EP1754000A2

EP1754000A2 - Fuel injector for low nox and enhanced flame stabilization

Info

Publication number: EP1754000A2
Application number: EP05725255A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Joel Vatsky
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-03-08
Filing date: 2005-03-08
Publication date: 2007-02-21
Also published as: KR20070003984A; RU2006135372A; MXPA06010315A; JP2007530898A; CA2558490A1; AU2005221152A1; WO2005086916A3; CN101124433A; WO2005086916A2; US20060029895A1

Abstract

A fuel injector (10) for use in a furnace is provided. The fuel injector (10) is used to deliver pulverized fuel to a combustion chamber of a furnace. The structure of the fuel injector (10) facilitates efficient combustion while stabilizing the combustion flame. As a result, a minimal amount of NOX and other undesirable byproducts are released into the atmosphere.

Description

FUEL INJECTOR FOR LOW NOx AND ENHANCED FLAME STABILIZATION CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims benefit of United States Provisional Patent Application 60/551,143, filed March 8, 2004, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to fuel injectors for use in connection with a furnace. More particularly, the present invention relates to a fuel injector and a furnace where pulverized coal or other solid fuel is transferred with a carrier gas and efficiently burned within a combustion chamber of the furnace so that the formation of Nitrogen Oxides (NO_x) and other undesirable by-products associated with unburned fuel are reduced. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Low NO_x pulverized coal burners consist of a fuel injector and secondary air register controls that have two or more passageways through which secondary air flows. The pulverized coal is carried by one or more gasses, generally air, and passes through the fuel injector into the furnace. The carrier gas is considered the primary air. However, the primary air carrying the coal typically represents no more than 25% of the total combustion air required for combustion. The remaining combustion air enters the furnace through secondary air registers. In many additional cases some of the secondary air is directed to separate staging ports such as overfire air ports, to make combustion of the coal more efficient. Coal burners, particular low NO_x pulverized coal burners, must develop a strong stable flame well rooted in the throat of the burners. Among the design problems typical of these types of burners are maintaining their high reliability of the fuel injector while creating a distribution of pulverized coal and carrier (primary) air that minimizes the generation of NO_x, and creating a near zone aerodynamic stabilization pattern of the secondary combustion air that enters the burner around the fuel injector. Many older designs use flame stabilizers, impellers or collecting ports in the coal stream to attempt create an optimal ratio of fuel/air distributed into the burner. However, these arrangements are subject to rapid wear of the parts, potential overheating and coking (undesired build-up) of the coal on the parts and the resultant reduction in service life. Further, as the parts wear their geometry changes and causes the combustion to degrade . In typical low NO_x burners the secondary air enters the burner through two or more concentric passageways to create an "air staging" effect. Generally these designs include an inner and an outer secondary air zone with adjustable swirl generators in each zone. Consequently, balancing and optimizing the air between the inner and outer zone independently of swirl is not attainable. These designs do not have independent means of optimizing the flow quantity and swirl in the inner versus outer secondary air zones. Low NO_x burner designs separate the functions of fuel injection and secondary air flow control into essentially independent functions, but integrate the two assemblies into one burner. The fuel injector from one type of burner is generally not transferable into a register assembly from another burner design system. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves problems associated with known low NO_x burner designs by providing a fuel injector with an uninterrupted passageway through which pulverized fuel and its carrier gas flow. External flame stabilizers are arranged to provide excellent stability of the flame within the burner. A fixed vane swirler and an air control damper are also arranged on the fuel injector to further control the flame produced upon combustion of the pulverized fuel. The present fuel injector resolves the operational and reliability problems discussed above. Further, such fuel injector can be utilized in virtually any burner configuration: Circular burner arrangements as well as the vertically stacked linear burners typical of "corner" or "tangential" firing. As used herein, the term "fuel injector" is intended to cover devices used to transport pulverized fuel and a carrier gas to be burned within an associated furnace. It should be appreciated that the term "pulverized fuel" is intended to cover various types of fuel such pulverized coal or the like. While the term "pulverized coal" is used for convenience to describe a preferred embodiment, it is also intended to encompass various types of pulverized fuels other than coal. Further, the term "carrier gas" covers gasses other than those present in air. However, since air is used to transport the pulverized coal in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the term "primary air" will often be used herein and is intended to encompass various types of carrier gasses other than air. The design of the fuel injector of the present invention has been developed to enhance the performance and reliability of low NO_x burners. Thus, the design features of the present invention are applicable to various types of low NO_x burner systems. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a fuel injector is provided for use in a furnace. The fuel injector comprises an inner barrel having inlet and outlet ends, and a passageway extending between inlet and outlet ends through which a fuel stream including a carrier gas and fuel particles are permitted to flow. The inner barrel is preferably free of obstructions between the inlet and outlet ends such that the carrier gas and fuel particles can flow without interruption into an associated furnace. The fuel injector preferably comprises an outer barrel surrounding at least a portion of the inner barrel, and an outer passageway therebetween through which secondary air is permitted to flow. A plurality of stabilizer vanes are preferably arranged within the outer passageway near the outlet end of the inner barrel. The secondary air flowing through the outer passageway will impact the stabilizer vanes and will help maintain combustion of the fuel streams near the outlet end of the inner barrel. A plurality of axial vanes are also preferably arranged within