Claims
- 1. In combination, a compact fluid heater comprising:
- a combustor for generating heat including high temperature combustion products, comprising:
- an essentially cylindrical combustion chamber having oppositely disposed ends;
- a centrally located passage at one said chamber end for venting said combustion products;
- a burner in the other said chamber end comprising:
- an essentially cylindrical outer shell having inlet and outlet ends;
- means mounting said shell outlet end in said chamber adjacent said chamber burner end, said mounting means and shell outlet end defining a secondary air inlet to said burner;
- a support tube coaxially disposed in said shell, said tube having first and second ends, said second tube end adjacent said secondary air inlet;
- an annular orifice defined by said shell outlet end and support tube second end;
- a liquid fuel nozzle having a discharge end in said annular orifice, and a supply end extending into said support tube;
- means supplying liquid fuel to said nozzle supply end; and
- means supplying primary combustion air to said outer shell inlet end; and,
- means supplying combustion air to said secondary air inlets; and,
- a coaxially disposed heat exchanger having internally flowing fluid for receiving said combustion products and absorbing heat by flow of combustion products therethrough, thereby heating said fluid, said combustion products collected in an outlet,;
- stack means in fluid communication with said exchanger outlet for exhausting said gases to the atmosphere;
- means in said stack means capturing a controlled amount of said exhaust gases;
- means injecting said captured gas into said combustor supply means;
- means in said supply means, proportioning said captured gas among said primary and secondary combustion air inlets.
- 2. The combination of claim 1 further comprising:
- a perforated conoidal member on said support tube second end, said member surrounding said nozzle.
- 3. The combination of claim 2, wherein said conoidal member further comprises:
- an essentially conical member having inner and outer ends, said ends defining a base plane;
- a plurality of vanes extending from said inner end, each said vane having an angular deviation from said base plane.
- 4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said angular deviation is in a range of 25.degree. to 35.degree..
- 5. In combination, a compact fluid heater comprising:
- a combustor for generating heat including high temperature combustion products comprising:
- a combustion chamber having inlet and outlet ends for generating high temperature combustion products from combusting fuel and air therein;
- a burner mounted at said chamber inlet end for supplying combusting fuel and air, thereby generating and delivering said combustion products to said chamber inlet end comprising:
- an essentially cylindrical outer shell having inlet and outlet ends, said outlet end adjacent said combustion chamber inlet;
- a burner secondary air inlet defined by said shell outlet and chamber inlet ends;
- a support tube coaxially disposed in said shell, said tube having first and second ends, said second tube end adjacent said secondary air inlet;
- an annular orifice defined by said shell outlet end and support tube second end;
- a liquid fuel nozzle, having a discharge end in said annular orifice and a supply end extending into said support tube;
- means supplying combustion air to said shell inlet end and secondary air inlet; and,
- heat exchange means in fluid communication with said combustion chamber outlet end, said heat exchange means receiving combustion products from said chamber and extracting heat therefrom, said exchanger having an outlet for exhausting said combustion products to the atmosphere;
- means capturing a predetermined amount of said combustion products;
- means injecting said captured combustion products into said combustion chamber.
- 6. The combination of claim 5 further comprising:
- a perforated conoidal member on said support tube second end, said member surrounding said nozzle.
- 7. The combination of claim 6, wherein said conoidal member further comprises:
- an essentially conoidal member having inner and outer ends; said ends defining a base plane;
- a plurality of vanes extending from said inner diameter, each vane having an angular deviation from said base plane.
- 8. The fluid heater of claim 7 wherein said angular deviation is within a range of 25.degree. to 35.degree..
- 9. The fluid heater of claim 5 wherein said combustion chamber capturing and injecting means further comprise:
- a wall, intermediate said combustion chamber ends,
- a blower for delivering said captured combustion gases to said chamber;
- an orifice in said chamber wall for injecting said combustion products into said chamber;
- means conducting said delivered combustion gases to said orifice;
- wherein said delivered combustion gases enter said combustion chamber and modify the ongoing combustion process.
