments, the control system 142 optionally includes an associated user interface, including but not limited to a graphical user interface or a human machine interface, such that the control system 142 may obtain information from a user and / or provide information to the user. In such embodiments, the user interface and / or human machine interface may be on the control system 142 itself or may be at a location remote from the control system 142.

[0027] In various embodiments, the control system 142 may receive and / or obtain the oxygen measurements from the one or more oxygen sensors 140 and may control combustion of the regenerative burner system 104 based on the oxygen measurements. In certain embodiments, oxygen levels within the exhaust gas 120 may be related to a combustion efficiency of the regenerative burner system 104 and / or an amount of excess combustion air 116 that is being supplied to the burner 110. As a non-limiting example, the combustion efficiency of the burner 110 may be based on a ratio of combustion air to fuel, and a high efficiency performance of the burner 110 may be at a particular air to fuel ratio. In certain embodiments, increased oxygen (e.g., compared to a threshold and / or as otherwise desired) in the exhaust gas 120 may indicate and / or be identified by the control system 142 as decreased combustion efficiency of the regenerative burner system 104 (e.g., too much combustion air 116 is provided, thereby changing the air and fuel ratio and decreasing the efficiency). As a further non-limiting example, an increased amount of oxygen (e.g., compared to a threshold and / or as otherwise desired) in the exhaust gas 120 may indicate and / or be identified by the control system 142 that excess (e.g., too much) combustion air 116 is being provided to the burner 110 and / or that the composition of the combustion air 116 needs to be adjusted.

[0028] In various embodiments, based on the analysis of the oxygen measurements, the control system 142 may generate one or more control responses. In some embodiments, the control system 142 may generate a control response by providing an alert or indication to a user (e.g., on a user device, machine interface, and / or as otherwise desired). As a non-limiting example, the control system 142 may generate an alert on a display of a user device with the oxygen measurements from the one or more oxygen sensors 140, an operating efficiency of the ignited burner 110, combinations thereof, and / or as otherwise desired.

[0029] Additionally, or alternatively, the control system 142 may control the supply of combustion air 116 and / or the supply of fuel 118 as the control response to control the combustion efficiency of the burner 110 and / or the supply of combustion air 116 to the burner110. In some embodiments, the control system 142 may control the supply of combustion air 116 by controlling the combustion air controller 128 and / or the exhaust gas controller 134. As non-limiting examples, to control the combustion efficiency, the amount of combustion air 116, and / or the composition of the combustion air 116, the control system 142 may control the controllers 128, 134 to control an overall flow rate and / or amount of combustion air 116 to the burner 110, the amount of combustion air 116 that is the new combustion air 130, the amount of combustion air 116 that is exhaust gas 120, combinations thereof, and / or as otherwise desired. As a further non-limiting example, to control the combustion efficiency, the control system 142 may control the fuel controller 124 to control a flow rate and / or amount of fuel 118 provided to the burner 110.

[0030] In certain embodiments, the control system 142 may implement the control response in real-time (e.g., while the burner 110 is activated). As a non-limiting example, the control system 142 may actively control the flow of the combustion air 116 to the burner 110 that is using the combustion air 116. Additionally, or alternatively, the control system 142 may determine the control response for a future cycle of the burner 110.

[0031] In embodiments with a plurality of burners 110, the control system 142 may measure the oxygen and generate a control response for each burner 110, thereby allowing for the regenerative burner system 104 to account for variations in performance and / or operating parameters for each burner 110. As a non-limiting example, the burner 110 of burner device 108 A may have a highest combustion efficiency at a first ratio of combustion air to fuel, and the burner 110 of burner device 108B may have a highest combustion efficiency at a second ratio of combustion air to fuel. In these embodiments, because the oxygen is measured in the exhaust gas 120 after the media beds 112, the regenerative burner system 104 may determine actual performance of each burner 110 when it is activated and generate an appropriate control response for that particular burner 110.

[0032] The aforementioned examples are for illustrative purposes only, and in other embodiments, the control system 142 may generate additional and / or alternative control responses for controlling combustion of the burner 110. Various other control of the regenerative burner system 104 may be implemented as desired.

[0033] FIG. 2 illustrates a method of controlling the regenerative burner system 104 according to various embodiments.

