Twin-Fluid Burner Atomizer with Composite Cooling Jacket

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing burners are not suitable for high-temperature and high-pressure applications due to lack of cooling and are prone to heat damage, especially during shutdown when flames can retract into orifices, posing safety risks.

Innovation Solution

A burner design with coaxial channels for separate liquid fuel and oxygen supply, featuring a twin-fluid atomizer head with a cooling jacket made of lower thermal conductivity metal and an atomizer head of higher thermal conductivity metal, maintaining a distance between orifices and the cooling jacket to prevent heat damage, and using a copper alloy for enhanced cooling and mechanical strength.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Temperature

If a cooling jacket is added to protect the burner from heat, then the burner can withstand high temperature loads, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetemperature resistanceVSAvoidstructure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The cooling jacket is nested coaxially around the tubular supply channel walls, with the atomizer head positioned at a distance from the cooling jacket. This nested arrangement allows the cooling system to be integrated within the existing burner structure without requiring separate external cooling components, thus protecting against heat while minimizing additional structural complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

2Volume of moving object

If the orifices are placed close to the cooling jacket for compact design, then the device size is reduced, but heat damage risk increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveburner sizeVSAvoidheat damage risk
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The cooling jacket acts as an intermediary protective barrier positioned between the high-temperature combustion zone and the orifices. By maintaining a specific distance between the orifices and the cooling jacket, the system allows the cooling jacket to absorb and dissipate heat, protecting the orifices from direct heat exposure while enabling a compact overall design.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Loss of energy

If a single high thermal conductivity metal is used for the atomizer head, then heat dissipation is improved, but mechanical strength under high temperature decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheat dissipationVSAvoidmechanical strength
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The burner employs a composite construction with the atomizer head made of a first metal and the cooling jacket made of a second metal with lower thermal conductivity. This composite material approach allows optimization of each component: the atomizer head uses high thermal conductivity metal for heat dissipation, while the cooling jacket uses a metal that provides both cooling and mechanical strength under high temperature conditions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

4Productivity

If the burner operates at high pressure for efficient combustion, then productivity increases, but the risk of flame blowout and instability increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecombustion efficiencyVSAvoidflame stability
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The twin-fluid atomizer head utilizes the high-velocity oxygen-containing gas flow to automatically atomize the liquid fuel into fine droplets. This self-atomizing mechanism ensures consistent fuel vaporization and mixing under high pressure conditions, maintaining stable combustion and preventing flame blowout while preserving combustion efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

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 effectively reduces the risk of heat damage and maintains a stable flame at high pressures, ensuring burner integrity and safety during operation and shutdown, with optimized heat dissipation and mechanical strength.

Implementation Method 1

a cooling jacket is coaxially disposed to envelope the tubular supply channel walls

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Implementation Method 2

the cooling jacket is made of a second metal with a lower thermal conductivity than the first metal

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal insulation: Thermal Insulation

Implementation Method 3

a twin-fluid atomizer head fixed to the discharge end comprising one or more first flow-through passages in register with the supply channel for oxygen containing gas and second flow-through passages in register with the supply channel for the liquid fuel

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFluid spray atomization: Fluid Spray

Implementation Method 4

the atomizer head is made of a first metal and the cooling jacket is made of a second metal with a lower thermal conductivity than the first metal, wherein copper alloy is used for enhanced cooling and mechanical strength

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Data Source

PatentEP2217857B1Burner with atomizer
Publication Date: 2013.08.21 SHELL INTERNATIONALE RESEARCH MAATSCHAPPIJ BV
  • EP2217857B1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP2217857B1 patent drawingFigure 1B~1F
  • EP2217857B1 patent drawingFigure 1C

AI summary

Burner (1) comprising channels (2, 3) for the separate supply of a liquid fuel and an oxygen-containing gas. The burner (1) comprises a twin-fluid atomizer head (4) comprising first flow-through passages (37) in register with the supply channel (3) for oxygen- containing gas and second flow-through passages (34) in register with the fuel supply channel (2). The second flow-through passages (34) exit into the first flow- through passage (37) at a point before the first flow- through passage exits into a coaxial ring of orifices (38). A cooling jacket (11) envelopes the supply channel walls (9, 10). The orifices (38) run through the atomizer head (4) at a distance from the cooling jacket (11). The atomizer head (4) can, e.g., be made of a first metal, such as a copper alloy, and the cooling jacket (11) can be made of a second metal with a lower thermal conductivity than the first metal, e.g., steel.