Radiant Burner Scalability via Modular Treatment Chambers

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing radiant burner configurations are not easily scalable to handle different effluent stream rates, requiring unique designs for each flow rate and limiting their scalability.

Innovation Solution

A radiant burner with a plurality of treatment chambers, each receiving a portion of the effluent stream, allowing the number of chambers to be adjusted to match varying flow rates, and featuring a compact arrangement with shared structures to reduce part count and enhance scalability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a single radiant burner configuration is designed for a specific effluent stream flow rate, then it can effectively treat that particular flow rate, but it cannot easily adapt to different flow rates requiring unique designs for each application

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadaptability to different effluent stream flow ratesVSAvoiddesign complexity and validation requirements
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The radiant burner is divided into multiple modular treatment chambers that can be independently configured. Each chamber is a standardized unit that can be combined in different quantities to match various effluent stream flow rates. This segmentation allows the system to adapt to different applications without requiring unique custom designs for each flow rate scenario.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The standardized treatment chamber design serves multiple functions across different applications. A single chamber design can be used in various configurations (1 chamber, 2 chambers, 3 chambers, or more) to handle different effluent stream flow rates, making the component universal and eliminating the need for application-specific custom designs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple treatment chambers are provided to handle varying flow rates, then scalability is improved, but the number of parts and structural complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvescalability to match effluent stream flow ratesVSAvoidnumber of parts and structural elements
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Adjacent treatment chambers share common structural elements, specifically the side walls are combined between neighboring chambers. This merging approach reduces the total number of parts required compared to having completely separate chambers, while still maintaining the scalability to configure different numbers of chambers based on effluent stream flow rate requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Area of stationary object

If treatment chambers are arranged in a compact configuration with shared structures, then space utilization is improved, but combustion propagation between chambers becomes more challenging

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefootprint area of the radiant burnerVSAvoidreliability of combustion propagation
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Ignition bars are positioned at the shared walls between adjacent treatment chambers to act as intermediaries for combustion propagation. These ignition bars facilitate reliable flame transfer from one chamber to the next despite the compact arrangement and shared structures, ensuring that combustion can propagate effectively through the entire multi-chamber system while maintaining a compact footprint.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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 scalable architecture of the burner allows it to reliably treat effluent gas streams with varying flow rates, providing a compact and efficient solution for effluent gas treatment.

Implementation Method 1

Known radiant burners use combustion to remove the PFCs and other compounds from the effluent gas stream

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCombustion: Combustion

Implementation Method 2

Fuel gas and air are simultaneously supplied to the foraminous burner to affect flameless combustion at the exit surface, with the amount of air passing through the foraminous burner being sufficient to consume not only the fuel gas supply to the burner, but also all the combustibles in the gas stream mixture

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectOxidation: Oxidation

Implementation Method 3

Fuel gas and air are simultaneously supplied to the foraminous burner to affect flameless combustion at the exit surface

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFlameless combustion: Combustion

Data Source

PatentEP3278023B1Radiant burner for incineration of contaminated gas
Publication Date: 2025.05.21 EDWARDS LTD
  • EP3278023B1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP3278023B1 patent drawingFigure 1B
  • EP3278023B1 patent drawingFigure 2A

AI summary

A radiant burner and method are disclosed. The radiant burner is for treating an effluent gas stream from a manufacturing processing tool and comprises: a plurality of treatment chambers, each treatment chamber having an effluent stream inlet for supplying a respective portion of said effluent gas stream to that treatment chamber for treatment therewithin. In this way, multiple treatment chambers may be provided, each of which treats part of the effluent stream. Accordingly, the number of treatment chambers can be selected to match the flow rate of the effluent gas stream from any particular processing tool. This provides an architecture which is reliably scalable to suit the needs of any effluent gas stream flow rate.