[0034] In a block 202, the method includes measuring oxygen from the regenerative burner system 104. In various embodiments, block 202 includes measuring oxygen in the exhaust gas 120 downstream from the media beds 112 using the one or more oxygen sensors 140.

[0035] In a block 204, the method includes analyzing the oxygen measurements utilizing the control system 142. In certain embodiments, block 204 includes determining a combustion efficiency of the ignited burner 110 based on the oxygen measurements from the one or more oxygen sensors 140. Additionally, or alternatively, block 204 includes determining an amount of excess combustion air 116 provided to the ignited burner 110 and / or a composition of the combustion air 116 provided to the ignited burner 110. Various other analysis of the oxygen measurements may be performed by the control system 142 as desired.

[0036] In a block 206, the method includes generating a control response based on the analysis of the oxygen measurements. In some embodiments, block 206 includes maintaining current operating parameters of the regenerative burner system 104. As a non-limiting example, oxygen measurements may indicate that the ignited burner 110 is operating at a high efficiency and / or the amount of combustion air 116 provided to the burner 110 is within an acceptable limit or threshold, and the control system 142 may maintain the current operating parameters to maintain the efficiency and / or the supply of combustion air 116. In various embodiments, block 206 may include generating an alert or indication to a user via a display, a user device, and / or as otherwise desired. Additionally, or alternatively, block 206 may include controlling one or more of the controllers 124, 128, 134 to control the combustion efficiency of the ignited burner 110 and / or the supply of combustion air 116 to the burner 110. As non-limiting examples, block 206 may include controlling the controllers 128, 134 to control an overall flow rate and / or amount of combustion air 116 to the burner 110, the amount of combustion air 116 that is the new combustion air 130, the amount of combustion air 116 that is exhaust gas 120, combinations thereof, and / or as otherwise desired. As a further non-limiting example, block 206 may include controlling the fuel controller 124 to control a flow rate and / or amount of fuel 118 provided to the burner 110. Various other controls may be implemented in block 206 as desired.

[0037] As mentioned, the systems and methods described herein may provide improved combustion control for burners of a regenerative burner system. In various embodiments, combustion control may be based on measured oxygen from the regenerative burner system, which may be obtained from exhaust gas and downstream of a media bed of the regenerative burner system (e.g., after the exhaust gas has passed through the media bed). The measured oxygen may be utilized by a control system to regulate the excess of combustion air for the burners and / or to improve the capability of the burner to operate at a high combustion efficiency. In various embodiments, the systems and methods described herein may allow for improved control based on actual performance of the ignited burner, and / or may allow for real-time control of combustion performance of the ignited burner. The improved control provided by the regenerative burner systems described herein may provide financial savings, resource savings, and / or improved environmental impacts. While the systems and methods described herein may be utilized with regenerative burner systems for a variety of furnace and / or heating applications, the systems and methods described herein may be particularly useful for control of regenerative burner systems used with metal furnaces and / or metal processing systems. Various other benefits and advantages may be realized with the systems and methods described herein, and the aforementioned benefits and advantages should not be considered limiting.

[0038] A collection of exemplary embodiments are provided below, including at least some explicitly enumerated as “Illustrations” providing additional description of a variety of example embodiments in accordance with the concepts described herein. These illustrations are not meant to be mutually exclusive, exhaustive, or restrictive; and the disclosure not limited to these example illustrations but rather encompasses all possible modifications and variations within the scope of the issued claims and their equivalents.

[0039] Illustration 1. A method of controlling a regenerative burner system, the method comprising: measuring oxygen in exhaust gas from the regenerative burner system and downstream from a burner media bed of the regenerative burner system; determining at least one of an amount of excess combustion air or a combustion efficiency based on the measured oxygen in the exhaust gas; and generating a control response based on the determined amount of excess combustion air or combustion efficiency.

[0040] Illustration 2. The method of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, wherein generating the control response comprises controlling a supply of combustion air to a burner of the regenerative burner system.

[0041] Illustration 3. The method of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, wherein controlling the supply of combustion air comprises controlling a flow of air forming the combustion air or controlling a flow of exhaust gas forming the combustion air.

[0042] Illustration 4. The method of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, wherein generating the control response is based on the determined combustion efficiency.

