Burner method and apparatus having low emissions

• US 5,445,516 A
• Filed: 06/15/1994
• Issued: 08/29/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bowles Fluidics Corporation (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bowles Fluidics Corporation (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stouffer, Ronald D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jones, Larry
• Application Number:
  US08/260,441
• Time in Patent Office: 440 Days
• Field of Search: 431/2, 431/1, 431/344, 431/127, 431/252, 431/350, 431/354, 431/353, 431/8, 431/91, 431/160, 239/589.1, 239/11, 239/310, 239/727, 239/101, 137/835, 137/820
• US Class Current: 431/8
• CPC Class Codes: F23C 2203/20 using heat absorbing device in flame F23C2203/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F23D 14/28 in association with a gaseous fuel source, e.g. acetylene generator, or a container for liquefied gas
• CPC Class Codes: F23D 14/38 Torches, e.g. for brazing or heating nozzles F23D14/48
• CPC Class Codes: F23D 14/48 Nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: F23D 14/70 Baffles or like flow-disturbing devices
• CPC Class Codes: F23D 2900/14482 Burner nozzles incorporating a fluidic oscillator

Abstract

A low NOx gas burner for heating objects having a supply of gas under pressure which is to be mixed to achieve a combustible mixture, gas flow line connecting to said burner to said supply, a burner means for mixing air with said fluid fuel to achieve said combustible mixture, characterized by said burner means includes one or more jet forming means for issuing one or more jets of said gas having a given cross-sectional area and sweeping said one or more jets of gas in ambient air downstream of said burner means to mix air with said gas and achieve said combustible mixture a distance spaced from any physical structure of said burner means whereby a flame front of burning combustible mixture has a broad shape and is spaced a predetermined distance from said burner.

Claims

1. A gas burner for heating objects having a supply of gas under pressure which is to be mixed to achieve a combustible mixture, gas flow line connecting to said burner to said supply, a burner means for mixing air with said fluid fuel to achieve said combustible mixture, characterized by said burner means includes one or more jet forming means for issuing one or more jets of said gas having a given cross-sectional area and sweeping said one or more jets of gas in ambient air downstream of said burner means to mix air with said gas and achieve said combustible mixture a distance spaced from any physical structure of said burner means whereby a flame front of burning combustible mixture has a broad shape and is spaced a predetermined distance from said burner.

2. A burner system for mixing fuel with air to attain a combustible fuel-air-mixture, comprising, a nozzle for creating a jet of said fuel and means for oscillating said jet of fuel in the ambient air downstream of said means for oscillating to achieve said combustible fuel-air-mixture at a distance spaced downstream from said means for sweeping.

3. The burner system defined in claim 2 wherein said means for sweeping said jet of fuel is a no-moving part fluidic oscillator.

4. The burner system defined in claim 3 wherein said fluidic oscillator is of the type having an oscillation chamber with single outlet and gas exiting said single outlet seal said oscillation chamber from ambient conditions.

5. The burner system defined in claim 3 including means for varying the frequency of oscillation of said fluidic oscillator.

6. The burner system defined in claim 3 wherein said fluidic oscillator is of the type which depends on the formation and movement of vortices in said gas to sustain oscillation.

7. The burner system defined in claim 3 wherein said fluidic oscillator is of the type which entrains ambient air to premix said gas with entrained air.

8. The burner system defined in any one of claims 2-7 wherein the rate of oscillation of said jet is 1 to 3 Khz.

9. The burner system defined in any one of claims 2-7 wherein said means for oscillating is a fluidic oscillator and said jet is in the form of a gas sheet.

