Research on ash accumulation surface measurement methods based on the dot laser principle

Dust collectors are essential environmental protection equipment in thermal power plants. However, in recent years, collapses caused by excessively high material levels in the ash hopper in dust collectors have increased frequently, resulting in serious casualties and significant economic losses. The level gauge of the ash hopper is a crucial device for detecting the material level in the ash hopper and plays a vital role in preventing the ash hopper from collapsing due to excessive material load. However, level gauges of the ash hopper currently in use have various problems. Laser-ranging technology is characterized by concentrated energy, a small divergence angle, and the ability to penetrate dust. We have proposed a new material-level measurement method based on the dot matrix laser ranging principle. This method utilizes dot-matrix laser ranging and visualizes the optimized measurement data to ultimately derive information about the material surface's morphology and level. A physical hopper model is used to conduct verification experiments on various material surface morphologies, material levels, and the material hanging on the hopper wall. The results indicate that this method can accurately identify the material level and the material hanging on the hopper wall, preventing false alarms due to “false material levels.”