Fuel Distribution Device for Burner Redundancy

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing gasification apparatuses face instability and potential damage due to uneven coal distribution and interruptions in coal feeding, leading to increased oxygen-coal ratios and oxidative corrosion, particularly when multiple burners experience feeding issues simultaneously.

Innovation Solution

A fuel distribution device with n fuel feeding tubes and m branching pipes, arranged to ensure even fuel distribution at the outlet, with distribution openings configured to maintain symmetry and prevent overheating, even if one or more tubes fail or experience interruptions, utilizing a cooling mechanism to enhance stability and prevent damage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If a single burner or fewer burners are used in the gasification apparatus, then the device complexity is reduced, but the system becomes more vulnerable to shutdown and damage when feeding interruption occurs

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveburner configurationVSAvoidsystem stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Each burner is segmented into multiple independent fuel feeding tubes (n tubes per burner), and each tube is divided into multiple feeding branch pipes (m branches per tube). This segmentation ensures that if one tube or branch fails, other branches can compensate to maintain fuel distribution and prevent system shutdown.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If multiple fuel feeding tubes are arranged in the powder channel, then the fuel distribution reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefuel distribution stabilityVSAvoidfeeding tube structure
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The feeding branch pipes are nested within the fuel feeding tubes structure. Each feeding tube contains multiple branch pipes that are integrated into the tube's pathway, allowing compact arrangement of multiple feeding channels within the limited space of the powder channel while maintaining independent feeding capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

3Reliability

If the fuel feeding tubes are divided into multiple feeding branch pipes, then the even distribution of fuel is maintained even if one tube fails, but the manufacturing precision requirement increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefuel distribution uniformityVSAvoidbranch pipe arrangement
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The feeding branch pipes are arranged asymmetrically within each feeding tube, with different spatial orientations and positions. This asymmetric arrangement within a symmetric overall structure (multiple tubes evenly distributed in the powder channel) provides redundancy and ensures that failure of one branch does not compromise the overall fuel distribution uniformity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

Data Source

PatentEP2518403B1Fuel distribution device and burner
Publication Date: 2018.08.08 CHANGZHENG ENG
  • EP2518403B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3
  • EP2518403B1 patent drawingFigure 2~4
  • EP2518403B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

The present invention provide a fuel distribution device (9) for a burner, comprising an inlet end (9a), an outlet end (9b) and a distribution channel (9c) extending therebetween as well as n fuel feeding tubes (5) extending from the inlet end (9a) into the distribution channel (9c), characterized in that, the outlet end (9b) is provided with n groups of distribution opening, each of the groups includes m distribution openings distributed evenly along a circumference direction of the outlet end (9b), and in that the m feeding branch pipes (8) extending from each of the fuel feeding tubes (5) are communicated with the m distribution openings of each group respectively, wherein m, n are positive integers greater than or equal to 2. This design of the fuel distribution device improves the redundancy of the burner so as to ensure the even distribution of the fuel such as powdered coals at the outlet end of the fuel distribution device upon failure of one or several fuel feeding tubes. Further, the present invention also provides a burner utilizing this fuel distribution device.