Hydrogen Combustor Flame Visualization with Powdered Color Former
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hydrogen combustors face challenges in visualizing hydrogen flames due to low light emission intensity, requiring a spray nozzle adjacent to the burner which is prone to burnout and necessitate significant design changes, along with air entrapment issues.
Innovation Solution
A hydrogen combustor with a burner that includes a burner throat and fuel nozzle for hydrogen combustion, and color former adding equipment that introduces a metal or metal salt in powder form to the combustion air to cause a flame reaction, visualizing the flame without a separate nozzle near the fuel ejecting port.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a spray nozzle is placed adjacent to the fuel ejecting port to spray coloring liquid for flame visualization, then the flame can be visualized, but the spray nozzle is subjected to high-temperature hydrogen flame and may be burned out
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a coloring liquid as an intermediary substance that is sprayed into the combustion air stream rather than directly into the flame. The coloring liquid contains flame-reactive compounds that vaporize and react with the hydrogen flame, producing visible colored flames. This intermediary approach allows flame visualization without placing a spray nozzle in the high-temperature flame zone, thereby protecting the nozzle from burnout while achieving the desired visualization effect.
2Illumination intensity
If a spray nozzle is placed adjacent to the fuel ejecting port for flame visualization, then the flame can be observed, but significant design changes of the conventional burner are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the coloring liquid injection system to work with conventional burners without requiring significant design changes. The spray nozzle is positioned to inject coloring liquid into the combustion air stream upstream of the flame zone, allowing the system to be added to existing burners. The coloring liquid system serves multiple functions: it visualizes the flame, indicates combustion stability, and can signal abnormal conditions, all while maintaining compatibility with standard burner configurations.
3Area of stationary object
If the spray range of the coloring liquid is widened from the spray nozzle, then better flame coverage is achieved, but means for suppressing the entrapment of circumambient air in the sprayed coloring liquid is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the existing combustion air flow as a pneumatic carrier to transport the coloring liquid droplets through the combustion zone. The coloring liquid is sprayed into the combustion air stream, and the high-velocity air flow atomizes and distributes the coloring liquid uniformly across the flame area. This pneumatic transport method widens the effective spray range without requiring additional mechanisms to suppress air entrapment, as the combustion air itself provides the necessary flow dynamics to prevent droplet coalescence and ensure uniform distribution.
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 technique allows for visualizing hydrogen flames efficiently through a simple structure without nozzle burnout or design changes, enabling effective flame observation.
Implementation Method 1
the color former including a metal or a metal salt which causes a flame reaction with the hydrogen flame
Data Source
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AI summary
A hydrogen combustor includes: a hydrogen burner including a burner throat including an air passage through which combustion air flows and a fuel nozzle that ejects hydrogen fuel into the air passage or into flow of the combustion air which has been ejected from the burner throat, the hydrogen burner burning the hydrogen fuel to generate hydrogen flame; and color former adding equipment that adds a color former in powder form to the combustion air, the color former including a metal or a metal salt which causes a flame reaction with the hydrogen flame.