[0043] Illustration 5. The method of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, wherein generating the control response is based on the determined amount of excess combustion air.

[0044] Illustration 6. The method of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, wherein generating the control response comprises controlling a supply of fuel to a burner of the regenerative burner system.

[0045] Illustration 7. A regenerative burner system for a metal furnace, the regenerative burner system comprising: a burner; a burner media bed; an oxygen sensor configured to measure oxygen in exhaust gas downstream from the burner media bed; and a controller, wherein the controller is configured to determine an amount of excess combustion air or a combustion efficiency based on the measured oxygen in the exhaust gas and to generate a control response based on the determined amount of excess combustion air or combustion efficiency.

[0046] Illustration 8. The regenerative burner system of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, wherein the controller is configured to control a supply of combustion air to the burner as the control response.

[0047] Illustration 9. The regenerative burner system of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, further comprising an air flow controller controlling a flow of air forming the combustion air, and wherein the controller is configured to control the air flow controller to control the supply of combustion air.

[0048] Illustration 10. The regenerative burner system of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, further comprising an exhaust flow controller controlling a flow of exhaust gas forming the combustion air, and wherein the controller is configured to control the exhaust flow controller to control the supply of combustion air.

[0049] Illustration 11. The regenerative burner system of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, further comprising a fuel flow controller controlling a flow of fuel forming the combustion air, and wherein the controller is configured to control the fuel flow controller to control a supply of fuel as the control response.

[0050] Illustration 12. The regenerative burner system of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, further comprising an air flow controller, a fuel flow controller, and an exhaust flow controller, and wherein the controller is configured to control at least one of the air flow controller, the fuel flow controller, or the exhaust flow controller as the control response.

[0051] Illustration 13. The regenerative burner system of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, wherein the controller is configured to determine the amount of excess combustion air and generate the control response based on the determined amount of excess combustion air.

[0052] Illustration 14. The regenerative burner system of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, wherein the controller is configured to determine the combustion efficiency and generate the control response based on the determined combustion efficiency.

[0053] Illustration 15. A metal processing system comprising a furnace and the regenerative burner system of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, wherein the exhaust gas is exhaust gas from the furnace.

[0054] Illustration 16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising a plurality of instructions executable by one or more processors, the plurality of instructions comprising instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform actions including: obtaining an oxygen measurement from an oxygen sensor of oxygen in exhaust gas from the regenerative burner system and downstream from a burner media bed of the regenerative burner system; determining at least one of an amount of excess combustion air or a combustion efficiency based on the measured oxygen in the exhaust gas; and generating a control response based on the determined amount of excess combustion air or combustion efficiency.

[0055] Illustration 17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform actions including: controlling a supply of combustion air to a burner of the regenerative burner system as the control response.

[0056] Illustration 18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform actions including: controlling a display or generating an alert on a user device as the control response.

[0057] Illustration 19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform actions including: controlling a flow of air forming the combustion air or controlling a flow of fuel as the control response.

[0058] Illustration 20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of any preceding or subsequent illustrations or combination of illustrations, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause theone or more processors to perform actions including: controlling a flow of exhaust gas forming the combustion air as the control response.

[0059] As used herein, the terms “invention,” “the invention,” “this invention,” and “the present invention” are intended to refer broadly to all of the subject matter of this patent application and the claims below. Statements containing these terms should be understood not to limit the subject matter described herein or to limit the meaning or scope of the patent claims below.

[0060] In this description, reference is made to alloys identified by AA numbers and other related designations, such as “series” or “5xxx.” For an understanding of the number designation system most commonly used in naming and identifying aluminum and its alloys, see “International Alloy Designations and Chemical Composition Limits for Wrought Aluminum and Wrought Aluminum Alloys” or “Registration Record of Aluminum Association Alloy Designations and Chemical Compositions Limits for Aluminum Alloys in the Form of Castings and Ingot,” both published by The Aluminum Association.

