Patent Grant
6890172
This invention relates to improvements in a flue-gas-recirculation (FGR) burner such as those employed in high temperature furnaces in the steam cracking of hydrocarbons. More particularly, the invention relates to an FGR burner employing structures for improving mixing of primary air and recirculated flue gas to thereby reduce NOx.
As a result of the interest in recent years to reduce the emission of pollutants from burners used in large industrial furnaces, burner design has undergone substantial change. In the past, improvements in burner design were aimed primarily at improving heat distribution. Increasingly stringent environmental regulations have shifted the focus of burner design to the minimization of regulated pollutants.
Oxides of nitrogen (NOx) are formed in air at high temperatures. Reduction of NOx emissions is a desired goal to decrease air pollution and meet government regulations. In recent years, a wide variety of mobile and stationary sources of NOx emissions have come under increased scrutiny and regulation.
A strategy for achieving lower NOx emission levels is to install a NOx reduction catalyst to treat the furnace exhaust stream. This strategy, known as Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR), is very costly and, although it can be effective in meeting more stringent regulations, represents a less desirable alternative to improvements in burner design.
Burners used in large industrial furnaces may use either liquid fuel or gas. Liquid fuel burners mix the fuel with steam prior to combustion to atomize the fuel to enable more complete combustion, and combustion air is mixed with the fuel at the zone of combustion.
Gas fired burners can be classified as either premix or raw gas, depending on the method used to combine the air and fuel. They also differ in configuration and the type of burner tip used. Raw gas burners inject fuel directly into the air stream, and the mixing of fuel and air occurs simultaneously with combustion. Since airflow does not change appreciably with fuel flow, the air register settings of natural draft burners must be changed after firing rate changes. Therefore, frequent adjustment may be necessary, as explained in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 4,257,763, which patent is incorporated herein by reference. In addition, many raw gas burners produce luminous flames.
Premix burners mix the fuel with some or all of the combustion air prior to combustion. Since premixing is accomplished by using the energy present in the fuel stream, airflow is largely proportional to fuel flow. As a result, therefore, less frequent adjustment is required. Premixing the fuel and air also facilitates the achievement of the desired flame characteristics. Due to these properties, premix burners are often compatible with various steam cracking furnace configurations.
Floor-fired premix burners are used in many steam crackers and steam reformers primarily because of their ability to produce a relatively uniform heat distribution profile in the tall radiant sections of these furnaces. Flames are non-luminous, permitting tube metal temperatures to be readily monitored. Therefore, a premix burner is the burner of choice for such furnaces. Premix burners can also be designed for special heat distribution profiles or flame shapes required in other types of furnaces.
In gas fired industrial furnaces, NOx is formed by the oxidation of nitrogen drawn into the burner with the combustion air stream. The formation of NOx is widely believed to occur primarily in regions of the flame where there exist both high temperatures and an abundance of oxygen. Since ethylene furnaces are amongst the highest temperature furnaces used in the hydrocarbon processing industry, the natural tendency of burners in these furnaces is to produce high levels of NOx emissions.
One technique for reducing NOx that has become widely accepted in industry is known as staging. With staging, the primary flame zone is deficient in either air (fuel-rich) or fuel (fuel-lean). The balance of the air or fuel is injected into the burner in a secondary flame zone or elsewhere in the combustion chamber. As is well known, a fuel-rich or fuel-lean combustion zone is less conducive to NOx formation than an air-fuel ratio closer to stoichiometry. Staging results in reducing peak temperatures in the primary flame zone and has been found to alter combustion speed in a way that reduces NOx. Since NOx formation is exponentially dependent on gas temperature, even small reductions in peak flame temperature can dramatically reduce NOx emissions. However this must be balanced with the fact that radiant heat transfer decreases with reduced flame temperature, while CO emissions, an indication of incomplete combustion, may actually increase as well.
In the context of premix burners, the term primary air refers to the air premixed with the fuel; secondary, and in some cases tertiary, air refers to the balance of the air required for proper combustion. In raw gas burners, primary air is the air that is more closely associated with the fuel; secondary and tertiary air is more remotely associated with the fuel. The upper limit of flammability refers to the mixture containing the maximum fuel concentration (fuel-rich) through which a flame can propagate.
