Burner assembly with low NOx emissions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10197269-B2
Application number	US-201615213527-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 19, 2016
Priority date	Jul 31, 2015
Publication date	Feb 5, 2019
Grant date	Feb 5, 2019

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to a burner assembly for generating a heat source. The burner assembly may include a combustion plate having a first surface and a second surface. The combustion plate may include a first plurality of holes extending from the first surface to the second surface arranged in a first circle and a second plurality of holes extending from the first surface to the second surface arranged in a second circle. The first circle and second circle may be arranged in concentric circles. The burner assembly may further be configured to have at least one of the holes having a longitudinal axis extending at a first acute angle from a plane of the combustion plate. The burner assembly may further be configured to have at least one of the holes having the longitudinal axis extending at a second acute angle from a tangent line of one of the concentric circles on the plane of the combustion plate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A burner assembly, comprising:
a combustion plate having a first surface and a second surface, comprising;
a first plurality of holes extending from the first surface to the second surface arranged in a first circle that discharge an air flow; and
a second plurality of holes extending from the first surface to the second surface arranged in a second circle that separately discharge a fuel gas flow;
wherein the first circle and the second circle are concentric circles; and
least one of the first plurality of holes has a longitudinal axis extending at a first acute angle from a plane of the combustion plate; and
at least one of the first plurality of holes has a longitudinal axis extending at a second acute angle from a tangent line of one of the concentric circles on the plane of the combustion plate.

2. The burner assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the second plurality of holes has a longitudinal axis extending at a third acute angle from the plane of the combustion plate.

3. The burner assembly of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the second plurality of holes has a longitudinal axis extending at a fourth acute angle from a tangent line of one of the concentric circles on the plane of the combustion plate.

4. The burner assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a third plurality of holes extending from the first surface to the second surface arranged in a third circle, wherein the first circle, the second circle, and third circle are concentric circles and the second circle is sandwiched between the first circle and the third circle.

5. The burner assembly of claim 4 , wherein at least one of the third plurality of holes has the longitudinal axis extending at an acute angle from the plane of the combustion plate and an acute angle from a tangent line of one of the concentric circles on the plane of the combustion plate.

6. The burner assembly of claim 4 , wherein at least one of the third plurality of holes has the longitudinal axis extending at a first acute angle from the plane of the combustion plate and a second acute angle from a tangent line of one of the concentric circles on the plane of the combustion plate.

7. The burner assembly of claim 1 , further comprising: a first chamber having an end attached to the second surface of the combustion plate and fluidly connected to the first plurality of holes; and a first inlet configured to be supplied with an air flow to the first chamber.

8. The burner assembly of claim 1 , further comprising: a second chamber having an end attached to the second surface of the combustion plate and fluidly connected to the second plurality of holes; and a second inlet configured to be supplied with a fuel gas flow to the second chamber.

9. The burner assembly of claim 1 , wherein the holes are configured to: increase the mixing of the air flow discharged from the first plurality of holes and the fuel gas flow discharged from the second plurality of holes; and generate a swirling combustion flame during combustion of the fuel gas flow.

10. The burner assembly of claim 9 , wherein the temperature of the swirling combustion flame ranges from about 20° C. to 1900° C. adjacent the first surface.

11. The burner assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first acute angle ranges from about 15° to about 75°.

12. A method for providing a heat source from a burner assembly, comprising:
directing a fuel gas flow through a first plurality of holes extending from a first surface to a second surface of a combustion plate;
separately directing an air flow through a second plurality of holes extending from the first surface to the second surface of the combustion plate; and
directing the fuel gas flow and the air flow through the holes at tangential velocities;
generating a swirling combustion flame; and
combusting the fuel gas flow and the air flow directed through the holes;
wherein
the first plurality of holes are arranged in a first circle and the second plurality of holes are arranged in a second circle, the first and second circles being concentric circles; and
at least one of the holes has a longitudinal axis extending at an acute angle from a plane of the combustion plate.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising controlling the temperature of the swirling combustion to or below a level that limits NOx emission from the burner assembly, wherein the temperature of the swirling combustion flame ranges from about 20° C. to 1900° C. adjacent the first surface.

14. A hydrogen generator system for generating hydrogen, comprising:
a reformer; and
a burner assembly, comprising:
a combustion plate having a first surface and a second surface, comprising:
a first plurality of holes extending from the first surface to the second surface arranged in a first circle; and
a second plurality of holes extending from the first surface to the second surface arranged in a second circle;
wherein the first circle and second circle are concentric circles;
at least one of the holes has a longitudinal axis extending at an acute angle from a plane of the combustion plate; and

the burner assembly is configured to combust a fuel gas flow directed through the first plurality of holes and an air flow directed through the second plurality of holes to generate a combustion exhaust gas flow supplied as a heat source to the reformer.

Assignees

• Nuvera Fuel Cells Llc

Inventors

• Li Zhijiang
• Behnam Mohsen
• Gaffuri Paul
• Mcginty Jordan

Classifications

• B01J12/00

  Chemical processes in general for reacting gaseous media with gaseous media; Apparatus specially adapted therefor (B01J3/08, B01J8/00, B01J19/08 take precedence) · CPC title

• F23L1/00 Primary

  Passages or apertures for delivering primary air for combustion  (baffles or deflectors in air inlets F23M9/02) · CPC title

• C01B2203/0205

  containing a reforming step · CPC title

• B01J8/0496

  Heating or cooling the reactor · CPC title

• C01B2203/0811

  by combustion of fuel · CPC title