Uncooled Synthesis Gas Burner with Segmented Feed Channels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing burners for synthesis gas production by partial oxidation of carbon-containing fuels require cooling due to heat back-transfer from the flame, leading to potential operational failures during coolant supply malfunctions.
Innovation Solution
A burner design where carbon-containing fuel, oxygen-containing oxidant, and moderator are separately fed through distinct channels, ensuring mixing and flame formation occur outside the burner, reducing heat back-transfer and eliminating the need for coolant by configuring the feed channels to achieve high flow velocities and using swirl-inducing devices for enhanced mixing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If fuel and oxidant are fed separately through distinct channels to prevent mixing inside the burner, then heat back-transfer to the burner is reduced and uncooled operation becomes possible, but the device complexity increases due to multiple feed channels and swirl-inducing devices
Solution Approach 1:
The burner divides the feed system into separate channels: a central channel for fuel and an annular channel for oxidant. This segmentation prevents mixing inside the burner while allowing controlled mixing outside, reducing heat back-transfer to the burner structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The oxidant feed channel is arranged as an annular channel surrounding the central fuel channel. This nested configuration allows both feeds to be delivered through the same burner body without internal mixing, maintaining structural compactness while preventing premature combustion.
Solution Approach 3:
Swirl-inducing devices are incorporated into the feed channels to pre-condition the flows before they exit the burner. The swirl patterns are established inside the burner without combustion, ensuring proper mixing and flame stability occurs outside the burner body, protecting it from thermal damage.
2Reliability
If multiple feed channels are used to deliver fuel, oxidant, and moderator separately, then mixing is prevented inside the burner enabling uncooled operation, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The burner is manufactured with distinct feed channels: a central circular channel for fuel and a surrounding annular channel for oxidant. This segmented structure enables separate delivery of reactants without internal mixing, ensuring reliable uncooled operation while maintaining a manufacturable design.
Solution Approach 2:
The annular oxidant channel is integrated as a nested structure around the central fuel channel, creating a compact multi-channel system that can be manufactured as a single integrated component, reducing assembly complexity despite the multiple feed paths.
3Productivity
If fuel and oxidant are fed coaxially or coannularly to enable direct reaction, then synthesis gas production efficiency is improved, but heat back-transfer to the burner increases requiring active cooling
Solution Approach 1:
The burner uses separate central and annular feed channels to deliver fuel and oxidant in a coaxial arrangement that enables efficient synthesis gas production outside the burner, while preventing internal mixing that would cause heat back-transfer and require active cooling.
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 burner operates uncooled, reducing the risk of operational failures and maintaining synthesis gas production efficiency by preventing undesirable oxidation reactions within the burner, thus providing a robust and cost-effective solution.
Implementation Method 1
the feed channels are configured so that mixing of the fuel, the oxidant and the moderator occurs only outside the burner
Implementation Method 2
producing synthesis gas by partial oxidation of liquid or gaseous, carbon-containing fuels in the presence of an oxygen-containing oxidant
Implementation Method 3
reducing heat back-transfer and eliminating the need for coolant
Data Source
AI summary
A burner for producing synthesis gas by partial oxidation of liquid or gaseous, carbon-containing fuels in the presence of an oxygen-containing oxidant and a moderator, which burner can be operated uncooled, i.e. without a fluid coolant being passed through the burner, is proposed. Steam or carbon dioxide or else mixtures of these materials are used as moderator. This is achieved by the feed channels being configured so that mixing of the fuel, the moderator and the oxidant occurs only outside the burner.