DEVICES FOR MAINTAINING OPTICAL ACCESS IN HIGH-TEMPERATURE COAL COMBUSTION ENVIRONMENTS

Advanced optical diagnostic techniques and instruments are being developed to operate successfully in the high-temperature coal combustion environments of large scale facilities. The success of these instruments depends heavily on maintaining a clear optical path into and out of the gas stream for long periods of time. The buildup of slag at the access port and contaminate fouling of the optical window require special systems to maintain the optical path. The rationale for, and design of, two such systems are presented in this article. The first system, a remotely operated window changer, provides for exchanging fouled windows for clean windows. The second system, a remotely operated slagbuster, provides for removing slag buildup in the access port. The design and operation of both systems are discussed. Parts lists, drawings, and schematics are presented also.