Thus, one set of techniques achieves lower flame temperatures by using staged-air or staged-fuel burners to lower flame temperatures by carrying out the initial combustion at far from stoichiometric conditions (either fuel-rich or air-rich) and adding the remaining air or fuel only after the flame has radiated some heat away to the fluid being heated in the furnace.
Another set of techniques achieves lower flame temperatures by diluting the fuel-air mixture with inert material. Flue-gas (the products of the combustion reaction) or steam are commonly used diluents. Such burners are classified as FGR (flue-gas-recirculation) or steam-injected, respectively.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,761 discloses a method and apparatus for reducing NOx emissions from premix burners by recirculating flue gas. Flue gas is drawn from the furnace through a pipe or pipes by the inspirating effect of fuel gas and combustion air passing through a venturi portion of a burner tube. The flue gas mixes with combustion air in a primary air chamber prior to combustion to dilute the concentration of O2 in the combustion air, which lowers flame temperature and thereby reduces NOx emissions. The contents of U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,761 are incorporated herein by reference.
Analysis of burners of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,761 has indicated the flue-gas-recirculation (FGR) ratio is generally in the range 5-10% where FGR ratio is defined as:
The ability of these burners to generate higher FGR ratios is limited by the inspirating capacity of the fuel orifice/venturi combination. Further closing of the primary air dampers will produce lower pressures in the primary air chamber and thus enable increased FGR ratios. However, the flow of primary air may be reduced such that insufficient oxygen exists in the venturi for acceptable burner stability.
Therefore, what is needed is a burner for the combustion of fuel gas wherein a higher level of FGR may be achieved while maintaining a sufficient oxygen flow to provide acceptable burner stability. The higher FGR will yield further reductions in NOx emissions.
The present invention is directed to a burner for use in furnaces such as in steam cracking. The burner includes a primary air chamber; a burner tube including (i) a downstream end, (ii) an upstream end in fluid communication with the primary air chamber for receiving air, flue gas or mixtures thereof and fuel, and (iii) a burner tip mounted on the downstream end of the burner tube and directed to a first opening in the furnace, so that combustion takes place downstream of the burner tip; at least one flue gas recirculation duct having a first end at a second opening in the furnace and a second end opening into an air chamber of the burner; the at least one flue gas recirculation duct having at least one primary air channel in fluid communication with the at least one flue gas recirculation duct; and means for drawing flue gas from the furnace and primary air from a source of air, through the duct and into an air chamber of the burner, in response to an inspirating effect of uncombusted fuel flowing through the burner tube from its upstream end towards its downstream end.
In another aspect of the present invention, a burner for the combustion of fuel for use in a furnace is provided which includes a primary air chamber, a burner tube including (i) a downstream end, (ii) an upstream end in fluid communication with the primary air chamber for receiving fuel and air, flue gas or mixtures thereof, and (iii) a burner tip mounted on the downstream end of the burner tube and directed to a first opening in the furnace, so that combustion takes place downstream of the burner tip, and at least one flue gas recirculation duct having a first end at a second opening in the furnace and a second end opening into the primary air chamber of the burner; the flue gas recirculation duct having a plate member extending into the primary air chamber, whereby flow eddies are created to enhance mixing of flue gas and air.
Also provided is a method for improving the mixing of flue gas and air in a burner for the combustion of fuel. The burner including a primary air chamber; a burner tube including (i) a downstream end, (ii) an upstream end in fluid communication with the primary air chamber for receiving fuel and air, flue gas or mixtures thereof, and (iii) a burner tip mounted on the downstream end of the burner tube and directed to a first opening in the furnace, so that combustion takes place downstream of the burner tip and at least one flue gas recirculation duct having a first end at a second opening in the furnace and a second end opening into the primary air chamber of the burner. The method includes the step of creating flow eddies to enhance mixing of flue gas and air through the use of a plate member extending into the primary air chamber from the second end of the at least one flue gas recirculation duct.
The invention is further explained in the description that follows with reference to the drawings illustrating, by way of non-limiting examples, various embodiments of the invention wherein:
Although the present invention is described in terms of a burner for use in connection with a furnace or an industrial furnace, it will be apparent to one of skill in the art that the teachings of the present invention also have applicability to other process components such as, for example, boilers. Thus, the term furnace herein shall be understood to mean furnaces, boilers and other applicable process components.
