Patent Application
20240425771
The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art nor material to the presently described or claimed inventions, nor that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
The present invention relates generally to the field of additives and catalysts of existing art and more specifically relates to a combustion enhancer for fueled systems.
The present invention pertains to fuel additives that improve the combustion process of solid and liquid hydrocarbon and organic fuels, including wood, wood chips and pellets, coal, turf, coke, heavy fuel oil, municipal solid waste, and others. Additionally, the invention aims to present a method for modifying fuel combustion processes and elucidate the applications of this fuel combustion enhancer.
The depletion of non-renewable natural resources and the escalating ecological pollution crisis demands a continuous commitment to pursue sustainable and environmentally friendly practices. This entails pressing demand for exploring various ways and techniques to enhance the combustion of solid and liquid hydrocarbon and organic fuels in various combustion processes, aiming for improved thermal efficiency and reduced emissions for better environmental outcomes.
Over the years, extensive efforts have been made to design additives and/or catalysts that enhance the thermal efficiency of burning solid and liquid hydrocarbon and organic fuels, while concurrently mitigating the release of harmful emissions and minimizing the generation of ash and slag residues.
Below are a few selected examples, among many others, that demonstrate this field's existing limitations and drawbacks. These include less than satisfactory effectiveness, the need for tailored complex compositions for different fuel types and fuel-burning systems, complex and expensive methods of additive introduction, and negligible environmental benefits.
US Publication No. US2011/0155028A1 to Evan Lipstein describes an aqueous aluminosilicate combustion catalyst consisting mainly of the clay mineral montmorillonite combined with dodecahydrate. This catalyst is introduced into the combustion chamber of boilers, increasing combustion efficiency by up to 5%. The catalyst includes sodium nitrate (12%-18%), potassium permanganate (0.2%-0.4%), sodium carbonate (0.5%-1.5%), silicon dioxide (40%-65%), iron oxide (3%-5%), magnesium oxide (2%-5%), potassium oxide (0.3%-0.8%), Al2O3 (20%-24%), Fe2O3 (2.6%-5.3%).
Lipstein's catalyst preparation process is intricate and requires precise production procedures. Introducing this catalyst into the primary fuel would necessitate structural alterations to the boiler and require temporarily shutting down the boiler for reconstruction. This requirement may be considered impractical for enterprises operating in a non-stop operational cycle. Additionally, significant financial investments would be incurred, making it an unfavorable option.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,464,253 to James H. Bush describes an additive utilized to enhance coal combustion. This additive consists of zinc carbo silicate combined with mono or multi-carboxylic sulfur compounds. The manufacturing process involves mixing the core composition with a diluting oil of lubricating viscosity to create a concentrate. The additive may also incorporate various additional substances, such as abrasive materials like sand, abrasive grit, etc. The composition is intricate, and its impact on coal combustion duration is relatively modest, with an increase of only 8%. However, the patent description lacks clarification on the methodology employed to determine the combustion efficiency parameter. The primary benefit of this invention lies in its environmental impact, and the singly-focused advantage is insufficient for a holistically beneficial combustion enhancer.
South Korean Patent No. 101,071,204 describes a fuel oil additive designed to promote a more thorough combustion of fuel oil while reducing the formation of dust and residual carbon. The additive is an oil-soluble compound containing elements like calcium, barium, manganese, iron, alcohol, hydrotreated light distillate, kerosene, mineral oil, and a non-ionic surfactant composition. Calcium dodecylbenzene sulfonate typically constitutes a major portion of the additive, although it can be substituted with calcium acetylacetonate, calcium naphthenate, barium naphthenate, manganese naphthenate, or iron naphthenate in various additive compositions. Like previous cases, the additive has a complex composition requiring intricate preparation. The additive primarily enhances environmental performance but only improves the calorific value by a mere 1.15%. An environmentally-friendly solution which offers a meaningful increase in thermal efficiency is yet desired.
European Patent No. 2,226,377 describes a combustion modifier specifically designed for solid, liquid, and gaseous fuels in power boilers. The modifier consists of water, aliphatic alcohols, urea, or its derivatives, and monoacetylferrocene. The implementation of this invention involves introducing the liquid composition into the air injection system of the combustion chamber along with the supplied air. The above would require structural modifications to the boiler's air injection system. Such modifications usually involve significant capital investments and entail complex changes to the equipment subject to the equipment manufacturer's approval, which can be challenging and often unsuccessful. The data provided in this patent does not clearly indicate improvements achieved by applying this modifier in terms of environmental performance. As for the reduction in fuel consumption, the data from Example 1 of the implementation shows a power gain of 1890 KJ/t of coal, corresponding to an increase in combustion efficiency of approximately 6%, or 1.89 KJ/kg. It is important to highlight that historical scientific data from the mid-20th century in the United States reveals similar findings of increased combustion efficiency. These findings were achieved solely by using a significant amount of water, without the need for any additional substances. Accordingly, a better solution is still sought.
