Burner Assembly with Tilted Holes for Low NOx Emissions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current burner assemblies for steam reforming in hydrogen production generate high levels of thermal NOx emissions due to high flame temperatures, which are challenging to reduce without complex or expensive designs, especially for large-scale industrial or small-scale steam reformers.
Innovation Solution
A burner assembly with a combustion plate featuring concentric circles of holes tilted at acute angles to enhance mixing of fuel gas and air flows, reducing flame temperature and NOx formation through tangential velocities and complete combustion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If high flame temperature is used for steam reforming, then productivity and heat generation are improved, but NOx emissions increase
Solution Approach 1:
The combustion process is segmented into multiple zones through the concentric circle hole arrangement, with primary combustion in the inner circle and secondary combustion in the outer circle, allowing temperature control and reduced NOx formation while maintaining overall reforming efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the combustion plate are designed with different hole patterns and orientations to create localized combustion characteristics - the inner concentric circle provides intense localized heating while the outer circle provides distributed combustion, achieving both high productivity and low NOx emissions
2Object-generated harmful factors
If flame temperature is reduced to lower NOx emissions, then NOx formation is reduced, but heat generation and productivity decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The dual concentric circle hole design ensures continuous combustion action - the inner circle provides initial intense heating while the outer circle sustains the combustion process, maintaining continuous heat generation at lower temperatures to prevent NOx formation while preserving productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The problem is solved by transitioning from a single-dimension temperature control approach to a two-dimensional spatial distribution approach using concentric circles, allowing heat generation and NOx control to occur simultaneously in different spatial zones
3Object-generated harmful factors
If complex burner designs are used to reduce NOx emissions, then NOx formation is reduced, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The combustion plate with concentric circle holes serves multiple functions simultaneously - it distributes fuel and air, creates turbulent mixing, controls flame temperature, and reduces NOx emissions, eliminating the need for separate complex components while achieving NOx reduction
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 burner assembly effectively reduces NOx formation and emission by lowering the combustion flame temperature, achieving compliance with stringent air quality standards while maintaining operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The first plurality of holes and the second plurality of holes may be configured to increase the mixing of the fuel gas flow and the air flow and to allow adequate and/or complete mixing of the fuel gas flow and the air flow
Implementation Method 2
The combustion of the fuel gas of the burner assembly is a high-temperature exothermic reaction
Implementation Method 3
The combustion of the fuel gas can produce thermal oxide of nitrogen (NOx) through high-temperature oxidation of the diatomic nitrogen found in the air
Implementation Method 4
Steam reforming is a method widely used for producing hydrogen from hydrocarbons, such as methane. The basic chemistry of steam reforming is the temperature-driven reaction of a hydrocarbon feedstock with water steam to produce a mixture of primarily hydrogen, water, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide
Implementation Method 5
The burner assembly generally generates heat by the combustion of a fuel gas and produces a combustion exhaust gas interacting with the reformer assembly through radiation and convection heat transfer
Implementation Method 6
The burner assembly generally generates heat by the combustion of a fuel gas and produces a combustion exhaust gas interacting with the reformer assembly through radiation and convection heat transfer
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure is directed to a burner assembly for generating a heat source. The burner assembly may include a combustion plate having a first surface and a second surface. The combustion plate may include a first plurality of holes extending from the first surface to the second surface arranged in a first circle and a second plurality of holes extending from the first surface to the second surface arranged in a second circle. The first circle and second circle may be arranged in concentric circles. The burner assembly may further be configured to have at least one of the holes having a longitudinal axis extending at a first acute angle from a plane of the combustion plate. The burner assembly may further be configured to have at least one of the holes having the longitudinal axis extending at a second acute angle from a tangent line of one of the concentric circles on the plane of the combustion plate.