Hydrogen Burner Backflash Prevention via Control Unit Purge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Pre-mixed hydrogen burners face a safety issue due to the backflash phenomenon, which can lead to fire and explosion risks, despite reducing nitrogen oxide emissions, as the high-speed hydrogen flame increases the likelihood of accidents.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for preventing backflash in pre-mixed hydrogen burners, incorporating a hydrogen burner design with a mixture pipe and combustion air supply, along with a control unit that detects backflash conditions using sensors and purges the pipe to interrupt hydrogen supply when backflash is detected, and adjusts the equivalence ratio to prevent backflash occurrence.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If pre-mixture combustion technique is used to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions, then environmental compliance is improved, but backflash phenomenon occurs due to high-speed flame increasing fire and explosion risk
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by detecting backflash conditions before actual backflash occurs. The control unit monitors equivalence ratio and identifies when conditions approach backflash boundaries, then preemptively adjusts hydrogen or combustion air supply to prevent backflash while maintaining combustion efficiency and low NOx emissions
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback control by real-time monitoring of equivalence ratio and comparing it against predetermined backflash boundary conditions. Based on this feedback, the control unit dynamically adjusts the pre-mixture combustion parameters to maintain safe operation while preserving the environmental benefits of pre-mixture combustion
2Reliability
If real-time monitoring and control systems are implemented to detect and prevent backflash, then safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit performs multiple functions including real-time equivalence ratio calculation, backflash condition detection, preventive control actions, and combustion optimization. By consolidating these diverse functions into a single multi-functional control system, the patent achieves high safety without proportionally increasing overall device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system focuses control efforts on monitoring and adjusting key parameters (equivalence ratio, hydrogen supply, combustion air supply) that directly influence backflash risk. By concentrating on critical parameters rather than monitoring all system variables, the patent achieves effective safety monitoring with manageable system complexity
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 prevents and minimizes backflash occurrences, ensuring safety by rapidly detecting backflash through various sensors and performing preventive controls, thereby stabilizing the hydrogen burner operation and preventing potential fires and explosions.
Implementation Method 1
a control unit configured to perform a first control to purge the pipe and to interrupt supply of the hydrogen, in a case where it is detected that backflash propagates from a combustion nozzle end portion to the mixture pipe
Implementation Method 2
wherein a mixture of the hydrogen and the combustion air is combusted at a combustion nozzle end portion of a pipe connected to the mixture pipe
Data Source
AI summary
A system for preventing backflash in a pre-mixed hydrogen burner includes a hydrogen burner including a mixture pipe connected to a hydrogen supply flow-path tube along which hydrogen is guided and a combustion air supply flow-path tube along which combustion air is guided, wherein a mixture of the hydrogen and the combustion air is combusted at a combustion nozzle end portion of a pipe connected to the mixture pipe, and a control unit configured to perform a first control to purge the pipe and to interrupt supply of the hydrogen, in a case where backflash propagates or is likely to propagate from the combustion nozzle end portion to the mixture pipe during the combustion.