Flameless Burner with Ejector Recirculation for Low NOx

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing burners suffer from inefficient combustion, high pollutant emissions, and thermal peaks due to excessive comburent use, leading to suboptimal combustion efficiency and increased NOx and CO emissions.

Innovation Solution

A burner employing MILD combustion with a system for directly sucking recycling flue gases using an ejector and comburent injection, combined with a heat exchange system and dual fuel injection systems to form a fuel-recycling flue gas-comburent mixture, which is introduced into the combustion chamber, allowing for reduced comburent excess and improved combustion efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If excess comburent is used to ensure complete combustion, then combustion completeness is improved, but combustion efficiency deteriorates and thermal peaks are formed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecombustion completenessVSAvoidcombustion efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-mixing the fuel with recirculated flue gases before combustion occurs. This pre-mixing process ensures homogeneous distribution of fuel and oxidizer, allowing complete combustion to occur with stoichiometric or near-stoichiometric air-fuel ratios, thereby eliminating the need for excess comburent and avoiding thermal peaks while maintaining combustion completeness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If excess comburent is used to ensure complete combustion, then combustion completeness is improved, but pollutant emissions increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecombustion completenessVSAvoidpollutant emissions
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-mixing the fuel with recirculated flue gases before combustion occurs. This pre-mixing process ensures homogeneous distribution of fuel and oxidizer, allowing complete combustion to occur with stoichiometric or near-stoichiometric air-fuel ratios, thereby eliminating the need for excess comburent and avoiding thermal peaks, thus reducing NOx and CO emissions while maintaining combustion completeness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Stability of the object's composition

If flame stabilizer is used to stabilize the flame, then flame stability is improved, but NOx emissions increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveflame stabilityVSAvoidNOx emissions
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-mixing the fuel with recirculated flue gases before combustion occurs. This pre-mixing process ensures homogeneous distribution of fuel and oxidizer, allowing complete combustion to occur with stoichiometric or near-stoichiometric air-fuel ratios, thereby eliminating the need for excess comburent and avoiding thermal peaks, thus reducing NOx and CO emissions while maintaining combustion completeness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

4Stability of the object's composition

If recirculating gases are mixed with fuel jet inside the nozzle, then flame stabilization is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveflame stabilizationVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-mixing the fuel with recirculated flue gases before combustion occurs. This pre-mixing process ensures homogeneous distribution of fuel and oxidizer, allowing complete combustion to occur with stoichiometric or near-stoichiometric air-fuel ratios, thereby eliminating the need for excess comburent and avoiding thermal peaks, thus reducing NOx and CO emissions while maintaining combustion completeness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

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 achieves high-efficiency combustion with significantly lower NOx and CO emissions, approaching stoichiometric combustion balance and uniform temperature distribution, reducing pollutant output and eliminating thermal peaks.

Implementation Method 1

The difference of static pressure existing between the combustion chamber and the fluid flowing at a high speed in the nozzle is used

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPressure difference: Pressure Gradient

Implementation Method 2

a system for sucking the recycling flue gases directly from a combustion chamber by means of an ejector

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectEjector effect: Injector

Implementation Method 3

a heat exchange system suitable for heat exchange between the recycling flue gases and the comburent

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeat exchange: Heat Exchanger

Implementation Method 4

The combustion in burners generally takes place by a flame

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCombustion: Combustion

Implementation Method 5

a combustion reaction balance approaching the stoichiometric

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectOxidation: Oxidation

Data Source

PatentEP3129708B1burner
Publication Date: 2021.03.31 SOFINTER
  • EP3129708B1 patent drawingFigure 0
  • EP3129708B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3129708B1 patent drawingFigure 1a

AI summary

A burner operating with flameless combustion, comprising a system for sucking the recycling flue gases directly from the combustion chamber by means of an ejector (1) fed with the comburent, a heat exchange system positioned between the recycling flue gases and the comburent, a system for injecting the fuel directly into the recycling flue gases, the latter comprising or not comprising the comburent with formation of a mixture of fuel-recycling flue gases-comburent in the zone around the outlet of the comburent ejector and following introduction of the mixture into the combustion chamber.