Gas Induction Bustle for Flare Stack Waste Heat Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Waste heat generated by landfill gas treatment and combustion processes is largely unrecovered and released into the atmosphere, representing a significant energy loss that could be beneficially utilized in secondary processes.
Innovation Solution
A waste heat recovery system is integrated with a flare or exhaust stack to divert and transfer heat energy to a secondary process using a transfer pipe, induction fan, and heat exchange unit, ensuring minimal impact on the primary process's operation by maintaining back pressure and flow patterns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If waste heat is recovered from the flare stack using a bustle and transfer pipe, then energy efficiency is improved, but the back pressure and flow pattern of the primary process may be adversely affected
Solution Approach 1:
The bustle acts as an intermediary component that interfaces with the flare stack to divert exhaust gas. It includes a draft-inducing element that creates a draft within the bustle to facilitate movement of exhaust gas to the heat exchange unit, thereby enabling heat recovery while minimizing disruption to the primary flare stack operation and maintaining back pressure and flow patterns
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the exhaust gas flow by diverting a portion of it through the bustle to the heat exchange unit, while allowing the remaining exhaust gas to continue through the primary flare stack. This segmentation enables simultaneous heat recovery and maintenance of primary process integrity
2Loss of energy
If a bustle with draft-inducing element is added to divert exhaust gas, then heat recovery efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bustle combines multiple functions into a single integrated component: it serves as the interface with the flare stack, contains the draft-inducing element, and directs exhaust gas flow to the heat exchange unit. This merging reduces the number of separate components needed and simplifies the overall system structure while maintaining effective heat recovery
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 system effectively recovers and redirects waste heat energy from primary processes, such as landfill gas treatment, to secondary processes like wastewater treatment or chemical treatment, reducing energy input requirements and enhancing overall efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The induction fan is positioned within or connected to the transfer pipe and operates to create a draft within the stack bustle and the transfer pipe to facilitate movement of some of the exhaust gas from the flare or exhaust stack of the primary process to the heat exchange unit
Implementation Method 2
When used, the heat exchange unit transfers energy in the diverted exhaust gas to the secondary process using for example a heat transfer fluid
Data Source
AI summary
A bustle for use on a flare or an exhaust stack of, for example, a landfill gas treatment system, efficiently transfers gas from the stack to a waste heat recovery system associated with the landfill gas treatment system without substantially affecting the operation of the landfill gas treatment process. The bustle enables the heat recovery system to recover at least a portion of the energy within the exhaust produced by the gas treatment system and to provide the recovered energy either indirectly or directly to a secondary process, such as a wastewater treatment process, to thereby reduce the amount of energy needed to be otherwise input into the secondary process.