US3748080A - Combustion control apparatus using a liquid spray - Google Patents

Abstract

Combustion control apparatus for use with a burner of the type having a centrally located liquid fuel atomizer or a gas ring or center fuel gas arrangement mounted to produce a cone of flame in a combustion chamber. The control apparatus includes a ring of nozzles disposed around the burner and adapted to direct a jet or spray of water or other fluid, such as a slurry or air borne solids onto the flame and an additional duct adapted to direct a stream of air or other fluid onto the flame. The fluid is adapted to eliminate excessively hot combustion zones by cooling the flame at such zones and eliminating temperature peaks for thereby increasing the period of combustion in the chamber so as to reduce or eliminate the formation of undesirable oxidation products which are formed at high temperature.

Description

United States atent Dunn [ COMBUSTION CONTROL APPARATUS Inventor: Assignee:

Filed:

Appl. N0.:

US. Cl. 431/4, 431/190 Int. Cl. F231 7/00 Field of Search 431/4, 190, 181,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,101,592 8/1963 Robertson et al. 60/3905 X 2,867,267 1/1959 Nerad et a1. 431/190 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 125,327 5/1958 U.S.S.R 431/187 430,738 2/1935 Great Britain 431/4 Primary Examiner-William ODea Assistant Examiner-William C. Anderson AttorneyNathaniel L. Leek [57] ABSTRACT Combustion control apparatus for use with a burner of the type having a centrally located liquid fuel atomizer or a gas ring or center fuel gas arrangement mounted to produce a cone of flame in a combustion chamber. The control apparatus includes a ring of nozzles disposed around the burner and adapted to direct a jet or spray of water or other fluid, such as a slurry or air borne solids onto the flame and an additional duct adapted to direct a stream of air or other fluid onto the flame. The fluid is adapted to eliminate excessively hot combustion zones by cooling the flame at such zones and eliminating temperature peaks for thereby increasing the period of combustion in the chamber so as to reduce or eliminate the formation of undesirable oxidation products which are formed at high temperature.

9 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures Patented July 24, 1973 3,748,080

I /5 l/l I 1 INVENTOR.

John Dunn ATTORNEY COMBUSTION coNTRoI. APPARATUS USING A LIQUID SPRAY This invention relates to combustion control apparatus and has for an object to control the period of combustion in a manner to eliminate or reduce the formation of undesirable oxides.

A more specific object is to eliminate or reduce the formation of oxide as of nitrogen.

Another object is to provide means for introducing a cooling fluid or a chemical reactant into a flame at zones selected to produce the above result.

Various other objects and advantages will be apparent as the nature of the invention is more fully disclosed.

In accordance with the present invention a ring of liquid nozzles is disposed around the throat opening of a fuel burner in such a manner that water or other liquid can be directed upon the cone of flame at various selected locations. The liquid is intended to prevent local hot zones in the flame which tend to produce undesired combustion products such as oxides of nitrogen or other elements which are known in the art to be undesirable from the standpoint of flue gas contaminants and as an indication of incomplete combustion.

The nature of the invention will be better understood .from the following description, taken in connection I a burner throat opening 11 formedby a ring ofthroat tile 12. Afront wall 13 is spaced from thefurnace wall 10 to form aplenum chamber 14 therebetween. The

burner elements includeanair register 15 having a front plate 16 secured to thefront wall 13 and registering axially with aburner tube 17 having arear flange 18 bolted to a plate 19 secured to thewall 10.Gas ring 20 of usualtype for supplying gaseous fuel is secured between the flange l8 and the plate 19 adjacent throat opening'll. A fuel barrel 21- of the type carrying gaseous liquid or pulverized fuel extends axially through theair register 15 andburner tube 17 with anatomizing tip 22 disposed axially at the burner throat 11. v

The elements thus far described are of standard construction and only so much thereof has been shown as is necessary for an understanding of the invention.

For the purpose above-described aliquid ring 30 is disposed around the burner throat opening 11 and spaced radially outwardly from thegas ring 20. Theliquid ring 30 is secured to the plate 19 by suitable means shown asbolts 31 and is supplied with water or other fluid through apipe 32 having acontrol valve 33. A plurality ofpipes 34 extend from theliquid tube 30 through axiallyinclined openings 36 in thewall 10 and terminate innozzles 37 which are disposed around the throat opening 11 at an angle such that a spray of water or other fluid is directed onto theflame 38 from theburner tip 22. The angle of the spray from thenozzles 37 may be controlled bydeflectors 39 which are pivoted to the nozzles and are controlled byrods 40 extending through thewall 10 and connected to any suitable manual or automatic control means.Deflectors 39 may be adjusted to control the radial angle of the liquid spray fromthenozzles 37 so as to direct the spray onto any selected portion of theflame 38. This spray of water is adapted to control the flame temperature in a manner to reduce the formation of undesired combustion components.

