FIELD: thermal engineering; optimizing combustion processes in power boilers. SUBSTANCE: method involves controlling air feed to combustion zone, measuring image brightness, and determining representative parameters of combustion zone; used as representative parameter is area of combustion-zone fixed-brightness image section whose area changes more at preset variation in air portion fed to combustion zone. Device implementing this method has unit for feeding additional air to combustion zone, combustion-zone image generating unit, and functional unit for separating representative parameters of combustion zone. Newly introduced in device are cooled optical probe with optical combustion-zone radiation filtering system and system for input/output of optical probe in combustion space and aerodynamic protection of probe input window, personal computer, video processor for digital conversion of television signal, and small-size television camera; functional unit is built around personal computer and television camera, around charge-coupled device; television camera is coupled through optical filtering system with optical probe and its output is connected through video processor to input of personal computer whose output is connected to additional air feeding unit. EFFECT: enhanced efficiency of operating thermal power plants, minimized emission of polluting combustion products into atmosphere. 3 cl, 1 dwg
