Optimization of Boiler Soot Blowing Based on Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman Equation

In this paper, the optimization of the boiler soot blowing is investigated based on the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equation and from the standpoint of the equipment health management. The mathematical model of the boiler soot blowing is built by a Markov process with two modes: soot deposition mode and soot blowing mode. In order to obtain the optimal soot blowing strategies via the HJB method, a cost function is constructed according to the proposed boiler soot blowing model. Considering the solution's existence of the HJB equation, the elementary properties of the value function are described and proved. It is difficult to solve the HJB equation analytically, so Kushner's method is applied to get the numerical solution of the HJB equation. Moreover, the sensitivity analyses for the effects of different parameters are shown via a set of numerical simulations.