the outer passageway between the inner and outer barrels. Each of the axial vanes are arranged between a corresponding pair of the stabilizer vanes, and function in concert with the stabilizer vanes to create desired flow of the secondary air with respect to the fuel stream flowing from the outlet end. A fixed vane swirler is also preferably arranged within the outer passageway between the inner and outer barrels. The fixed vane swirler includes a structure sufficient to impact the secondary air and create a rotational flow thereof around the stabilizer and axial vanes. In another preferred embodiment, an air controlled damper may be arranged within the outer passageway form between the inner and outer barrels. The air control damper may be structured and arranged to control the quantity of the secondary air flowing through the fixed vane swirler. The stabilizer and axial vanes may be attached to the inner barrel, and the fixed vane swirler may be attached to the outer barrel. However, the specific arrangement of these features are optional and represent one preferred embodiment. The air control damper may comprise a perforated plate and an axially movable sleeve to permit selective control of the quantity of air permitted to flow through the fixed vane swirler. In another preferred embodiment, a furnace system is provided. The furnace may comprise a housing, a combustion zone arranged within the housing, and one or more fuel injectors having the features discussed above. Low NO_x burner designs separate the functions of fuel injection and secondary air flow control into essentially independent functions, but integrate the two assemblies into one burner. The fuel injector from one type of burner system cannot typically be integrated into a register assembly of another burner design system design. The present invention is a stand-alone fuel injector that includes its own integral stabilization air flow controls and devices. Consequently, the present fuel injector can be inserted into various types of register assemblies. The present fuel injector provides for improved flame stability, lower NOx output and better control of carbon monoxide and unburned carbon. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved fuel injector, and optionally an entire furnace, which provides a low NO_x output. It is another object to provide a fuel injector, and optionally a furnace system, having enhanced flame stabilization. These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and a detailed description of the preferred embodiments which follows . BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic combined cross-sectional and front view of the outlet portion of a preferred embodiment of fuel injector of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cut-away perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the fuel injector of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional schematic view of another embodiment of the fuel injector of the present invention illustrated in an installed position with respect to a furnace. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of another preferred embodiment of the fuel injector of the present invention shown in an installed position with respect to a furnace . FIG. 5 is a front elevational view illustrating a corner-fired burner array showing a plurality of fuel injectors in accordance with the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective front elevational view of a portion of an embodiment of the fuel injector of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a perspective front elevational view of the embodiment of the fuel injector shown in FIG. 6 in a further assembled position within a furnace. FIG. 8 is a schematic combined cross-sectional and front view of a plurality of fuel injectors in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention incorporated into a corner-fired array of a furnace. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring to Figs. 1-8 of the drawings, the fuel injector 10 of the present invention is shown in various embodiments and views. In some of the views such as Figs. 1 and 2, the fuel injector 10 is shown isolated. In other views such as Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8, the fuel injector 10 is shown incorporated into a furnace . A preferred embodiment of the fuel injector 10 of the present invention is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. It includes an elongated inner barrel 12 having an inlet end 16 and an outlet end 14. A segmented nozzle design is arranged at the outlet end where a series of concave or elliptical shaped areas 18 function to generate multiple concentrated streams of coal exiting the nozzle at the outlet end 14. Fig. 2 illustrates that the fuel injector 10 includes an outer barrel 20, which circumferentially surrounds the inner barrel 12 over at least a portion thereof. Stabilizer vanes 22, axial vanes 24 and a fixed vane swirler 26 are arranged in a passageway between the inner barrel 12 and outer barrel 20. The structure and operation of these components are described further below. An air control damper 28 is also arranged in the passageway between the inner barrel 12 and outer barrel 20. The air control damper assembly includes a perforated plate 30 and an axially movable sleeve 32. A control arm 34 is connected to the movable sleeve for permitting an operator to axially adjust it so that a desired amount of secondary air can flow into and around the fixed vane swirler 26. As also shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, a connection flange 36 is arranged at the inlet end 16 of the fuel injector 10. The connection flange 36 may be used to connect the fuel injector 10 to an elbow or other conduit for providing a carrier gas and pulverized fuel particles to the inner barrel 12. Figs. 5, 7 and 8 illustrate the fuel injector 10 (or a plurality of fuel injectors 10) as part of an overall furnace assembly 38. When arranged within such a furnace, the fuel injector 10 may include an air blocking plate 40 (as shown in Figs. 6 and 7) to assure optimal performance. Low NO_x flame stabilization nozzle 15 is an important element for obtaining excellent flame stability and minimum NOx output. Fig. 1 shows the segmented coal nozzle, which has an open design with no obstructions to collect coal. Pressure drop is low, and there are no components in the coal path that are subject to wear, coal accumulation or coking. Excellent flame stability is achieved due to the external flame stabilizers surrounding each segment. Stabilizer and axial vanes 22 and 24 act in combination to create a complex flow of secondary air from the inner zone over and around the fuel streams leaving the nozzle 15. The effect is to create an initial stabilization zone close to the fuel injector nozzle 15. Fig. 2 illustrates the complete fuel injector assembly 10 with the locations of the flame stabilizers including the combination of circumferential curved