- 10. In combination, a compact steam generator comprising:
- a combustor for generating heat including high temperature combustion products, said combustor having a source of liquid fuel, and supply means for admitting primary and secondary combustion air, and steam thereto; and,
- means supplying combustion air to said supply means;
- a coaxially disposed heat exchanger having internally flowing fluid for absorbing said combustor generated heat by flow of said gaseous combustion products therethrough, and generating steam thereby;
- means collecting said gaseous combustion products;
- stack means in fluid communication with said collecting means for exhausting said gases to the atmosphere;
- means in said stack means capturing a controlled amount of said gases;
- means in said heat exchanger for capturing a controlled amount of steam generated therein;
- means supplying said captured gas and steam to said supply means; and
- means in said combustion air and steam supply means proportioning said captured gas and steam among said combustor inlets.
- 11. The combination of claim 10 wherein the combustor further comprises:
- an essentially cylindrical combustion chamber having oppositely disposed ends;
- a centrally located circular vent at one said chamber end;
- a burner in the other said chamber end comprising:
- an essentially cylindrical outer shell having inlet and outlet ends;
- means mounting said shell outlet end in said chamber adjacent said chamber burner end, said mounting means and shell inlet end defining a secondary combustion air inlet to said burner;
- a support tube coaxially disposed in said shell, said tube having first and second ends, said first end adjacent said shell outlet end, and said second tube end adjacent said secondary combustion air inlet;
- an annular orifice defined by said shell outlet end and support tube second end;
- a liquid fuel nozzle, having a discharge end in said annular orifice, and a supply end extending into said support tube;
- means supplying liquid fuel to said supply end;
- means supplying primary combustion air to said outer shell inlet end;
- means supplying combustion air to said primary air inlet;
- a perforated conoidal member on said support tube second end, said cone surrounding said nozzle.
- 12. The steam generator of claim 11 wherein said conoidal member further comprises:
- an essentially conical member having inner and outer ends, said ends defining a base plane;
- a plurality of vanes extending from inner end, each vane having an angular deviation from said base plane;
- wherein said cone imparts a helical trajectory to combusting gaseous fuels, primary air and steam passing through said shell outlet end and into said chamber.
- 13. The steam generator of claim 12 wherein said angular deviation is in a range of 25.degree. to 35.degree..
- 14. The steam generator of claim 10, wherein said combustor and proportioning means further comprise:
- a combustion chamber for generating high temperature combustion gases, said combustion chamber having inlet and outlet ends and a side wall, said side wall defining an inlet orifice, said orifice providing fluid communication through said side wall and into said chamber;
- a burner mounted at said chamber inlet end for supplying combusting fuel and air to said chamber;
- means fluid communicating said chamber outlet and heat exchanger;
- means in said proportioning means for injecting said captured combustion products through said inlet orifice;
- wherein proportioned amounts of gaseous combustion products enter said chamber, thereby modifying the ongoing combustion process.
- 15. The steam generator of claim 10 wherein the combustor further comprises:
- an essentially cylindrical combustion chamber having oppositely disposed inlet and outlet ends;
- a centrally located circular vent in said chamber outlet end;
- a burner in said chamber inlet end comprising:
- an essentially cylindrical outer shell having inlet and outlet ends;
- means mounting said shell outlet end in said chamber adjacent said chamber inlet end, said chamber inlet end and shell outlet end defining a secondary air inlet to said burner;
- a support tube coaxially disposed in said shell, said tube having first and second ends, said second tube end adjacent said secondary air inlet;
- an annular primary air inlet defined by said shell inlet end and gas supply tube second end;
- a liquid fuel nozzle having a discharge end in said annular orifice, and a supply end extending into said support tube;
- means supplying liquid fuel to said supply end;
- means supplying primary combustion air to said primary and secondary air inlets; and,
- a perforated cone on said tube second end, said cone surrounding said nozzle.
