Hydrogen Ammonia Burner Flame Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hydrogen burners are not suitable for burning other gases or mixtures, such as ammonia, due to flame front instability, and they struggle to reduce NOx emissions during combustion.
Innovation Solution
A burner design featuring a combustion chamber with a specific geometry, including a second wall with a step and nozzles for cross-flow injection of fuel and oxidizer, which stabilizes the flame and reduces NOx emissions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional hydrogen burners are used for burning ammonia or gas mixtures, then the burner structure remains simple, but flame front stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The burner is divided into distinct functional zones: a combustion chamber with specific geometry for flame stabilization, a mixing zone for fuel and oxidizer preparation, and a combustion zone. The second wall is segmented with a step structure to create specific flow patterns. This segmentation allows each zone to optimize for its specific function, achieving stable combustion of different fuels without requiring complete redesign of the entire burner system.
Solution Approach 2:
The second wall incorporates a step structure that creates localized regions with different flow characteristics. The step generates a recirculation zone downstream that provides local flame stabilization. This local modification to the wall structure allows the burner to adapt to different fuel types (hydrogen, ammonia, or mixtures) without changing the overall burner design, resolving the contradiction between reliability and complexity.
2Reliability
If cross-flow injection is used to stabilize flame, then flame stability improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The oxidizer injection system and fuel injection system are merged into a coordinated cross-flow arrangement. The oxidizer enters through the first wall while fuel is injected through nozzles in the second wall, creating intersecting flows that mix and stabilize the flame. This merging of injection strategies achieves flame stability through flow interaction rather than requiring separate complex stabilization mechanisms, thus improving reliability while controlling complexity.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If conventional burners are used for ammonia combustion, then NOx emissions increase, but maintaining simple burner design is preserved
Solution Approach 1:
The combustion chamber geometry introduces a new spatial dimension for emission control through the step structure in the second wall. This step creates a recirculation zone that extends the combustion path and allows for more complete combustion at lower temperatures, reducing thermal NOx formation. The geometric modification in the longitudinal dimension provides emission control without requiring additional external components, balancing environmental performance with design simplicity.
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 burner achieves stable combustion of hydrogen and ammonia mixtures, significantly reducing thermal NOx emissions and preventing flashback, while maintaining efficient flame anchoring.
Implementation Method 1
at least one nozzle located in the second wall and adapted, in the operating mode, to inject fuel in a cross-flow with respect to the oxidizer flow passing through the at least one opening
Implementation Method 2
the combustion of hydrogen or mixtures of gases, for example hydrogen with ammonia, with an oxidizer, for example air or oxygen
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a burner for fuel, preferably gaseous fuel. In particular, the device of the invention provides a burner for fuel which allows the combustion of hydrogen or mixtures of gases, for example hydrogen and ammonia, with a high flame stability.