Development and application of a real-time recovery boiler expert system

The recovery boiler, although often a bottleneck, is an integral part of any kraft mill. Maximizing production while maintaining safe operation are primary concerns. Statistical process control (SPC) and simulation are powerful tools for addressing these problems. SPC is useful for maintaining stable operation, whereas off-line simulation has proven useful to evaluate various operating strategies. Real-time integration of these methods has also been proposed. This paper describes integration of a millwide information system, an expert system shell, SPC, and real-time process simulation into a prototype advisory system for recovery boiler operation.