Analysis of lower calorific values and waste residence times in a waste incineration plant

Waste incineration contributes to the efficient usage of natural resources. The operation of a waste incineration plant is a complex task due to the heterogeneous waste properties. In particular the lower calorific value of the waste varies and affects the incineration process. Combustion control systems have to adapt the plant operation continuously to the observed waste properties such as the lower calorific value.
Knowledge of the lower calorific value as well as the time delay between waste feeding and waste incineration are required to design efficient combustion control systems. This work therefore analyses the computational method to obtain the lower calorific value from measurement data. The waste residence time is furthermore analysed to quantify the time delay between waste feeding and waste incineration. These analyses provided the basis for development of novel combustion control systems.