Annular Burner Flow Modifier for Stirling Engine Combustion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Turbulent gas/air flow in Stirling engine burners impairs combustion efficiency and leads to high burner mesh temperatures, which can cause degradation and increased nitrogen oxide emissions.
Innovation Solution
An annular burner assembly with a flow modifier featuring radially extending fins to laminarize the gas/air mixture and a thermal link to dissipate heat away from the burner mesh, using either a single corrugated member or an outer ring configuration to optimize heat distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If turbulent gas/air flow is supplied to the burner mesh, then the flow rate is high, but combustion efficiency deteriorates and burner mesh temperature increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flow modifier is positioned upstream of the burner mesh to preliminarily organize and laminarize the turbulent gas/air flow before it reaches the combustion zone. This preliminary action converts the chaotic turbulent flow into ordered laminar flow, ensuring efficient combustion while maintaining high flow rates.
Solution Approach 2:
The flow modifier acts as an intermediary element between the gas/air supply duct and the burner mesh. It mediates the flow characteristics by introducing radial fins that guide and organize the flow, transforming turbulent flow into laminar flow without directly blocking the flow path.
2Productivity
If high gas/air flow rate is maintained, then productivity is high, but burner mesh temperature increases causing material degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The flow modifier preliminarily organizes the flow pattern before combustion, creating laminar flow that burns more efficiently and completely. This reduces excess heat generation and prevents burner mesh overheating, allowing high flow rates to be maintained without temperature degradation.
3Productivity
If turbulent flow is supplied to maximize flow rate, then productivity is improved, but nitrogen oxide emissions increase
Solution Approach 1:
The flow modifier preliminarily structures the gas/air flow into laminar patterns before combustion. This organized flow ensures more complete and controlled combustion, reducing the formation of nitrogen oxide emissions while maintaining high productivity through sustained high flow rates.
4Manufacturing precision
If flow modifier is positioned in the same radial plane as burner mesh, then flow distribution is optimized, but dead space is created on radially outward side
Solution Approach 1:
The flow modifier uses radial fins that segment the flow into multiple controlled passages. This segmentation allows precise control of flow distribution to the burner mesh while minimizing dead space by directing flow through defined paths between the fins.
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
The solution effectively laminarizes the gas/air flow and maintains the burner mesh at a stable temperature, improving combustion efficiency and minimizing nitrogen oxide emissions.
Implementation Method 1
a flow modifier in the vicinity of the burner and having a plurality of fins each extending in a substantially radial plane to define a plurality of axially extending passages arranged circumferentially around the supply duct to substantially laminarise the gas/air mixture
Implementation Method 2
the fins providing a thermal link from the burner to a location radially away from the burner
Implementation Method 3
promoting the flow of heat away from the surface of the burner helping to maintain the burner at an acceptable temperature
Data Source
AI summary
An annular burner assembly having an annular burner mesh. An annular gas/air supply duct supplies a combustible gas/air mixture to the burner mesh in a substantially axial direction. A flow modifier is provided in the vicinity of the burner and has a plurality of fins each extending in a substantially radial plane to define a plurality of passages arranged circumferentially around the supply duct to substantially laminarise the gas/air mixture. The fins provide a thermal link from the burner to a location radially away from the burner. The burner assembly is particularly suited to a Stirling engine.