Referring to
A plurality of air ports 30 (
Unmixed low temperature fresh or ambient air, having entered the secondary air chamber 32 through the dampers 34, and having passed through the air ports 30 into the furnace, is also drawn through a flue gas recirculation. (FGR) duct 76 into a primary air chamber 26 by the inspirating effect of the fuel gas passing through the venturi portion 19. The duct 76 is shown as a metallic FGR duct.
The mixing of the fresh or ambient air with the flue gas lowers the temperature of the hot flue gas flowing through the duct 76 and thereby substantially increases the life of the duct 76 and allows use of this type burner to reduce NOx emission in high temperature cracking furnaces having flue gas temperature above 1900° F. in the radiant section of the furnace.
Mixing is promoted by providing two or more primary air channels 90 protruding into the FGR duct 76. The channels 90 are conic-section, cylindrical, or squared and a gap between each channel 90 produces a turbulence zone in the duct 76 where good flue gas/air mixing occurs.
The geometry of channels 90 are designed to promote mixing by increasing air momentum into the FGR duct. The velocity of the air is optimized by reducing the total flow area of the primary air channels 90 to a level that still permits sufficient primary air to be available for combustion, as those skilled in the art are capable of determining through routine trials.
Mixing is further enhanced by a plate member 83 at the lower end of the inner wall of the FGR duct 76. The plate member 83 extends into the primary air chamber or plenum 26. Flow eddies are created by flow around the plate of the mixture of flue gas and air. The flow eddies provide further mixing of the flue gas and air. The plate member 83 also makes the FGR duct 76 effectively longer, and a longer FGR duct also promotes better mixing.
The improvement in the amount of mixing between the recirculated flue gas and the primary air caused by the channels 90 and the plate member 83 raises the capacity to inspirate FGR. Better mixing results in a higher capacity of the burner to inspirate flue gas recirculation and a more homogeneous mixture inside the venturi portion 19. Higher flue gas recirculation reduces overall flame temperature by providing a heat sink for the energy released from combustion. Better mixing in the venturi portion 19 tends to reduce the hot-spots that occur as a result of localized high oxygen regions.
Flue gas containing, for example, 0 to about 15% O2 is drawn from near the furnace floor through the duct 76 with about 5 to about 15% O2 preferred, about 2 to about 10% O2 more preferred and about 2 to about 5% O2 particularly preferred, by the inspirating effect of fuel gas passing through venturi portion 19 of burner tube 12, and, as indicated above, mixed with primary air in duct 76 and further in primary air chamber 26, which is prior to the zone of combustion. Therefore, the amount of inert material mixed with the fuel is raised, thereby reducing the flame temperature and, as a result, reducing NOx emissions. This is in contrast to a liquid fuel burner, such as that of U.S. Pat. No. 2,813,578, in which the combustion air is mixed with the fuel at the zone of combustion, rather than prior to the zone of combustion.
As may be appreciated, closing or partially closing damper 28 restricts the amount of fresh air that can be drawn into the primary air chamber 26 and thereby provides the vacuum necessary to draw flue gas from the furnace floor.
Advantageously, a mixture of from about 20% to about 80% flue gas and from about 20% to about 80% ambient air should be drawn through duct 76. It is particularly preferred that a mixture of about 50% flue gas and about 50% ambient air be employed. The desired proportions of flue gas and ambient air may be achieved by proper placement and/or design of the duct 76 in relation to the air ports 30. That is, the geometry of the air ports, including but not limited to their distance from the burner tube, the number of air ports, and the size of the air ports, may be varied to obtain the desired percentages of flue gas and ambient air.
The flue gas recirculation teachings disclosed herein can alternatively be applied in flat-flame burners, as will now be described by reference to
A burner 110 includes a freestanding burner tube 112 located in a well in a furnace floor 114. Burner tube 112 includes an upstream end 116, a downstream end 118 and a venturi portion 119. Burner tip 120 is located at downstream end 118 and is surrounded by a peripheral tile 122. A fuel orifice 111, which may be located within gas spud 124, is located at upstream end 116 and introduces fuel gas into burner tube 112. Fresh or ambient air may be introduced into primary air chamber 126 to mix with the fuel gas at upstream end 116 of burner tube 112. Combustion of the fuel gas and fresh air occurs downstream of burner tip 120. Fresh secondary air enters secondary chamber 132 through dampers 134.
