A sootblowing control system that uses predictive models to bridge the gap between sootblower operation and boiler performance goals. A mercury amalgam body is disposed between the glass body and the closed end of the tubulation. The present invention greatly reduces the cost for issuing a two-dimensional code, and significantly increases the user convenience. The air, which enters the cylinder under pressure, exerts a force on the cylindrical piston, thereby lifting the piston and balancing it against the air pressure. During test, a photonic switch uses its transmitter to transmit light through an optical fiber interconnection to a second photonic switch.