U.S. Publication No. US2006/0101710 presents a fuel additive designed for hydrocarbon and organic fuels. The additive comprises water, phosphoric acid, Potassium Dihydroorthophosphate (KH2PO4), Potassium Hydroorthophosphate (K2HPO4), and Ammonium Hydrophosphate ([NH4]2HPO4). In a preferred embodiment, these components are combined in a phosphorus-containing stock solution. The addition of acetic acid is also allowed. Adjusting the composition of the additive aims to achieve an optimal pH range of 6.0 to 8.0. However, the patent does not provide specific details regarding the method of introducing the additive into the fuel. Based on the information provided by the invention, it is necessary to treat the fuel before combustion, which introduces additional complexity to the overall process. For example, in the case of coal, prior to combustion, it is essential to immerse it in the initial aqueous solution. The patent does not offer evidence of an increase in calorific value, indicating that the primary purpose of the additive is to enhance environmental performance. Regarding the method of introducing the additive into the fuel, the patent does not provide a clear and proven approach for an effective introduction.
In light of the deficiencies of the prior art detailed herein, there is yet desired a superior solution which offers a significant increase in combustion efficiency, a decrease in effective emissions, a reasonable cost, and no detriment to the durability to the combustion system it is used in.
The present invention advantageously fills the aforementioned deficiencies by providing a novel composition for a combustion enhancer. The present invention is superior to other systems in that it provides a significant reduction in emissions of multiple harmful compounds and significantly increases thermal efficiency.
Developing new-generation additives and/or catalysts for hydrocarbon and organic fuel combustion remains a persistent challenge in the scientific community. Continuous efforts are being made to address existing limitations and drawbacks and to create additives that enhance thermal efficiency, while substantially reducing environmentally detrimental emissions. These additives are sought to be easily producible and universally applicable for fuel introduction, irrespective of the fuel type or equipment utilized.
It is thus an objective of this invention to provide an additive composed of natural minerals specifically designed to enhance the combustion of solid and liquid hydrocarbon and organic fuels in diverse combustion processes. More particularly, the aim of the present invention is to achieve a minimum improvement of 25% in thermal efficiency, regardless of the type of fuel or equipment employed.
It is still another objective of this invention to provide a product aiming to achieve a substantial improvement in reducing harmful emissions and residues regardless of the type of fuel or equipment employed.
The specific reductions targeted include:
1. Achieving a minimum reduction of 45% in CO emissions.
2. Achieving a minimum reduction of 30% in NOx emissions.
3. Achieving a minimum reduction of 5% in SO2 emissions.
4. Achieving a minimum reduction of 40% in ash and slag residues.
It is still another objective of this invention to provide a product that can be introduced into the combustion process without requiring boiler or combustion zone modifications irrespective of the fuel type or equipment utilized.
It is yet another objective of this invention to provide a product that does not cause any corrosion or damage of any kind to combustion/heating equipment due both to the absence of an acid-alkaline medium and the impossibility of detonation.
It is yet a further objective of this invention to provide a product consisting of readily available components in the form of straightforward organic composition universally applicable to various fuel types and equipment, eliminating the need for a customized approach.
For the purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the invention have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following detailed description.
As discussed above, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a catalyst or additive, and more particularly to a combustion enhancer for solid and liquid hydrocarbon and organic fuels as used to improve the efficiency and cleanliness of a combustion system.
Generally, the combustion enhancer for solid and liquid hydrocarbon and organic fuels offers advantage in enhancing the combustion processes of solid and liquid hydrocarbon and organic fuels and reducing pollution. More particularly, the present disclosure describes a fuel additive for combustion with the fuel in a direct-fired burner, furnace, or open flame.
The present fuel additive is a carefully processed, dry, odorless substance that has been ground into a fine powder with a particle size of fewer than 50 microns. More particularly, the present fuel additive comprises insoluble natural minerals, primarily consisting of SiO2, MgO, Fe2O3, and Fe3O4, which collectively make up at least 70% by weight. Alongside these core components, the additive's composition includes additional substances such as Al2O3, CaO, TiO2, and SO3, each of which does not exceed 5% individually or 20% collectively. The content of other impurities remains within 10% of the total weight of the additive. The enhancer possesses a density not exceeding 5.3 g/cm3 and an ultimate tensile strength, determined by standard methods, of no more than 30 N/mm2 with the particle size of the additive ranging by 40 microns.
