Working Principle
The sonic soot blower can in some ways be compared to a musical reed instrument such as an horn, where the "base tone" is created by blowing air over a reed and then converting this "base tone" into a particular high or low note, depending on how far the sound wave has to travel along inside the body of the instrument.
The sonic soot blower operates in the same manner, the 'base tone' being produced by passing compressed air into a wave generator which houses a titanium diaphragm causing it to oscillate rapidly. This 'base tone' is then converted into a range of selected frequencies ranging from 350 Hz down to 75 Hz by the design and length of the horn section, producing the desired sound frequency at a sound level approaching 200 dB. The sonic soot blower is usually 'sounded' for a few seconds at intervals of between 3 and 10 minutes. This 'sounding' pattern is normally controlled via the plant's PLC (over 6units)or electric cabinet(above 6units). However, it may also be operated by such means as a SCADA system, individual timers on each solenoid valve or via a manual ball valve
Advantages
The main advantages of sonic soot blowers over other soot blowers are:
• Elimination of opacity spikes due to more regular, more efficient cleaning
• No structural damage to tube bundles or boiler structure
• Elimination of tube corrosion and erosion problems
• 360°cleaning of all tube surfaces – not harsh leading edge tube cleaning as with steam soot blowers
• Prevention of ash build up and sintering on steam tubes due to sonic soot blowers regular operation
• Extremely low maintenance or operational costs
• Eco-friendly – helps to combat global climate change and the effect of global warming