- 16. The steam generator of claim 15 wherein said cone comprises
- a plurality of vanes extending from an inner diameter, each vane having an angular deviation from base plane of said cone;
- wherein said cone imparts a helical trajectory to combusting gaseous fuels, primary air and steam passing through said shell outlet end and into said chamber.
- 17. The steam generator of claim 16 wherein each vane angular deviation is in a range of 25.degree. to 35.degree..
- 18. In combination, a compact steam generator comprising:
- a combustor for generating heat including high temperature combustion products, said combustor having a source of fluid hydrocarbon fuel, and supply means for admitting primary and secondary combustion air, and steam thereto;
- means supplying combustion air to said supply means;
- means generating steam comprising:
- heat exchange means in fluid communication with said combustor, said heat exchange means having internally flowing fluid therein for transferring said combustor generated heat to said fluid, by flow of said combustion products therethrough, thereby increasing the temperature and pressure of said fluid;
- means controllably reducing said fluid temperature and pressure, thereby generating steam and residual fluid;
- means in said steam generating means for capturing a controlled amount of said steam generated therein;
- means supplying said captured steam to said supply means; and,
- means in said supply means proportioning said captured steam among said primary and secondary combustor air.
- 19. The combination of claim 18 wherein the steam generating means further comprises:
- means returning said residual fluid to said steam generating means;
- stack means in fluid communication with said heat exchange means for exhausting said combustion products to the atmosphere;
- means in said stack means transferring heat from said combustion products to said residual fluid.
- 20. The combination of claim 18 wherein the steam generator means further comprises:
- means in said stack means transferring heat from said gaseous combustion products to said internally flowing heat exchanger fluid.
- 21. The combination of claim 18 further comprising:
- means collecting said combustion products;
- stack means in fluid communication with said collecting means for exhausting said combustion products to the atmosphere;
- means in said stack means capturing a controlled amount of said combustion products;
- means supplying said captured combustion products to said supply means;
- whereby controlled amounts of said captured steam and combustion products are apportioned among said combustor primary and secondary combustion air.
- 22. The combination of claim 18 wherein said fluid hydrocarbon fuel is gaseous fuel.
- 23. The combination of claim 18 wherein said fluid hydrocarbon fuel is liquid fuel.
- 24. A method for reducing the NOX level in stack gas exhaust from a compact fluid heater for supplying heat according to thermal demands, said generated heater having a combustor for generating heat, said heat including high temperature flue gas, and heat exchange means in said heater for extracting heat from said combustor, and an exhaust stack for discharging flue gas to the atmosphere, comprising the steps of:
- utilizing a burner in said combustor for generating heat and flue gas, said combustor utilizing fluid fuel and having primary and secondary air inputs thereto;
- incorporating a heat exchanger, having internally circulating fluid, said fluid absorbing heat from said combustor;
- heating said fluid by said absorbed heat to temperatures above saturation, thereby generating superheated fluid;
- reducing temperature and pressure of said superheated liquid, thereby generating steam;
- capturing a controlled predetermined amount of said steam;
- apportioning said steam among said primary and secondary air inputs;
- controlling said apportioned steam in accordance with liquid fuel input as required by heater load demand.
- 25. The method of claim 24 further comprising the steps of:
- capturing a controlled amount of flue gas;
- apportioning and injecting said captured flue gas among and into said primary and secondary air inputs.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 07/972,358, filed Nov. 5, 1992, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,574, Aug. 2, 1994, which is a continuation-in-part of an application Ser. No. 07/760,023, filed on Sep. 11, 1991, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,342, Nov. 9, 1993; the specification of Ser. No. 07/972,358, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,574, is incorporated herein by reference.
US Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
5333574 |
Brady et al. |
Aug 1994 |
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Continuation in Parts (2)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
972358 |
Nov 1992 |
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Parent |
760023 |
Sep 1991 |
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