Combustion – Process of combustion or burner operation – Flame shaping – or distributing components in combustion zone
Patent
1986-06-23
1988-03-01
Dority, Jr., Carroll B.
Combustion
Process of combustion or burner operation
Flame shaping, or distributing components in combustion zone
431 37, 431115, 431 75, F23M 300
Patent
active
047282827
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention is related to furnaces, combustors, heat generators and the like, in which a normally exothermal combustion process is evidenced and in which it is desirable to lower the emission of pollutants into the atmosphere and at the same time improve the combustion process in such combustors.
BACKGROUND ART
In one of the most recent and complete descriptions of the state of the art, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,427,362 it is stated that the essentially impossibility to achieve complete combustion combined with low NOx emissions except with a rather sophisticated high temperature multistage combustion process. Particularly low NOx emission levels are claimed not be achievable in "the initial combustion" (Col. 6, lines 65). Therefore it is stated necessary to have at least two oxidation stages, respectively multi zone or staged combustion.
These arrangements are expensive in many respects and do not provide easy retrofit potential in existing boilers, firing spaces inside existing boilers for example.
It is therefore a purpose of the present invention to dramatically reduce pollutants with simple means already and predominantly in the initial or first combustion stage. Other stages and combinations may be added.
The invention has particular application to methods and devices for reducing unwanted emissions, such as CO, HC, NO.sub.x and soot (carbon monoxide, hydro-carbons, nitrogen oxides and soot) in stationary furnaces and the like which use the assistance of air along with the fuel supply and at least one burning zone within the combustor, wherein the fuel may be liquid petroleum gas (LPG), or other burnable gases, fossil fuels, such as oil or coal and coal-based products or combinations thereof.
In the past such reduction of unwanted emissions have been done by recirculation of exhaust gases, by multi-stage combustion using additional burner assemblies, by flame division through the use of flame stabilizers by fuel conversion, and by catalysts used in the combustion process. These processes often involve great expense by necessitating the addition of expensive equipment to the furnace or combustor in which they are to be used. Further, such methods have often been used without the aid of a proper analysis of their effects on combustion, and so while eventually reducing unwanted pollutants they have sometime sacrificed combustion efficiency during the combustion process. Most of the proposed solutions have proved to have had such severe drawbacks that they could not realize their intended results and have thus far defined only a paper state of the art. A need therefore exists in which both high combustion efficiency and reduction of unwanted emissions can be achieved.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
It is a primary object and purpose of the present invention to improve the combustion process in a combustor which otherwise operates in an exothermal manner, while at the same time radically reducing unwanted emissions from such combustion processes, such as hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and the like. Accordingly, it is a purpose and object of the present invention to approximate a substantially isothermal combustion process for burning combustible products in a combustor. Thus, the invention has for its ancilliary purposes and benefits to provide a cost effective and reliable radiation shielding and EGR structure for realizing the method according to the invention, which structure allows a "retrofit" installation and inexpensive conversion of an already installed conventional burner in a combustor, particularly the so-called single stage burner in which the improvements obtained with respect to the combustion quality and emission reduction are unexpectedly high.
The present invention permits, for example, an over 80% reduced NO.sub.x content in the raw exhaust gases of a combustor, wherein during test and evaluation runs of a burner fitted by the means of the present invention these exhaust gases contained NO.sub.x concentrations below 10 ppm at HC levels below the ambient air emission va
REFERENCES:
patent: 1609150 (1926-11-01), Breese
patent: 1896910 (1933-02-01), Merkt
patent: 2927632 (1960-03-01), Fraser
patent: 2959215 (1960-11-01), Warnecke
patent: 3146821 (1964-09-01), Wuetig
patent: 3741166 (1973-06-01), Bailey
patent: 4427362 (1984-01-01), Dykema
patent: 4588375 (1986-05-01), Sandstrom
Air, Ltd.
Dority Jr. Carroll B.
Greigg Edwin E.
LandOfFree
Method and apparatus for conducting a substantially isothermal c does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Method and apparatus for conducting a substantially isothermal c, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method and apparatus for conducting a substantially isothermal c will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-995262