Plug-Resistant Burner Tip With Staged Air Flame Stabilization
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial burners are prone to plugging due to debris in the fuel gas ports, leading to reduced or restricted fuel flow, flame instability, and safety risks, particularly in auxiliary tips used for flame stabilization, which are susceptible to plugging due to small port sizes.
Innovation Solution
A burner tip design with a large fuel discharge port and staged air combustion regime that includes a flame diverter to stabilize the flame and reduce NOx emissions, using a sub-stoichiometric mixture to minimize plugging and emissions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If small fuel gas ports are used in auxiliary tips for flame stabilization, then flame stability is improved, but plugging susceptibility increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the port size parameter from small (conventional) to large (at least 3.18mm diameter), fundamentally altering the flow characteristics to prevent plugging while maintaining flame stability through the flame diverter geometry
Solution Approach 2:
The flame diverter acts as an intermediary component that mediates between the large fuel port and the combustion process, stabilizing the flame without requiring small ports that would be prone to plugging
2Reliability
If large fuel discharge ports are used to prevent plugging, then plugging resistance is improved, but flame stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The flame diverter serves as a mediating structure that captures and stabilizes the fuel-rich flame from the large port, ensuring stable combustion despite the large port size
Solution Approach 2:
The combustion process is segmented into two zones: a fuel-rich zone near the large port and a fuel-lean zone in the surrounding air, allowing stable combustion with large ports
3Object-generated harmful factors
If staged air combustion is used to reduce emissions, then NOx emissions are reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The combustion process is divided into two segments: primary combustion in the flame diverter with limited air (fuel-rich) and secondary combustion in the surrounding air (fuel-lean), achieving low emissions through process segmentation rather than complex hardware
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses ambient air as the secondary oxidizer, eliminating the need for additional air supply systems or complex control mechanisms while achieving staged combustion and low emissions
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 tip effectively prevents plugging and reduces NOx emissions by stabilizing the flame with a staged air combustion process, ensuring long-term operation and safety.
Implementation Method 1
the flame diverter 12 stabilizes the flame 30
Implementation Method 2
a staged air combustion regime which reduces the production of NOx and other emissions to very low levels
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A burner tip apparatus which is resistant to plugging, and a staged air method of operation which reduces the peak temperature of the flame of the burner tip to provide low levels of NOx and other emissions. The burner tip can be used as an auxiliary burner tip for stabilizing a main burner flame, or for other purposes.