Segmented Burner Deck Design for Hydrogen Flash-Back Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas burners face challenges in safely using hydrogen as a fuel due to its high flame speed, which can cause flash-back and auto-ignition, and the inability to modulate power levels effectively, leading to unstable combustion and potential damage.
Innovation Solution
A gas burner design with burner deck portions separated by a separation surface, featuring holes that provide gas to reaction zones, with less than 5% of the surface area occupied by holes, ensuring stable combustion and preventing reaction zones from extending over the separation surface, thus controlling flame speed and temperature.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If hydrogen is used as fuel in the gas burner, then carbon dioxide emissions are prevented, but flash-back and auto-ignition occur due to high flame speed
Solution Approach 1:
The burner deck is divided into multiple separate burner deck portions with separation surfaces between them. This segmentation prevents the reaction zones from connecting and extending across the entire burner deck, thereby preventing flash-back and auto-ignition while maintaining stable hydrogen combustion
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the burner deck are designed with different properties - burner deck portions with holes for gas supply and separation surfaces without holes. This local differentiation creates isolated reaction zones that prevent harmful combustion propagation while maintaining efficient local combustion
2Productivity
If the flame speed is increased to improve heating efficiency, then more heat is generated, but flash-back occurs causing explosion risks
Solution Approach 1:
The burner deck is segmented into separate portions that isolate high-speed combustion zones. This allows high flame speed hydrogen combustion to occur efficiently in each isolated zone without the risk of flash-back connecting across the entire burner deck
Solution Approach 2:
The separation surfaces act as intermediary barriers between adjacent burner deck portions. These surfaces prevent the propagation of high-speed flames from one zone to another, mediating the combustion process to maintain safety while preserving heating efficiency
3Productivity
If the burner deck temperature is increased to improve combustion efficiency, then more heat is produced, but auto-ignition occurs above 585°C
Solution Approach 1:
Dividing the burner deck into separate portions with thermal isolation through separation surfaces reduces heat accumulation and prevents the temperature from reaching the auto-ignition threshold of 585°C, while still maintaining efficient combustion in each localized zone
Solution Approach 2:
The separation surfaces extract heat from the combustion zones by providing thermal isolation. This removes excess heat that would otherwise accumulate and cause auto-ignition, while sufficient heat remains for efficient combustion
4Loss of energy
If the power level is reduced for modulation, then energy consumption decreases, but combustion becomes unstable
Solution Approach 1:
The segmented burner deck design maintains stable combustion at low power levels by ensuring each isolated burner deck portion has sufficient gas flow through its holes. The separation surfaces prevent combustion instability from propagating across the entire burner deck, allowing safe modulation to lower power levels
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 design achieves stable combustion of hydrogen at various power levels, preventing flash-back and auto-ignition, while maintaining a safe operating temperature below 585°C, suitable for commercial use.
Implementation Method 1
the holes are adapted to provide gas to be combusted in the reaction zones
Implementation Method 2
the burner deck portions are arranged relatively to each other to prevent the reaction zones from extending over the separation surface
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a gas burner that comprises a surface. The surface forms a burner deck comprising burner deck portions and a separation surface. The burner deck portions have holes. The separation surface is arranged to separate the burner deck portions from each other. Less than 5.0% of a surface area of the burner deck is formed by a combined surface area of the holes. The burner deck portions are adapted to define reaction zones extending over the burner deck portions. The holes are adapted to provide gas to be combusted in the reaction zones. The burner deck portions are arranged relative to each other to prevent the reaction zones from extending over the separation surface.