Abstract
In this study, an online monitoring system was implemented for the operational control of an industrial-scale steam generation system. The proposed system allows the migration from measuring boiler efficiency under stationary conditions to measuring it under seasonal conditions, providing greater opportunities for improvement in energy performance. For this purpose, a baseline and goal line model of energy consumption as a function of steam production for an operational base period was constructed. The study shows that the steam generation process has a consumption rate of 0.0885 m3/kg, which is associated with boiler technology, fuel quality, insulation condition, heat recovery equipment, among others. In addition, there is evidence of non-production consumption of 41.225 m3/h, which is mainly due to average consumption in non-productive maneuvers such as starting, stopping, and searching for an operating regime in response to changes in steam demand. The correlation between gas consumption and steam generation was 86.4 %, which represents a 13.6 % variability of consumption associated with controllable operational variables with opportunity for adjustment. The monitoring and control of the main operating parameters of the boiler allows an economic savings of 3.13 % in the boiler, which implies a reduction in operating costs of 92,843 USD per year. The analysis of the operational parameters indicates that it is necessary to maintain a feed water temperature higher than 65 °C and a flue gas temperature lower than 214 °C to ensure boiler efficiency higher than 80 %. With the implementation of activities focused on reducing the combustion gas temperature, increasing the feed water temperature, and controlling operational variables, a 9.01 % reduction in the boiler's natural gas consumption was achieved because of the implementation of operational control