Transient Heating Burner for Uniform Melt Temperature
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional burners for industrial melting furnaces face challenges in achieving uniform heat transfer and preventing overheating and oxidation of metal, as they often fail to direct heat effectively towards the melt, leading to inefficient energy distribution and potential damage to the furnace refractory.
Innovation Solution
A transient heating burner system with multiple burner elements and staging nozzles, capable of modulating flame patterns and oxygen concentrations, is designed to provide enhanced flame coverage and heat flux distribution. This system directs high momentum flames cyclical to the melt, generating vortices and minimizing oxidation, while sensors and controllers adjust fuel flow to optimize heat delivery based on real-time furnace conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If a stationary flame is directed toward the melt to enhance heat transfer, then heat flux delivery is improved, but metal oxidation and overheating occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic action by cycling burner elements between active and inactive states. During active phases, high momentum flames are directed at the melt for enhanced heat transfer. During inactive phases, the system allows oxidation prevention and temperature equalization. This temporal modulation resolves the contradiction between maximizing heat flux and preventing oxidation/overheating.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from static burner operation to dynamic control where burner elements are selectively activated and deactivated based on real-time temperature feedback. This dynamic adjustment of flame momentum and direction allows the system to optimize heat transfer while preventing harmful effects, directly addressing the technical contradiction.
2Productivity
If multiple high momentum flames are directed at the melt to improve melting, then melting efficiency is enhanced, but oxidative melt losses increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic action by cycling burner elements between active and inactive states. During active phases, high momentum flames provide intense heat for efficient melting. During inactive phases, oxidation is minimized and temperature distribution equalizes. This temporal modulation resolves the contradiction between maximizing melting efficiency and preventing oxidative losses.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses dynamic control to selectively activate burner elements based on real-time temperature feedback from sensors. This allows high momentum flames to be applied only when and where needed for melting, while preventing oxidative losses through strategic deactivation, directly addressing the productivity-substance loss contradiction.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a low momentum flame is directed toward the melt to avoid overheating, then oxidation is reduced, but heat transfer efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic action by alternating between high momentum flame phases (for efficient heat transfer) and low or zero flame phases (for overheating prevention and oxidation reduction). This temporal modulation allows the system to achieve both high heat transfer efficiency and overheating prevention, resolving the contradiction between these opposing requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from static low momentum flame operation to dynamic control where flame momentum is adjusted in real-time based on temperature feedback. This allows the system to switch between high momentum (efficient heat transfer) and low momentum (overheating prevention) states, directly resolving the contradiction between heat transfer efficiency and overheating prevention.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If high momentum jet is used to move the flame away from the melt to prevent oxidation, then oxidation is reduced, but flame coverage and heat distribution uniformity decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic action by cycling burner elements between active and inactive states. During active phases, flames are directed at the melt for heat transfer. During inactive phases, high momentum jets can be used to move flames away and prevent oxidation. This temporal modulation allows the system to achieve both oxidation reduction and temperature uniformity, resolving the contradiction between these opposing requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses dynamic control to adjust flame momentum and direction in real-time based on temperature feedback. This allows the system to switch between flame impingement (heat transfer) and flame displacement (oxidation prevention) modes, maintaining temperature uniformity while reducing oxidation, directly addressing the contradiction between oxidation reduction and temperature distribution uniformity.
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 solution achieves uniform temperature distribution, reduces oxidative melt losses, and prevents overheating by ensuring even energy distribution across the melt bath, enhancing melting efficiency and reducing NOx emissions compared to conventional burners.
Implementation Method 1
multiple high momentum flames are directed towards the melt in a cyclical manner
Implementation Method 2
enhanced heat transfer from the flame to the melt
Implementation Method 3
The burner is also capable of generating vortices by selectively modulating multiple flames
Data Source
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AI summary
A transient heating burner including at least two burner elements each having a distribution nozzle configured to flow a fuel, and an annular nozzle surrounding the distribution nozzle and configured to flow an first oxidant, at least one staging nozzle configured to flow a second oxidant, and a controller programmed to independently control the fuel flow to each distribution nozzle such that at least one of the distribution nozzles is active and at least one of the distribution nozzles is passive, wherein an active distribution nozzle fuel flow is greater than an average fuel flow to the distribution nozzles and a passive nozzle fuel flow is less than the average fuel flow, and to control a staging ratio to be less than or equal to about 75%.