System and method for removing slag inside a utility furnace

A method of removing slag from an interior of a utility furnace, the method comprising:

• providing a pressurized fluid stream comprising a fluid to an inlet of a nozzle of a soot blower, wherein the fluid comprises at least one of:
• air, steam, and water;
• providing a slag treating compound to a compound entrance of the nozzle;
• mixing the slag treating compound with the pressurized fluid stream to form a compound mixture downstream of an exit of the nozzle, wherein the nozzle comprises a varying cross-section between the inlet and the exit, wherein the nozzle has a larger diameter cross-section opening at the inlet than at the exit to cause a pressure differential between the inlet and the exit with the pressure being higher at the inlet than at the exit for drawing the slag treating compound into the compound entrance;
• supplying the compound mixture through the soot blower to a targeted area in the interior of the utility furnace, wherein the soot blower was originally configured solely for the removal of soot using the pressurized fluid stream without the slag treating compound but that now is configured to inject the slag treating compound in line with the pressurized fluid stream, for the removal of the slag using both a chemical reaction and a mechanical force, wherein the soot blower is selected from the group consisting of:
• a wall mounted soot blower, a retractable long lance soot blower, a rotating element soot blower, a helical soot blower, and a Rake blower;
• and
• retrofitting the soot blower, wherein before the retrofitting, the soot blower could only provide the pressurized fluid stream to the inside of the utility furnace.

A method of providing a slag treating compound into a utility furnace system through retrofitted soot blowers, the utility furnace system configured to combust a fuel within a combustion chamber, the utility furnace system having a utility furnace having tubes forming a water wall that forms at least a portion of the combustion chamber of the utility furnace, the method comprising:

• retrofitting a soot blower to make a retrofitted soot blower to provide the slag treating compound into the utility furnace, the soot blower having a pressurized fluid supply attached to the soot blower for injecting a pressurized fluid into the utility furnace, the soot blower further comprising a feed tube and a valve, wherein the retrofitting comprises:
• separating the feed tube and the valve and inserting and connecting a nozzle between the feed tube and the valve, wherein the nozzle further comprises an inlet, an exit and a compound entrance, wherein the nozzle is located outside of the combustion chamber of the utility furnace, and wherein the nozzle further comprises a varying cross-section between the inlet and the exit, wherein the nozzle has a larger diameter cross-section opening at the inlet than at the exit to cause a pressure differential between the inlet and the exit with the pressure being higher at the inlet than at the exit for drawing the slag treating compound into the compound entrance;
• attaching a compound feed to the compound entrance of the nozzle of the retrofitted soot blower;
• supplying the slag treating compound though the compound feed to the compound entrance of the nozzle of the retrofitted soot blower;
• supplying the pressurized fluid, comprising at least one of steam or air, to the inlet of the nozzle of the retrofitted soot blower via the pressurized fluid supply;
• mixing the slag treating compound and the pressurized fluid downstream of the exit of the nozzle of the retrofitted soot blower to form a mixture of the slag treating compound and the pressurized fluid;
• and
• delivering the mixture of the slag treating compound and the pressurized fluid onto a slag accumulation on the water wall in an interior of the utility furnace, via the retrofitted soot blower;
• wherein the retrofitted soot blower is at least one of:
• 1) a retractable wall mounted soot blower directing the mixture, from the retractable wall mounted soot blower, in a direction generally towards the water wall at a point where the retractable wall mounted soot blower penetrates the water wall;
• 2) a retractable long lance directing the mixture directly into the utility furnace at multiple locations across a cross-section of the utility furnace;
• and
• 3) a rotating element soot blower directing the mixture directly into the utility furnace.