One-Piece Coal Burner Stabilizing Ring for Low NOx

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Solution Overview

Problem

Burners used for burning dusty carbon face challenges in reducing NOx emissions and require complex designs with multiple welds, which increase design effort, susceptibility to faults, and reduced service life due to high temperatures and aggressive media exposure.

Innovation Solution

A burner design featuring a one-piece component that includes the air deflector throat, stabilizing ring, and part of the primary air pipe, allowing for a single weld seam and improved durability, with adjustable components for optimal air flow and NOx reduction, utilizing centrifugal casting for production and adjustable swirler configurations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If multiple separate components (stabilizing ring, air deflector throat, primary air pipe) are connected through welding, then the burner can be assembled from individual parts, but the design effort increases, susceptibility to faults increases, and service life decreases due to high temperatures and aggressive media exposure

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of manufactureVSAvoidreliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the stabilizing ring, air deflector throat, and primary air pipe into a single integrated component manufactured as one piece using centrifugal casting. This eliminates the need for multiple weld connections, thereby reducing design complexity while simultaneously improving reliability by removing weak points caused by welding in high-temperature and chemically aggressive environments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple weld seams are used to connect burner components, then the burner can be constructed from separate parts, but the manufacturing time increases and the structural complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveadaptabilityVSAvoidproductivity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

By combining multiple components into a single piece manufactured via centrifugal casting, the patent eliminates multiple welding operations. This significantly reduces manufacturing time and simplifies the production process, thereby improving productivity while maintaining the functional adaptability of the burner through design flexibility in the integrated component.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Ease of operation

If separate components are welded together in the mouth area of the primary air pipe, then the burner can be assembled modularly, but the service life is impaired due to high temperatures and aggressive media flow through the weld joints

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of operationVSAvoidservice life
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDuration of action of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a single integrated component for the mouth area of the primary air pipe, eliminating weld joints that would be exposed to high temperatures and aggressive media flow. This unified structure, manufactured through centrifugal casting, ensures uniform material properties and eliminates potential failure points, thereby extending the service life while maintaining ease of operation through modular replacement of the entire assembly if needed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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 design enhances durability, reduces malfunctions, and achieves more effective NOx emission reduction by creating a low-oxygen recirculation area near the burner, shifting reduction reactions closer to the burner zone, and optimizing the recirculation area for enhanced NOx breakdown.

Implementation Method 1

The air deflector throat, the stabilizing ring and a part of the primary air tube are designed in one piece

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFlow separation: Flow Separation

Implementation Method 2

the stabilizing ring projecting radially inwards in the form of internal teeth into the primary air tube

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectTurbulence: Turbulence

Data Source

PatentEP1741977B1Pulverized coal burner for low NOx emissions
Publication Date: 2011.09.21 HITACHI POWER EURO GMBH
  • EP1741977B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP1741977B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

A coal-dust burner with low NOx emissions has a concentric general arrangement with primary a primary air pipe (1) within a secondary (2) air pipe. The primary air pipe inlet has an external array of deflection grooves (3) and an inner stabilization ring (4) formed as a one-piece component.