Inline Gas Heater Assembly With Internal Combustion Annular Heating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gas heater systems in the iron industry suffer from thermal efficiency limits, high environmental impact, and high maintenance needs due to their design and reliance on external fuel-fired combustion, leading to inefficiencies and increased emissions.
Innovation Solution
A gas heater assembly with an inline internal combustion burner that heats process gas directly through a burner body and annular channel, using hydrogen as fuel and oxygen as oxidizer to minimize ambient air involvement, reducing NOx formation and enhancing thermal efficiency while maintaining low environmental impact and requiring less maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If conventional external fuel-fired combustion heaters are used, then heating capability is achieved, but thermal efficiency is limited to 70-85%
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the heating function and combustion function into a single integrated burner assembly. The burner body contains both the combustion chamber for burning fuel and oxidizing gas, and the flame opening for direct heating of process gas, eliminating the need for separate fire box, heat recovery section, and heater coils found in conventional external combustion heaters.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the combustion process from the external environment and places it internally within the burner body. By burning fuel and oxidizing gas inside the burner chamber and directing the flame through the flame opening, the system eliminates external combustion components and achieves more efficient direct heating.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional air-fuel combustion is used, then heating is achieved, but environmental impact increases due to NOx formation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses oxygen or oxygen-enriched gas as the oxidizing gas instead of ambient air. This concentrated oxidant allows for more complete and efficient combustion with better temperature control, reducing the formation of thermal NOx that occurs with air combustion, while maintaining or improving combustion efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the composition parameter of the oxidizing gas from ambient air (21% oxygen) to pure oxygen or oxygen-enriched gas. This parameter change enables more efficient combustion with reduced NOx emissions by allowing precise control of the combustion process and avoiding the nitrogen in air that leads to thermal NOx formation.
3Reliability
If conventional heater systems with multiple components are used, then heating function is achieved, but maintenance needs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple conventional heater components (burner, fire box, heat recovery section, heater coils) into a single integrated burner assembly. The burner body houses the combustion chamber, the process gas flows through the flame opening for direct heating, and the compact design eliminates the need for separate heat recovery and heating components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates unnecessary intermediate components from conventional heater systems. By implementing direct internal combustion and direct flame heating, the system removes the fire box, heat recovery section, and heater coils, resulting in a simpler system with fewer parts that require maintenance.
4Productivity
If large surface area heater assembly is used, then heating capacity is increased, but heat loss from surface increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the heating process from a large external surface area assembly and concentrates it into a compact internal combustion chamber. By burning fuel and oxidizing gas inside the burner body and directing the flame through the flame opening, the system achieves high heating capacity in a compact form factor, minimizing surface area and associated heat losses.
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 achieves higher thermal efficiency, reduces environmental impact, and lowers maintenance needs by directly heating gas through inline combustion, ensuring efficient and reliable operation with reduced component count.
Implementation Method 1
a burner body (4) comprising a burner chamber (6) for burning a fuel (8) and an oxidizing gas (10)
Implementation Method 2
The radiation heat from burners is used to heat the heater coils/tubes in a fire box
Implementation Method 3
The process or reduction gas passes through/within the heater coils and is heated by conduction of heat through tube walls
Implementation Method 4
use natural gas to generate synthesis gas for reduction, via a stoichiometric reformer, a steam reformer or a zero reformer
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure relates to a gas heater assembly (1) for a gas heating process, the assembly (1) comprising: a burner body (4) comprising a burner chamber (6) for burning an injecting fuel (8) and an oxidizing gas (10), which burner chamber (6) is arranged in a cavity (2) of the burning body (4); a first conveying pipe (12) for supplying the injecting fuel (8) to the burner chamber (6); a second conveying pipe (14) for supplying the oxidizing gas (10) to the burner chamber (6); a burner housing (16), comprising a housing wall (25), which is configured to encircle the burner body (4) and to create a first annular channel (18) for a gas (20) in a space (22) between the outside of the burner body (4) and the inside of the housing wall (25) of the burner housing (16); and at least one burner body support (26), which is configured to support and centre the burner body (4) in the burner housing (16), wherein the burner body (4) comprises a flame opening (28) for a burning flame (30), which is configured to heat the gas (20) which passing the first annular channel (18). The disclosure further relates to a system (42) for a gas heating process.