Method and arrangement for monitoring performance of a burner of a suspension smelting furnace

1. A method for monitoring performance of a burner of a suspension smelting furnace,

wherein the burner is arranged at the top structure of a reaction shaft of the suspension smelting furnace and wherein the burner having

an solids feeding channel that has a solids outlet opening up into the reaction shaft for feeding solids into the reaction shaft, and

a reaction gas channel having a reaction gas outlet opening up into the reaction shaft of the suspension smelting furnace for feeding reaction gas into the reaction shaft,

wherein the solids feeding channel of the burner being radially limited by the solids feeding channel wall and that has a solids outlet opening up into the reaction shaft for feeding solids into the reaction shaft, and

wherein the reaction gas channel of the burner being an annular reaction gas channel that coaxially at least partly surrounds the annular solids feeding channel and that has a reaction gas outlet in the form of an annular reaction gas outlet opening up into the reaction shaft of the suspension smelting furnace for feeding reaction gas into the reaction shaft,

wherein

by providing at least two imaging means,

by arranging the imagining means symmetrically with respect to a vertical center line A of the burner,

by producing an image representing the cross-section of the reaction gas channel by means of at least one imaging means, and

by receiving the image of the cross-section of the reaction gas channel from the imaging means with a processing means.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein by comparing the image of the cross-section of the reaction gas channel with a threshold image representing the cross-section of the reaction gas channel with the processing means.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein by arranging at least one of the at least two imaging means at least partly outside the burner.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein

by arranging at least one of the at least two imaging means outside the burner, and

by providing optical means for directing images between the inside of the reaction gas channel of the burner and at least one of the at least two imaging means outside the burner.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein by arranging at least one of the at least two imaging means in the reaction gas channel of the burner.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein

by the reaction gas channel being axially limited by a reaction gas channel top wall, and

by arranging at least one of the at least two imaging means in the reaction gas channel top wall.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein

by providing at least two laser rangefinders for measuring width of the reaction gas channel, and

by measuring the width of the reaction gas channel by means of said at least two laser rangefinders.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein

by the burner comprising a flow adjustment cone in the reaction gas channel, and

by arranging said at least two laser rangefinders for measuring width of the reaction gas channel at the adjustment cone.

9. The method according to claim 7 , wherein by arranging said at least two laser rangefinders at least partly in the reaction gas channel of the burner, preferably in the reaction gas channel of the burner.

10. The method according to claim 7 , wherein

by arranging said at least two laser rangefinders outside the burner, and

by providing optical means for directing laser beams between the inside of the reaction gas channel of the burner and said at least two laser rangefinders outside the burner.

11. The method according to claim 7 , wherein by providing said at least two laser rangefinders symmetrically with respect to a vertical center line A of the burner.

12. The method according to claim 7 , wherein by receiving data concerning width of the reaction gas channel from said at least two laser rangefinders with the processing means.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein by saving images representing the cross-section of the reaction gas channel on a memory means.

14. An arrangement for monitoring performance of a burner of a suspension smelting furnace,

wherein the burner is arranged at the top structure of a reaction shaft of the suspension smelting furnace and wherein the burner having

a solids feeding channel that has a solids outlet opening up into the reaction shaft for feeding solids into the reaction shaft,

a reaction gas channel comprising a reaction gas channel that has a reaction gas outlet opening up into the reaction shaft of the suspension smelting furnace for feeding reaction gas into the reaction shaft,

wherein the solids feeding channel of the burner being radially limited by the solids feeding channel wall and that has a solids outlet opening up into the reaction shaft for feeding solids into the reaction shaft, and

wherein the reaction gas channel of the burner being an annular reaction gas channel that coaxially at least partly surrounds the annular solids feeding channel and that has a reaction gas outlet in the form of an annular reaction gas outlet opening up into the reaction shaft ( 4 ) of the suspension smelting furnace for feeding reaction gas into the reaction shaft,

wherein

by at least two imaging means for producing images representing the cross-section of the reaction gas channel,

by the imagining means being arranged symmetrically with respect to a vertical center line A of the burner, and

by a processing means for receiving images of the cross-section of the reaction gas channel from the imaging means.

15. The arrangement according to claim 14 , wherein by the processing means being configured for comparing images of the cross-section of the reaction gas channel with a threshold image representing the cross-section of the reaction gas channel.

16. The arrangement according to claim 14 , wherein by at least one of the at least two imaging means being arranged at least partly outside the burner.

17. The arrangement according to claim 14 , wherein

by at least one of the at least two imaging means being arranged outside the burner, and

by optical means for directing images between the inside of the reaction gas channel of the burner and at least one of the at least two imaging means outside the burner.

18. The arrangement according to claim 14 , wherein by at least one of the at least two imaging means being arranged in the reaction gas channel of the burner.

19. The arrangement according to claim 18 , wherein

by the reaction gas channel being axially limited by a reaction gas channel top wall, and

by at least one of the at least two imaging means being arranged in the reaction gas channel top wall.

20. The arrangement according to claim 18 , wherein by at least two laser rangefinders in the reaction gas channel for measuring width of the reaction gas channel.

21. The arrangement according to claim 20 , wherein

by the burner comprising a flow adjustment cone in the reaction gas channel, and

by said at least two laser rangefinders being arranged at the adjustment cone for measuring width of the reaction gas channel at the adjustment cone.

22. The arrangement according to claim 20 , wherein by said at least two laser rangefinders being arranged at least partly in the reaction gas channel of the burner, preferably in the reaction gas channel of the burner.

23. The arrangement according to claim 20 , wherein

by said at least two laser rangefinders being arranged outside the burner, and

by optical means for directing laser beams between the inside of the reaction gas channel of the burner and said at least two laser rangefinders outside the burner.

24. The arrangement according to claim 20 , wherein by providing said at least two laser rangefinders symmetrically with respect to a vertical center line A of the burner.

25. The arrangement according to claim 20 , wherein by the processing means being configured for receiving data concerning width of the reaction gas channel from said at least two laser rangefinders.

26. The arrangement according to claim 20 , wherein by a memory means for saving images representing the cross-section of the reaction gas channel.

27. The arrangement according to claim 14 , wherein

by the burner comprises a solids distributor for directing fine solids towards reaction gas in the reaction shaft of the reaction shaft of the suspension smelting furnace, and

by the solids distributor being at least partly arranged in the solids feeding channel so that the solids feeding channel is in the form of an at least partly annular solids feeding channel that coaxially at least partly surrounds the solids distributor, that is radially limited by the solids feeding channel wall, and that has a solids outlet in the form of an annular solids outlet opening up into the reaction shaft for feeding solids into the reaction shaft.

28. The arrangement according to claim 14 , wherein by the solids feeding channel and the annular reaction gas channel being symmetrically disposed with respect to a vertical center line A of the burner.