Submerged Combustion Burner Tip Design for Glass Melting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current submerged combustion burners for melting glass-forming materials face issues with reduced heat release and susceptibility to plugging due to molten material entering the nozzle, leading to decreased efficiency and potential complete blockage.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates an inner and outer conduit system with a mixing region downstream of the inner conduit exit, featuring non-circular shapes and obstructions to enhance fuel and oxidant mixing, and a burner tip with a converging inner wall to create a higher pressure region, minimizing molten material entry and promoting efficient combustion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a smooth exterior surface half-toroid water-cooled steel burner tip is used, then the burner structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but molten material enters the central passage coating the interior walls, leading to restricted flow and potential plugging
Solution Approach 1:
The burner tip is divided into multiple functional zones: an outer annular passage for oxidant flow, an inner central passage for fuel flow, and a mixing region where the two streams interact. This segmentation prevents molten material from coating the entire interior surface by creating distinct flow paths with different functional requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The burner tip employs asymmetric geometry with a half-toroid outer surface and a central inner passage. The outer annular passage has a different cross-sectional shape than the inner central passage, creating asymmetric flow patterns that reduce molten material adhesion and improve flow reliability.
2Productivity
If fuel and oxidant are premixed before combustion, then combustion efficiency is improved, but safety risks increase due to increased reactivity when using oxygen as oxidant
Solution Approach 1:
Fuel and oxidant are premixed in a controlled mixing region just before the combustion zone, where turbulence promotes thorough mixing. This preliminary mixing action occurs in a confined space with controlled geometry, achieving high combustion efficiency while maintaining safety through controlled pre-mixing rather than extensive premixing throughout the burner.
Solution Approach 2:
The burner creates different mixing conditions in different regions: intense turbulent mixing in the central mixing region for efficiency, while the outer annular region maintains separate fuel and oxidant streams for safety. This local differentiation of mixing quality resolves the contradiction between efficiency and safety.
3Productivity
If high flow rates of combustion products are introduced into the molten glass, then rapid melting and turbulence are achieved, but non-waste fuel and oxygen-enriched oxidant usage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The burner design allows waste glass materials to serve as fuel, and air to serve as oxidant, eliminating the need for expensive non-waste fuels and oxygen-enriched oxidants. The system is self-sufficient by utilizing the waste materials being processed as the energy source, achieving both high productivity and reduced substance loss.
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 configuration improves heat release and reduces the likelihood of plugging, resulting in more efficient melting of glass-forming materials while maintaining burner functionality.
Implementation Method 1
The introduction of high flow rates of products of combustion of the oxidant and fuel into the molten glass, and the expansion of the gases during submerged combustion (SC), cause rapid melting of the glass batch and much turbulence and foaming.
Implementation Method 2
at least one of the inner and outer conduit exit ends comprises a non-circular circumferential shape sufficient to increase the interfacial surface area of contact between the fuel and the oxidant as they meet in the mixing region
Implementation Method 3
a burner tip with a converging inner wall to create a higher pressure region, minimizing molten material entry
Implementation Method 4
passing oxygen, oxygen-enriched mixtures, or air along with a liquid, gaseous and/or particulate fuel (some of which may be in the glass-forming materials), directly into a molten pool of glass, usually through burners submerged in a glass melt pool
Implementation Method 5
combust the fuel and oxidant, and melting the glass-forming materials to produce molten glass
Data Source
AI summary
Submerged combustion burners having improved fuel and oxidant mixing characteristics. Submerged combustion melters including the burners. Methods of using submerged combustion melters to melt glass-forming materials and produce molten glass.