[0061] As used herein, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes singular and plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0062] The subject matter of embodiments of the present disclosure is described here with specificity to meet statutory requirements, but this description is not necessarily intended to limit the scope of the claims. The claimed subject matter may be embodied in other ways, may include different elements or steps, and may be used in conjunction with other existing or future technologies. This description should not be interpreted as implying any particular order or arrangement among or between various steps or elements except when the order of individual steps or arrangement of elements is explicitly described. Directional references such as “up,” “down,” “top,” “bottom,” “left,” “right,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “lateral,” “longitudinal,” “front,” and “back,” among others, are intended to refer to the orientation as illustrated and described in the figure (or figures) to which the components and directions are referencing.

[0063] The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate embodiments of the invention, and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.

[0064] The above-described aspects are merely possible examples of implementations, merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the present disclosure. Many variations and modifications can be made to the above-described embodiment(s) without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the present disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of the present disclosure, and all possible claims to individual aspects or combinations of elements or steps are intended to be supported by the present disclosure. Moreover, although specific terms are employed herein, as well as in the claims that follow, they are used only in a generic and descriptive sense, and not for the purposes of limiting the described embodiments, nor the claims that follow.

Claims

CLAIMSThat which is claimed:

1. A method of controlling a regenerative burner system, the method comprising: measuring oxygen in exhaust gas from the regenerative burner system and downstream from a burner media bed of the regenerative burner system; determining at least one of an amount of excess combustion air or a combustion efficiency based on the measured oxygen in the exhaust gas; and generating a control response based on the determined amount of excess combustion air or combustion efficiency.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the control response comprises controlling a supply of combustion air to a burner of the regenerative burner system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein controlling the supply of combustion air comprises controlling a flow of air forming the combustion air or controlling a flow of exhaust gas forming the combustion air.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the control response is based on the determined combustion efficiency.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the control response is based on the determined amount of excess combustion air.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the control response comprises controlling a supply of fuel to a burner of the regenerative burner system.

7. A regenerative burner system for a metal furnace, the regenerative burner system comprising: a burner; a burner media bed; an oxygen sensor configured to measure oxygen in exhaust gas downstream from the burner media bed; anda controller, wherein the controller is configured to determine an amount of excess combustion air or a combustion efficiency based on the measured oxygen in the exhaust gas and to generate a control response based on the determined amount of excess combustion air or combustion efficiency.

8. The regenerative burner system of claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to control a supply of combustion air to the burner as the control response.

9. The regenerative burner system of claim 8, further comprising an air flow controller controlling a flow of air forming the combustion air, and wherein the controller is configured to control the air flow controller to control the supply of combustion air.

10. The regenerative burner system of claim 8, further comprising an exhaust flow controller controlling a flow of exhaust gas forming the combustion air, and wherein the controller is configured to control the exhaust flow controller to control the supply of combustion air.

11. The regenerative burner system of claim 8, further comprising a fuel flow controller controlling a flow of fuel forming the combustion air, and wherein the controller is configured to control the fuel flow controller to control a supply of fuel as the control response.

12. The regenerative burner system of claim 8, further comprising an air flow controller, a fuel flow controller, and an exhaust flow controller, and wherein the controller is configured to control at least one of the air flow controller, the fuel flow controller, or the exhaust flow controller as the control response.

13. The regenerative burner system of claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to determine the amount of excess combustion air and generate the control response based on the determined amount of excess combustion air.

14. The regenerative burner system of claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to determine the combustion efficiency and generate the control response based on the determined combustion efficiency.

15. A metal processing system comprising a furnace and the regenerative burner system of claim 7, wherein the exhaust gas is exhaust gas from the furnace.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising a plurality of instructions executable by one or more processors, the plurality of instructions comprising instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform actions comprising: obtaining an oxygen measurement from an oxygen sensor of oxygen in exhaust gas from a regenerative burner system and downstream from a burner media bed of the regenerative burner system; determining at least one of an amount of excess combustion air or a combustion efficiency based on the measured oxygen in the exhaust gas; and generating a control response based on the determined amount of excess combustion air or combustion efficiency.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform actions comprising: controlling a supply of combustion air to a burner of the regenerative burner system as the control response.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform actions comprising: controlling a display or generating an alert on a user device as the control response.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform actions comprising: controlling a flow of air forming the combustion air or controlling a flow of fuel as the control response.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform actions comprising: controlling a flow of exhaust gas forming the combustion air as the control response.

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