stabilizer vanes 22 and axial vanes 24), a fixed vane swirler 26 and an air control damper 28. The functions of these devices are described below. Flame stabilizers function as previously described in U.S. Patent No. 5,762,007, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. In general, Figs. 1-8 illustrate the curved stabilizer vanes 22 and longitudinal axial vanes 24, which are arranged within the outer passageway (between the inner and outer barrels 12 and 20, near the outlet end 14 of the inner barrel 12. As clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a gap may be maintained between adjacent curved stabilizer vanes 22 to allow secondary air to pass through. The combination of the curved stabilizer vanes 22 and the axial vanes 24 function as flame stabilizers, which help assure that the flame created upon combustion of the fuel streams exiting the nozzle 15 is "well-rooted" close to the outlet end of the fuel injector 10. Thus, maximum flame stability and undesirable by-products such as NO_x and CO are minimized. The secondary air flowing between the inner and outer barrels 12 and 20 impact the curved stabilizer vanes 22 and are guided by the axial vanes 24. This creates eddy flows, which minimize interference with the primary pulverized coal stream while still facilitating enhancement of the resulting flame. The fixed vane swirler 26 is attached to the outer barrel 20 of the fuel injector 10. The position of the swirler 26 is constant and no adjustments are required. It provides rotation to the air that flows over the flame stabilizers 22 and enhances their effect in controlling the root of the flame formed by the coal leaving the nozzle 15. Air control damper 28 includes perforated plate 30 surrounded by an axially movable sleeve 32. The damper is operable to control the quantity of air flowing through the fixed vane swirler 26 and over the flame stabilizers 22 surrounding the nozzle 15. The axially movable sleeve 32 is connected to a control arm 34, which permits control of the quantity of air flow and allows for the optimization of the flame position and internal stoichiometry in the region close to the burner of the^" furnace 38. The fuel injector assembly 10 with its own air flow controls represents an independent assembly that is no longer required to be installed as an integral part of one specific burner geometry. Thus it can be used in conjunction with a relatively simple single register assembly which, when combined with the presently disclosed fuel injector assembly, completes the two stage secondary air aerodynamics typical of low NO_x burners. The fixed vane swirler 26 is attached to the outer barrel 20 of the fuel injector 10 . The position of the swirler is fixed and no adjustments are required. Fig. 3 illustrate an embodiment of a dual register that uses an radial shaft main register within a furnace system. In this assembly a single register including radial shaft spin vanes to control outer zone secondary air swirl and a sleeve damper to control the total quantity of secondary air entering the burner, is combined with the fuel injector 10 and its secondary air controls to form a complete low NO_x burner. Fig. 4 illustrates another embodiment where the present enhanced flame stabilization fuel injector 10 is integrated into a register assembly that utilizes an axial shaft main register. The enhanced flame stabilization fuel injector 10 is inserted into the respective main register assembly with minimal modification. Due to the consistent near zone aerodynamic conditions afforded by the designs disclosed herein, the performance of each of these burner configurations is substantially the same even though the overall geometry is different . An alternate type of combustion system is shown in Fig. 5 — a corner-fired burner system. In this system the burners consist of a vertical array of alternating secondary air injection nozzles, usually of a square or rectangular geometry, and fuel injectors 10. In a conventional arrangement the fuel injectors are also of square or rectangular configuration. However the present enhanced flame stabilization fuel injector 10 can be installed in substitution for the standard design to provide the same reliability and combustion conditions that result from use of this technology in the circular burners. In the corner-fired arrangement a secondary air flow divider is integrally installed around the present enhanced flame stabilization fuel injector 10 to direct the secondary air over the integral fixed van swirler 26. An air blocking plate is attached to the flow divider to prevent secondary air from bypassing around the outside of the flow divider and, thereby, not passing through the fixed vane swirler 26 that is inside the flow divider and between it and the coal nozzle 15. Figure 8 illustrates the complete corner burner array with the present enhance flame stabilization fuel injector 10 assemblies shown integral to the array. The present enhanced flame stabilization fuel injector 10 discloses a fuel injector assembly that can be incorporated into a wide variety of pulverized coal burner types while maintaining the conditions for optimal aerodynamics and fuel flow to assure minimal NO_x generation without compromising combustion performance. It should be appreciated that various modifications to the configuration and size of the present fuel injector 10 and associated furnace system may be made to the preferred embodiment of the present invention without departing from the scope thereof as defined in the claims set forth below.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A fuel injector for use in a furnace, said fuel injector comprising: (a) an inner barrel having inlet and outlet ends, said inner barrel defining a passageway extending between said inlet and outlet ends through which a fuel stream including carrier gas and fuel particles are permitted to flow; (b) an outer barrel surrounding at least a portion of said inner barrel and defining an outer passageway through which secondary air is permitted to flow; (c) a plurality of stabilizer vanes arranged within said outer passageway near said outlet end of said inner barrel, the secondary air flowing through the outer passageway impacts said plurality of stabilizer vanes such that combustion of the fuel stream is maintained near said outlet end of said inner barrel; (d) a plurality of axial vanes arranged within said outer passageway between said inner and outer barrels, each of said axial vanes being arranged between a corresponding pair of said stabilizer vanes, and functioning in concert with said stabilizer vanes to create a desired flow of the secondary air with respect to the fuel stream flowing from said outlet end; and (e) a fixed vane swirler arranged within said outer passageway between said inner and outer barrels, said fixed vane swirler having a structure sufficient to create a rotational flow of the secondary air around said plurality of stabilizer and axial vanes.