For an additional control of the flame temperature and the combustion conditions a series of air ducts are shown extending through thewall 10 around the throat opening 11 for admitting air fromduct 47 controlled by avalve 48, amanifold 46 having an inlet duct which may be connected to admit air or other fluid from any suitable source or may be open to theplenum chamber 14 for admitting air from such chamber into the ducts 45-.Deflector plates 50 may be pivoted manually on theducts 45 and controlled byrods 51 by any suitable means for controlling the angle at which the air or other fluid from theducts 45 is discharged onto theflame 38.

In operation thedeflector plates 39 and 50 are adjusted in accordance with the combustion conditions to cause the liquid or gas streams from thenozzles 37 orducts 45 to impinge on any excessively hot portions of theflame 38 so as to reduce the temperature and retard combustion at such portions and thus increase the period of combustion in the combustion chamber to an extent suited to cause complete combustion and to avoid the formation of undesirable oxidation products.

The jet from thenozzles 37 may comprise water or a chemical composition or slurry which may be particu' larly adapted to control the combustion products. Likewise the jets from theducts 45 may comprise airor a reagent or an inert gas as may be required for the above purpose. Various combustion control materials are'well known in the art and may be used in the present apparatus.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a furnace having a'wall provided with an opening forming a burner throat, a

burner tube connected to supply air for combustion to said throat and a fuel barrel disposed axially of said burner tube and having a tip adaptedito produce a cone of flame, a series of nozzles extending through said wall around said throat opening and adapted to project a liquid spray onto said cone of flame, an annular header disposed to supply liquid to said nozzles, and means to adjust the radial angle of said spray for controlling the zone of impingement of said liquid spray on said cone of flame.

2. Apparatus as set forth inclaim 1 in which said means for adjusting the radial angle of said liquid spray comprises deflector plates disposed adjacent eachnozzle to direct the spray onto selected portions of said cone of flame.

3. Apparatus as set forth inclaim 2 including means for adjusting the angular positions of said deflector plates.

4. Apparatus as set forth inclaim 1 including a set of gas passages extending through said wall around said throat opening adapted to direct a gas onto said cone of flame.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4 including means supplying a gas to said passages and means to control the quantity of such gas.

from a plurality of sources disposed peripherally around said throat opening and controlling the angular direction of said spray to eliminate local hot zones and to thus increase the period of combustion so as to eliminate the formation of undesirable oxides in the products of combustion.

9. The method set forth in claim 8 in which a gas is projected onto said cone of flame from a plurality of external sources disposed around said throat opening. l

Claims (9)

1. In combination with a furnace having a wall provided with an opening forming a burner throat, a burner tube connected to supply air for combustion to said throat and a fuel barrel disposed axially of said burner tube and having a tip adapted to produce a cone of flame, a series of nozzles extending through said wall around said throat opening and adapted to project a liquid spray onto said cone of flame, an annular header disposed to supply liquid to said nozzles, and means to adjust the radial angle of said spray for controlling the zone of impingement of said liquid spray on said cone of flame.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which said means for adjusting the radial angle of said liquid spray comprises deflector plates disposed adjacent each nozzle to direct the spray onto selected portions of said cone of flame.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 including means for adjusting the angular positions of said deflector plates.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 including a set of gas passages extending through said wall around said throat opening adapted to direct a gas onto said cone of flame.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4 including means supplying a gas to said passages and means to control the quantity of such gas.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5 in which a manifold is connected to said passages and means is provided to supply a controlled quantity of a gas to said manifold.

7. ApparAtus as set forth in claim 4 in which said gas passages are peripherally displaced around said throat opening.

8. The method of controlling the flame in a fuel burner having a burner adapted to produce a cone of flame in a throat opening in a furnace wall which comprises directing a liquid spray onto said cone of flame from a plurality of sources disposed peripherally around said throat opening and controlling the angular direction of said spray to eliminate local hot zones and to thus increase the period of combustion so as to eliminate the formation of undesirable oxides in the products of combustion.

9. The method set forth in claim 8 in which a gas is projected onto said cone of flame from a plurality of external sources disposed around said throat opening.

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