Submerged Combustion Burner Panel Design for Thermal Fatigue Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Submerged combustion burners in glass and rock wool production face challenges with thermal fatigue, high-temperature corrosion, and mechanical strength due to exposure to extreme environments, particularly when using non-noble metal materials, which are economically impractical to fabricate entirely and require costly noble metal attachments.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a burner panel with a fluid-cooled portion and a protective non-fluid-cooled portion, using refractory materials like hard brick or moldable refractory for the burner cover, reducing thermal fatigue and flame impingement, and allowing for the use of non-noble metals by protecting the burner tips from molten materials while maintaining mechanical strength and coolant integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If non-noble metal materials are used for burner tips, then cost is reduced, but thermal fatigue resistance and high-temperature corrosion resistance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining a non-noble metal burner body with a noble metal coating layer on the burner tip surface. This composite structure allows the bulk material to be cost-effective non-noble metal while the surface layer provides the necessary thermal fatigue resistance and high-temperature corrosion resistance through principles of material composition and surface engineering
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by applying noble metal coating only to the burner tip surface where thermal fatigue and corrosion occur, rather than using noble metal throughout the entire burner. This localized application maintains reliability at the critical surface while reducing overall material cost through selective material placement
2Reliability
If noble metal attachments are used on non-noble metal burners, then thermal fatigue resistance improves, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the non-noble metal burner body with the noble metal coating layer into a single integrated component. The coating is directly applied to the burner tip surface, eliminating the need for separate noble metal attachments or assemblies, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining high-temperature corrosion resistance and thermal fatigue resistance
3Productivity
If burner tips are exposed to molten material, then combustion efficiency is maintained, but thermal fatigue and flame impingement damage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the surface parameters of the burner tip by applying a noble metal coating layer with specific properties (high melting point, low reactivity, high thermal conductivity) that can withstand direct exposure to molten material. This parameter change in surface composition allows the burner tip to maintain combustion efficiency while resisting thermal fatigue and flame impingement damage through controlled material properties
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 approach extends the operational life of submerged combustion burners by reducing thermal fatigue and corrosion, allowing for the use of non-noble metals, and improving mechanical strength, thus enhancing the durability and cost-effectiveness of the burner panels.
Implementation Method 1
a cooled base (in certain embodiments, a water-cooled based)
Implementation Method 2
coolant fluid through the fluid-cooled portion
Implementation Method 3
an SC burner cover material... that covers and protects the at least one SC burner from the molten glass
Implementation Method 4
passing oxygen, oxygen-enriched mixtures, or air along with a liquid, gaseous and/or particulate fuel... directly into a molten pool
Data Source
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AI summary
Submerged combustion burner panels, submerged combustion melters including one or more of the panels, and methods of using the same. The burner panel includes a panel body including a fluid-cooled portion and a protective non-fluid cooled portion. An exterior surface defined by the fluid-cooled portion, and an interior surface defined by the protective non-fluid cooled portion, exterior and interior referring to an SCM in which the panel is installed. The fluid-cooled portion has at least one burner support passage of diameter (d1) extending from the exterior surface to a seam where the fluid-cooled and protective non-fluid cooled portions meet supporting at least one fluid-cooled SC burner having a fluid-cooled burner tip attached to a burner body protruding away from the seam. The protective non-fluid-cooled portion has a combustion products flow passage of diameter (d2) < (d1). The burner panels promote burner life and melter campaign length.