Grain Bin Burner Assembly for Complete Combustion and Airflow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional grain bin heaters face challenges in achieving complete combustion and uniform distribution of heated air, leading to inefficient heating due to incomplete combustion and restricted airflow.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a cone-shaped flame diverter and flame cone within the heater assembly, which diverts the flame outwardly and ensures complete combustion by mixing excess air with the air/fuel mixture, maximizing heat release and uniform air distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional flame diverters with spaced slats are used to direct flame outwardly, then flame distribution is improved, but combustion completeness deteriorates due to yellowish flame indicating incomplete combustion
Solution Approach 1:
The flame diverter is segmented into multiple spaced slats that create individual combustion zones. Each slat acts as a separate element that divides the flame path into discrete segments, allowing controlled interaction between flame and air in each zone while maintaining overall flame distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the flame diverter system provide different functions: the slats create turbulence and mixing zones for complete combustion, while the conical shape provides overall flame direction. The localized features (slots, conical geometry) create specific flow patterns that enhance combustion completeness in different areas.
2Loss of energy
If more air is supplied to achieve complete combustion, then combustion efficiency is improved, but airflow restriction increases due to low pressure region downstream from burner nozzle
Solution Approach 1:
The conical shape of the flame diverter creates curved flow paths that guide air and flame interactions. The conical geometry naturally directs flow outward and downward, creating pressure gradients that facilitate air entrainment without requiring additional pressure differential, thus avoiding airflow restriction.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes pneumatic principles where the burner nozzle creates a jet flow that entrains surrounding air through momentum transfer. The flame diverter slats further enhance this pneumatic effect by creating turbulence and mixing zones that promote complete combustion through air-fuel mixing without additional pressure requirements.
3Temperature
If flame is directed outwardly toward housing walls, then heating uniformity is improved, but combustion completeness deteriorates in the low pressure region
Solution Approach 1:
The flame cone is nested within the conical flame diverter structure. This nested arrangement allows the inner flame cone to be contained and directed by the outer conical diverter, creating a hierarchical structure where the flame is progressively shaped and directed outward while maintaining combustion completeness through the nested geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The conical flame diverter adds a third-dimensional geometric element to the two-dimensional slat arrangement. The conical shape creates radial and axial flow components that work together with the slat-induced turbulence, directing flame outwardly in three dimensions toward the housing walls while ensuring complete combustion through enhanced mixing in multiple flow directions.
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 configuration results in substantially complete combustion, maximizing heat release and ensuring uniform heating of air, thereby increasing the efficiency of the grain bin heater.
Implementation Method 1
excess air forced through openings in diverter slats and excess air flowing around the slats is mixed with the combusting air/fuel mixture
Implementation Method 2
excess air forced through openings in diverter slats and excess air flowing around the slats is mixed with the combusting air/fuel mixture thereby to result in substantially complete combustion
Implementation Method 3
a nozzle attached to the burner housing to receive fuel, the nozzle having conduits extending from a surface of the nozzle, the conduit defining outlets for the fuel
Implementation Method 4
a flame diverter within the outer housing downstream from the burner housing sized, shaped and adapted to divert the flame outwardly from the burner housing toward the walls of the outer housing
Implementation Method 5
a burner within the outer housing intermediate the inlet and outlet ends for burning a fuel within the outer housing and for heating the air moving through the housing
Implementation Method 6
If these gaseous fuels are completely combusted, the products of combustion will include carbon dioxide, water, and nitrogen compounds from the combustion air
Data Source
AI summary
A burner assembly for a grain bin for heating air moving through the assembly to dry grain in the bin. The burner assembly has a collector adapted to receive fuel from a fuel line. A burner housing attaches to the collector receives fuel from the fuel line. A nozzle is secured to the burner. A flame diverter downstream from the burner housing diverts the flame outwardly from the burner nozzle toward the housing wall. A flame cone having a slope generally similar to the slope of the diverter is positioned near the burner to define a gap between the inside face of the diverter and the outer surface of the flame cone so as to provide a path for the burning fuel to travel from the burner outwardly toward the housing walls for a more complete combustion of the fuel.