2. The fuel injector of claim 1 further comprising an air control damper arranged within said outer passageway structured and arranged to control the quantity of the secondary air flowing through said fixed vane swirler.

3. The fuel injector of claim 1 wherein said plurality of stabilizer vanes are attached to said inner barrel.

4. The fuel injector of claim 1 wherein said plurality of axial vanes are attached to said inner barrel.

5. The fuel injector of claim 1 wherein said fixed vane swirler is attached to said outer barrel.

6. The fuel injector of claim 2 wherein said air control damper comprises a perforated plate and an axially movable sleeve .

7. The fuel injector of claim 1 wherein said outlet end of said inner barrel includes a plurality of elliptical sections adapted to create a plurality of concentrated fuel streams at said outlet end of said inner barrel.

8. A furnace comprising: (a) a housing; (b) a combustion zone within said housing; and (c) a fuel injector arranged to deliver at least one fuel stream to said combustion zone, said fuel injector including: (1) an inner barrel having inlet and outlet ends, said inner barrel defining a passageway extending between said inlet and outlet ends through which a fuel stream including carrier gas and fuel particles are permitted to flow, (2) an outer barrel surrounding at least a portion of said inner barrel and defining an outer passageway through which secondary air is permitted to flow,

(3) a plurality of stabilizer vanes arranged within said outer passageway near said outlet end of said inner barrel, the secondary air flowing through the outer passageway impacts said plurality of stabilizer vanes such that combustion of the fuel stream is maintained near said outlet end of said inner barrel,

(4) a plurality of axial vanes arranged within said outer passageway between said inner and outer barrels, each of said axial vanes being arranged between a corresponding pair of said stabilizer vanes, and functioning in concert with said stabilizer vanes to create a desired flow of the secondary air with respect to the fuel stream flowing from said outlet end, and (5) a fixed vane swirler arranged within said outer passageway between said inner and outer barrels, said fixed vane swirler having a structure sufficient to create a rotational flow of the secondary air around said plurality of stabilizer and axial vanes.

9. The fuel injector of claim 8 further comprising an air control damper arranged within said outer passageway structured and arranged to control the quantity of the secondary air flowing through said fixed vane swirler.

10. The fuel injector of claim 8 wherein said plurality of stabilizer vanes are attached to said inner barrel.

11. The fuel injector of claim 8 wherein said plurality of axial vanes are attached to said inner barrel.

12. The fuel injector of claim 8 wherein said fixed vane swirler is attached to said outer barrel.

13. The fuel injector of claim 9 wherein said air control damper comprises a perforated plate and an axially movable sleeve.

14. The fuel injector of claim 8 wherein said outlet end of said inner barrel includes a plurality of elliptical sections adapted to create a plurality of concentrated fuel streams at said outlet end of said inner barrel .

15. The furnace of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of fuel injectors.

16. The fuel injector of claim 15 further comprising an air control damper arranged within said outer passageway structured and arranged to control the quantity of the secondary air flowing through said fixed vane swirler.