Angled Burner Combustion Chamber for Recursive Sequential Emission Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current jet engines and gas turbines produce high levels of emissions, particularly nitrogen oxides (NOx), which contribute to environmental damage and health issues, and there are no effective solutions to reduce these emissions, especially in aircraft engines.
Innovation Solution
The burners are arranged at an angle to the main flow direction, causing a tangential flow of exhaust gases within the combustion chamber, allowing for recursive sequential combustion where exhaust gases are remixed with fresh air and subjected to further combustion, reducing nitrogen oxide formation through dilution and absorption by combustion products.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional combustion is used in jet engines and gas turbines, then fuel is burned efficiently to produce thrust or power, but high levels of nitrogen oxide emissions are produced causing environmental damage
Solution Approach 1:
The combustion process is divided into multiple sequential stages with multiple burners arranged in series. Each burner performs a portion of the combustion, allowing the exhaust gases to be progressively treated. The combustion chamber is segmented into multiple zones where different combustion reactions occur sequentially, enabling both efficient fuel combustion and nitrogen oxide reduction through staged combustion and selective catalytic reduction zones.
Solution Approach 2:
A catalytic converter or selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system is introduced as an intermediary component between the burners and the exhaust outlet. This intermediary substance (catalyst) facilitates the conversion of harmful nitrogen oxides into less harmful substances (nitrogen and water vapor) without significantly affecting the combustion efficiency. The catalyst acts as a mediator that transforms the harmful exhaust gases through chemical reactions.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If multiple burners are arranged in series with exhaust gas recirculation, then nitrogen oxide emissions are reduced through recursive sequential combustion, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple burners are merged into a single integrated combustion chamber where exhaust gas recirculation is built-in. The burners are arranged in a compact series configuration within the same chamber, allowing exhaust gases to flow naturally from one burner to the next without requiring external piping or complex recirculation systems. This merging approach reduces device complexity while maintaining the nitrogen oxide reduction benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The combustion chamber serves multiple functions simultaneously: it houses multiple burners for sequential combustion, acts as a recirculation chamber for exhaust gases, provides mixing zones for fresh air and exhaust gases, and includes catalytic conversion zones. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components and simplifies the overall device structure while achieving emission reduction goals.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design significantly reduces nitrogen oxide emissions, saves fuel, and enhances combustion efficiency by promoting lean combustion and complete exhaust gas combustion, resulting in a more environmentally friendly operation.
Implementation Method 1
the at least one burner is arranged, in particular at an angle, to the main flow direction of the fresh air stream, and in particular inclined, such that a portion of the exhaust gas exiting the respective burner outlet experiences a tangential flow to the main flow direction in the combustion chamber and circulates in the combustion chamber
Implementation Method 2
the combustion products CO2 and H2O absorb a certain amount of heat, thus significantly reducing the formation of nitrogen oxides
Implementation Method 3
nitrogen monoxide formed in the previous combustion reacts with free OH groups to form nitrogen and water
Implementation Method 4
the formation of exhaust gases such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and soot is reduced because a so-called lean combustion can take place in the burners
Data Source
Figure 1~3
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AI summary
A method and a device for uniform recursive sequential combustion of fuel and oxidant within a thermal system with continuous flow, in particular a combustion chamber (1) of an engine or of a gas turbine, • -wherein fresh air (oxidant), which has been compressed, in particular by a compressor, is conducted through the combustion chamber (1) along a main flow direction (4), wherein the fresh air flows in via a combustion chamber inlet (11) and flows out via a combustion chamber outlet (12), • - wherein a fraction of the fresh air is fed to at least one combustor (2) via a combustor inlet (21) and is burned in the respective combustor (2) with fuel and emerges as exhaust gas from the respective combustor (2) at a combustor outlet (22), and • wherein the at least one combustor (2) is arranged in such a manner, in particular at an angle, relative to the main flow direction (4) of the fresh-air flow, in particular in an inclined manner, that a proportion of the exhaust gas emerging from the respective combustor outlet (22) flows, in the combustion chamber (1), in a tangential manner with respect to the main flow direction and circulates in the combustion chamber (1) and, having mixed with the fresh air flowing into the combustor (2), enters the combustor inlet (21) of the, in particular downstream, combustor (2), such that a recursive sequential combustion is achieved.