In order to recirculate flue gas from the furnace to the primary air chamber, a flue gas recirculation passageway 176 is formed in furnace floor 114 and extends to primary air chamber 126, so that flue gas is mixed with fresh air drawn into the primary air chamber through dampers 128. Flue gas containing, for example, 0 to about 15% O2 is drawn through passageway 176 by the inspirating effect of fuel gas passing through venturi portion 119 of burner tube 112. Primary air and flue gas are mixed in primary air chamber 126, which is prior to the zone of combustion.
In operation, a fuel orifice 111, which may be, located within gas spud 124, discharges fuel into burner tube 112, where it mixes with primary air, recirculated flue-gas or mixtures thereof. The mixture of fuel gas, recirculated flue-gas, and primary air then discharges from burner tip 120. The mixture in the venturi portion 119 of burner tube 112 is maintained below the fuel-rich flammability limit; i.e., here is insufficient air in the venturi to support combustion. Secondary air is added to provide the remainder of the air required for combustion. The majority of the secondary air is added a finite distance away from the burner tip 120.
As with the previous embodiment, mixing is promoted by providing two or more primary air channels 190 protruding into the FGR duct 176. The channels 190 are conic-section, cylindrical, or squared and a gap between each channel 190 produces a turbulence zone in the duct 176 where good flue gas/air mixing occurs.
The geometry of the channels 190 are designed to promote mixing by increasing air momentum into the FGR duct. The velocity of the air is optimized by reducing the total flow area of the primary air channels 190 to a level that still permits sufficient primary air to be available for combustion, as those skilled in the art are capable of determining through routine trials.
In this embodiment, mixing may be further enhanced by a plate member 183 at the lower end of the inner wall of the FGR duct 176. The plate member 183 extends into the primary air chamber 126. Flow eddies are created by flow around the plate of the mixture of flue gas and air. The flow eddies provide further mixing of the flue gas and air. The plate member 183 also makes the FGR duct 176 effectively longer, and a longer FGR duct also promotes better mixing.
Optionally, one or more steam injection tubes 184 may be provided so as to be positioned in the direction of flow so as to add to the motive force provided by venturi portion 119 for inducing the flow of fuel, steam and flue gas, air and mixtures thereof into the burner tube 112.
Although the burners of this invention have been described in connection with floor-fired hydrocarbon cracking furnaces, they may also be used in furnaces for carrying out other reactions or functions.
Thus, it can be seen that, by use of this invention, NOx emissions may be reduced in a burner without the use of fans or replacement burners. The flue gas recirculation system of the invention can be retrofitted to existing burners.
In addition to the use of flue gas as a diluent, another technique to achieve lower flame temperature through dilution is through the use of steam injection. Steam can be injected in the primary air or the secondary air chamber. Preferably, steam may be injected upstream of the venturi.
It will also be understood that the teachings described herein also have utility in raw gas burners having a pre-mix burner configuration wherein flue gas alone is mixed with fuel gas at the entrance to the burner tube. In fact, it has been found that the pre-mix, staged-air burners of the type described in detail herein can be operated with the primary air damper doors closed, with very satisfactory results.
Although the invention has been described with reference to particular means, materials and embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particulars disclosed and extends to all equivalents within the scope of the claims.