Experimentally, it has been found that the combination of SiO2, MgO, Fe2O3, and Fe3O4 together create an advantageous chemical situation leading to more efficient combustion processes. It is believe that this is, at least in part, due to the free valence of these compounds. The present combustion enhancer composition contains natural minerals with a specific volumetric atomization energy value that cannot fall below empirically determined levels. The energy released from these minerals is constrained by an upper limit equal to the specific energy of adhesion of atomic cores and bonding electrons-Wi [5-6].
When the combustion enhancer is applied, its natural minerals (i.e., SiO2, MgO, Fe2O3, and Fe3O4) act as additional active centers, enhancing mass exchange processes and stimulating the combustion process of the primary fuel, which significantly increases combustion efficiency. For the purpose of this specification, an active center is defined as a compound or a location upon a compound where a substrate binds to the compound in order for catalysis to take place.
The process of initiating energy release from the mineral components, and catalysis, in the combustion enhancer requires a certain amount of energy to be obtained from the combustion of the primary fuel, equal to their volumetric specific atomization energy. As a result, the first application of the combustion enhancer may require some time for the combustion enhancer to become fully activated. The activation period can vary depending on the specific conditions under which the enhancer is employed.
Each dose of the combustion enhancer into a combustion process has a long-lasting effect that results from a cyclic process of internal energy release and the absorption of energy of photons by the mineral atoms in the enhancer. This prolonged action of each dose of the combustion enhancer leads to a cumulative effect, intensifying the combustion process even further.
For best performance, the combustion enhancer should be distributed relatively evenly throughout the fuel volume supplied to the combustion chamber. The optimal dosage of the combustion enhancer per ton of fuel should be individually calculated for each fuel type, while considering the specific technical parameters of the combustion equipment used. Examples of these doses are provided in this disclosure.
In various embodiments, the combustion enhancer may be applied to the fuel in different ways. For a liquid fuel, simple mixing of the combustion enhancer in the fuel at the combustion chamber may be expedient. Alternatively, the enhancer can be integrated with secondary air injected into oil and gas boilers. However, in the case of solid fuels, other solutions may be desirable in order to achieve near-homogenous mixing of the combustion enhancer with the fuel. For example, in the case of wood pellets, the combustion enhancer may be incorporated in the composition of the wood pellet itself during manufacture of the pellet.
When the present additive is introduced to the fuel, it modifies the combustion parameters based on the principles of branched chain reactions theory. This theory considers combustion as a self-accelerating process that initiates with the formation of single active centers, represented by molecules of substances with free valences. The external manifestation of this reaction becomes observable only when a sufficient concentration of these centers is reached.
When the present additive is applied, its components act as additional active centers, enhancing mass exchange processes and stimulating the combustion process of the primary fuel, which results in a significant increase in combustion efficiency.
The present enhancer's composition contains natural minerals with a specific volumetric atomization energy value that cannot fall below empirically determined levels. The energy released from these minerals is constrained by an upper limit equal to the specific energy of adhesion of atomic cores and bonding electrons-Wi [5-6].
The process of initiating energy release from the mineral components in the present additive requires a certain amount of energy to be obtained from the combustion of the primary fuel, equal to their volumetric specific atomization energy. As a result, the first application of the present additive may require some time for the additive to become fully activated. The activation period can vary depending on the specific conditions under which the additive is employed.
Each dose of the present additive has a long-lasting effect that results from a cyclic process of internal energy release and the absorption of energy of photons by the mineral atoms in the additive. This prolonged action of each dose of the present additive leads to a cumulative effect, intensifying the combustion process even further.
For best performance, the present enhancer should be distributed relatively evenly throughout the fuel volume supplied to the combustion chamber. The optimal dosage of the present enhancer per ton of fuel should be individually calculated for each fuel type while considering the specific technical parameters of the combustion equipment used.
Depending on the type of fuel, the recommended proportion of the present additive per ton of fuel ranges from 0.03% to 0.1%, equivalent to 300 (0.3 kg) to 1000 grams (1 kg) per ton of fuel.
The process of adding the present enhancer to the fuel is straightforward and does not require any complex procedures. It can be added directly to the fuel before it enters the combustion chamber irrespective of the fuel type or equipment employed.
