Oxyfuel Combustor Direct Steam Generation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional steam generation methods, such as boilers, are inefficient and require high-quality water sources, whereas direct steam generation through oxyfuel combustion offers a compact and efficient means of producing high-temperature steam and carbon dioxide mixtures, but faces challenges with fuel variability and impurity tolerance.
Innovation Solution
A high-pressure oxyfuel combustor operating at near stoichiometric conditions with water injection generates a steam-rich gas mixture, allowing for flexible fuel composition and impurity handling, with optional post-combustion cleanup and recycling of water and CO2 for enhanced hydrocarbon recovery processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional boilers are used for steam generation, then steam can be produced with high purity, but the system becomes large, inefficient, and requires high-quality water sources
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the steam generation function from the complex boiler system and implements it directly through oxyfuel combustion. By burning fuel in an oxygen-rich environment and directly injecting water into the combustion zone, the system produces steam without requiring large heat exchanger surfaces, feedwater treatment systems, or complex boiler infrastructure, thereby reducing system size and complexity while maintaining high efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical heat transfer system of conventional boilers (where heat is transferred through metal walls from combustion gases to water) with a direct chemical-thermal process. Water is injected directly into the combustion zone where it vaporizes instantly through direct contact with the oxygen-fuel reaction, eliminating the need for large-scale mechanical heat exchange equipment
2Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional boilers are used for steam generation, then steam purity can be maintained, but the system requires high-quality water sources and generates atmospheric emissions
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses oxygen-rich combustion (oxyfuel combustion) instead of air combustion, creating a high-temperature oxygen-fuel reaction zone. This strong oxidation environment ensures complete combustion of various fuels including those with impurities, converting carbon to CO2 and hydrogen to water vapor (steam), thereby minimizing harmful emissions while accepting a wide range of fuel compositions including waste fuels and fuels with variable composition
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts potential harmful elements in fuels (carbon and hydrogen) into useful products (CO2 and steam) through controlled oxyfuel combustion. The carbon in the fuel becomes CO2 which can be captured and utilized, while the hydrogen becomes steam which is the desired product. This approach transforms what would normally be combustion pollutants into valuable outputs, allowing flexible use of various fuel types
3Device complexity
If direct steam generation through oxyfuel combustion is used, then system efficiency and compactness are improved, but challenges arise with fuel variability and impurity tolerance
Solution Approach 1:
The invention maintains system compactness by controlling key combustion parameters including oxygen concentration, water injection rate, and residence time in the combustion zone. By adjusting these parameters, the system can accommodate various fuel compositions and impurity levels while maintaining efficient steam generation and preventing harmful byproducts, thus achieving both compactness and fuel flexibility
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 method provides an efficient, compact, and flexible steam generation system suitable for various applications, including power generation and hydrocarbon recovery, with reduced atmospheric emissions and minimal waste water, utilizing a wide range of fuels and impure water sources.
Implementation Method 1
combust a fuel containing hydrogen and/or carbon with oxygen (either pure oxygen or an oxidizer containing a greater proportion of oxygen than is present in air, i.e. about twenty percent)
Implementation Method 2
The hydrogen in the fuel reacts with the oxygen to directly form water
Implementation Method 3
the water is formed in a gaseous state as super heated steam
Implementation Method 4
Water flows on the other side of the heat exchanger wall (typically within pipes) with the water in the pipes boiling into steam
Implementation Method 5
If more heat has been added past the boiling point for all of the water, and all of the steam has been elevated in temperature above the boiling point for water at the given pressure
Data Source
AI summary
A gas generator is provided with a combustion chamber into which oxygen and a hydrogen containing fuel are directed for combustion therein. The gas generator also includes water inlets and an outlet for a steam and CO2 mixture generated within the gas generator. The steam and CO2 mixture can be used for various different processes, with some such processes resulting in recirculation of water from the processor back to the water inlets of the gas generator. In one process a hydrocarbon containing subterranean space is accessed by a well and the steam and CO2 mixture is directed into the well to enhance removability of hydrocarbons within the subterranean space. Fluids are then removed from the subterranean space include hydrocarbons and water, with a portion of the hydrocarbons then removed in a separator/recovery step. The resulting hydrocarbon removal system can operate with no polluting emissions and with no water requirements.