10. In a system for heating objects, said system having a supply of fluid fuel under pressure which is to be stoichiometrically mixed to achieve a combustible mixture, fluid fuel flow line connected to said fluid fuel under pressure, control valve in said fluid fuel flow line, a burner means for mixing air with said fluid fuel to achieve said combustible mixture, characterized by said burner means includes a fluidic oscillator for forming a sheet of said fluid fuel and oscillating said sheet of fluid fuel in ambient air downstream of said fluidic oscillator to mix air with said fuel and achieve said combustible mixture a distance spaced from any physical structure of said burner whereby a flame front of burning combustible mixture has a broad shape and is spaced a distance from said fluidic oscillator which is a function of the cross-sectional area of said nozzle.

11. A gas burner comprising a nozzle means forming a gas jet and means for causing said gas jet to be swept in a pattern and at a rate sufficient to cause 1) the flame to be cooler, 2) NOx emissions to be reduced over a wide firing range, 3) heat efficiency is improved, and (4) the flame to be spaced a distance in ambient air downstream of said burner, such that said nozzle means remains relatively cool.

12. The gas burner defined in claim 11 wherein said jet is formed without the addition of primary and all air for combustion is obtained from ambient.

13. The gas burner defined in claim 11 wherein said means for causing includes one or more fluidic amplifiers.

14. The gas burner defined in claim 11 wherein said means for causing includes a fluidic oscillator.

15. The gas burner defined in claim 11 wherein said means includes one or more control jets oriented at transverse angles to said gas jet and issuing control fluid jets and means to modulate said control fluid jets to create said pattern.

16. The gas burner defined in claim 14 wherein said control fluid jet is of a gas which is to be mixed with said gas jet.

17. The gas burner defined in claim 14 wherein said control fluid jet is air.

18. In a blue flame gas burner having a burner nozzle having an axis, a low cost method of reducing NOx emissions, improving thermal efficiency, causing the flame to burn cooler and keeping the burner nozzle cooler, comprising:

1) forming the gas in a jet along the axis of said nozzle,

2) projecting said jet into ambient air, and

3) causing said jet to sweep in a pattern transverse to said axis and at a predetermined rate.

19. The blue flame gas burner method defined in claim 18 wherein said pattern is caused by oscillating said jet back and forth along a line.

20. The blue flame gas burner method defined in claim 18 wherein said pattern is caused by oscillating said jet along a predetermined path by a set of one or more control jets having an axis transverse to said axis of said nozzle.

21. The blue flame gas burner method defined in one of claims 18-20 wherein combustion is maintained in the absence of adding primary air.

22. The blue flame gas burner defined in claim 18 wherein said pattern is caused by sweeping said jet in a circular pattern.

23. A low emission gas burner having a combustion zone comprising, means for forming a jet of gas and means for sweeping said jet in a circular pattern to form a helical jet pattern in advance of said combustion zone.

24. The gas burner defined in claim 23 wherein said means for sweeping includes a chamber having input and output apertures which are substantially coaxially aligned, and spherically shaped surfaces contiguous to said input and output apertures, respectively.

25. The gas burner defined in claim 24 wherein said chamber includes a cylindrical surface joining said spherically shaped surfaces.

26. The gas burner defined in claim 23 wherein said means for sweeping includes a plurality of control jet deflection nozzles adjacent said means for forming a jet and phased and oriented to cause said jet to sweep in said circular patterns.

27. In a system for heating objects, said system having a supply of fluid fuel under pressure which is to be stoichiometrically mixed with air to achieve a combustible mixture, a fluid fuel flow line connected to said supply of fluid fuel under pressure, control valve in said fluid fuel flow line, a burner means for mixing air with said fluid fuel to achieve said combustible mixture, characterized by said burner mean includes a plurality of fluidic oscillators, each fluidic oscillator issuing a jet of said fluid fuel in a predetermined direction and causing said jet of fluid fuel sweep in ambient air downstream of said combustible mixture a distance spaced from any physical structure of said burner whereby a flame front of burning combustible mixture is spaced a distance from each said fluidic oscillator, respectively.

28. The system for heating objects as defined in claim 27 wherein said plurality of fluidic oscillators are in an array having a predetermined pattern.