More particularly, the process of applying the present additive to the fuel before it reaches the combustion or heating chamber can be accomplished through a variety of methods that share a high degree of similarity. These methods, while distinct in their specific details, maintain a common essence, making the additive introduction process universally applicable regardless of the type of fuel or equipment utilized.
Such methods include:
1. Blending the additive with the fuel during the fuel feeding process into the fuel hopper.
2. Introducing the additive into the conveyor belt, moving grates, or fuel augers.
3. Incorporating the additive as a component during pre-processing of coal for use in Pulverized Coal (PC) Boilers, Pressurized Circulating Fluidized Bed (PCFB) Boilers, and Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) Boilers.
4. Incorporating the additive as a component during the production of fuel through pelletizing, briquetting, or pressing.
5. Adding the additive to municipal solid waste during the mixing stage of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW).
6. Mixing the additive with heavy fuel oil before the fuel feeding process into the heating chamber.
7. Integrating the enhancer with secondary air injected into oil and gas boilers.
The introduction of the additive using any of the methods does not necessitate modifications to the boiler or combustion zone. Furthermore, these methods do not involve any intricate procedures and may require only a modest capital investment, if at all.
A preferred embodiment of the combustion enhancer may be formed of the following components, with percentages measured by approximate weight: thirty percent SiO2; twenty percent MgO; fifteen percent Fe2O3; five percent Fe3O4; five percent Al2O3; five percent CaO; five percent TiO2; and five percent SO3. This composition leaves five percent room for error, either of increased proportions of the given ingredients, or of impurities. In any case, impurities (compounds in addition to those listed) should not exceed ten percent for desirable effectiveness. It may be envisioned that in some embodiments, fillers could be added for particular needs. However, it is desired for most applications that the combustion enhancer be as pure as possible, containing only the components listed here, so that it may be added to fuels of various types at controllable proportions.
In a broader range of embodiments, the combustion enhancer may include the following components, with percentages measured by approximate weight: 25 to 35 percent SiO2; 15 to 25 percent MgO; 10 to 20 percent Fe2O3; 1 to 10 percent Fe3O4; 1 to 10 percent Al2O3; 1 to 10 percent CaO; 1 to 10 percent TiO2; and 1 to 10 percent SO3.
In the following section, combustion enhancer will be described in more detail, with reference to specific examples. It should be noted, however, that these examples are meant solely for the purpose of illustrating the invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection for the present invention.
A series of tests were conducted on different combustion systems, utilizing various hydrocarbon organic fuels, to evaluate the effects of the present invention on thermal efficiency and environmental outcomes. Each test was conducted with and without the present fuel enhancer on two identical units of equipment under the same operating conditions.
The tests have been conducted in compliance with the following international standards: ISO 1928:2016, ISO 4264, UNI EN 14774-3:2009, UNI EN 14775:2010, UNI EN 14918:2010, UNI EN 15103:2010, UNI EN 14789:2005, EPA 3A: 2006, EN 14792:2005, EN 13284-1:2001, UNI 10169:2001, EN 14790:2005.
The following are a few examples of such tests:
Comparing the thermal efficiency and environmental outcomes of burning modified fuel to burning unmodified fuel, the following improvements were observed:
Comparing the thermal efficiency and environmental outcomes of burning modified fuel to burning unmodified fuel, the following improvements were observed:
Comparing the thermal efficiency and environmental outcomes of burning modified fuel to burning unmodified fuel, the following improvements were observed:
Comparing the thermal efficiency and environmental outcomes of burning modified fuel to burning unmodified fuel, the following improvements were observed:
Furthermore, the utilization of the present invention showcased supplementary environmental advantages, including:
The utilization of the present invention has further revealed that during prolonged and uninterrupted fuel combustion, it is feasible to decrease the quantity of the additive introduced into the combustion process without compromising thermal efficiency. For instance, in experimental coal combustion, during the initial 20 hours of boiler operation, the additive was added at a rate of 0.05%, equivalent to 500 grams per metric ton of fuel in the furnace. Subsequently, from the 21st hour, the subsequent 20-hour combustion cycle was carried out with a reduced additive input rate of 0.03%, equivalent to 300 grams per metric ton of fuel, while maintaining the same thermal efficiency levels in the coal boiler. Depending on the variations in thermal efficiency, it is possible to sustain the reduced additive rate or return to the original rate of 0.05% per metric ton of fuel. This approach significantly reduces the amount of the additive required for long or continuous combustion cycles, resulting in substantial cost savings in operational expenses.
The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application.
The present application is related to and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/522,201 filed Jun. 21, 2023, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63522201 | Jun 2023 | US |