This patent application claims priority from Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/365,145, filed on Mar. 16, 2002, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2368370 | Maxon | Jan 1945 | A |
| 2813578 | Ferguson | Nov 1957 | A |
| 2918117 | Griffin | Dec 1959 | A |
| 2983312 | Finley et al. | May 1961 | A |
| 3880570 | Marshall | Apr 1975 | A |
| 4004875 | Zink et al. | Jan 1977 | A |
| 4089629 | Baumgartner et al. | May 1978 | A |
| 4130388 | Flanagan | Dec 1978 | A |
| 4230445 | Janssen | Oct 1980 | A |
| 4257763 | Reed | Mar 1981 | A |
| 4575332 | Oppenberg et al. | Mar 1986 | A |
| 4629413 | Michelson et al. | Dec 1986 | A |
| 4708638 | Brazier et al. | Nov 1987 | A |
| 4739713 | Vier et al. | Apr 1988 | A |
| 4748919 | Campobenedetto et al. | Jun 1988 | A |
| 4815966 | Janssen | Mar 1989 | A |
| 4828483 | Finke | May 1989 | A |
| 4963089 | Spielman | Oct 1990 | A |
| 4995807 | Rampley et al. | Feb 1991 | A |
| 5044931 | Van Eerden et al. | Sep 1991 | A |
| 5073105 | Martin et al. | Dec 1991 | A |
| 5092761 | Dinocolantonio | Mar 1992 | A |
| 5098282 | Schwartz et al. | Mar 1992 | A |
| 5135387 | Martin et al. | Aug 1992 | A |
| 5152463 | Mao et al. | Oct 1992 | A |
| 5154596 | Schwartz et al. | Oct 1992 | A |
| 5195884 | Schwartz et al. | Mar 1993 | A |
| 5201650 | Johnson | Apr 1993 | A |
| 5224851 | Johnson | Jul 1993 | A |
| 5238395 | Schwartz et al. | Aug 1993 | A |
| 5254325 | Yamasaki et al. | Oct 1993 | A |
| 5263849 | Irwin et al. | Nov 1993 | A |
| 5269679 | Syska et al. | Dec 1993 | A |
| 5275554 | Faulkner | Jan 1994 | A |
| 5284438 | McGill et al. | Feb 1994 | A |
| 5299930 | Weidman | Apr 1994 | A |
| 5316469 | Martin et al. | May 1994 | A |
| 5326254 | Munk | Jul 1994 | A |
| 5344307 | Schwartz et al. | Sep 1994 | A |
| 5350293 | Khinkis et al. | Sep 1994 | A |
| 5370526 | Buschulte et al. | Dec 1994 | A |
| 5407345 | Robertson et al. | Apr 1995 | A |
| 5413477 | Moreland | May 1995 | A |
| 5470224 | Bortz | Nov 1995 | A |
| 5472341 | Meeks | Dec 1995 | A |
| 5542839 | Kelly | Aug 1996 | A |
| 5562438 | Gordon et al. | Oct 1996 | A |
| 5584684 | Dobbeling et al. | Dec 1996 | A |
| 5603906 | Lang et al. | Feb 1997 | A |
| 5611682 | Slavejkov et al. | Mar 1997 | A |
| 5624253 | Sulzhik et al. | Apr 1997 | A |
| 5685707 | Ramsdell et al. | Nov 1997 | A |
| 5688115 | Johnson | Nov 1997 | A |
| 5807094 | Sarv | Sep 1998 | A |
| 5813846 | Newby et al. | Sep 1998 | A |
| 5980243 | Surbey et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
| 5984665 | Loftus et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
| 5987875 | Hilburn et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
| 5993193 | Loftus et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
| 6007325 | Loftus et al. | Dec 1999 | A |
| 6056538 | Büchner et al. | May 2000 | A |
| 6332408 | Howlett et al. | Dec 2001 | B2 |
| 6347935 | Schindler et al. | Feb 2002 | B1 |
| 6383462 | Lang | May 2002 | B1 |
| 6616442 | Venizelos et al. | Sep 2003 | B2 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1169753 | Jun 1984 | CA |
| 2944153 | May 1981 | DE |
| 3232421 | Mar 1984 | DE |
| 3818265 | Nov 1989 | DE |
| 0099828 | Jun 1988 | EP |
| 0 347 956 | Dec 1989 | EP |
| 0 374 423 | Jun 1990 | EP |
| 0 408 171 | Jan 1991 | EP |
| 0 507 233 | Oct 1992 | EP |
| 0 620 402 | Oct 1994 | EP |
| 0 674 135 | Sep 1995 | EP |
| 0 751 343 | Jan 1997 | EP |
| 0486169 | Jan 1998 | EP |
| 1096202 | Feb 2001 | EP |
| 1 211 458 | Jun 2002 | EP |
| 2629900 | Oct 1988 | FR |
| 374488 | Mar 1973 | SU |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20030175643 A1 | Sep 2003 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60365145 | Mar 2002 | US |
