Dynamic flame control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9664386-B2
Application number	US-201414195032-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 3, 2014
Priority date	Mar 5, 2013
Publication date	May 30, 2017
Grant date	May 30, 2017

Abstract

In an embodiment, a combustion system includes a burner, a flame charging device, and a flame control system. The burner outputs a flow including fuel that when ignited generates a flame. The flame charging device is positioned adjacent to the flame and charges the flame to generate a charged flame. The control system includes one or more electrodes disposed adjacent to the charged flame, a charge managing module operatively coupled to the one or more electrodes, one or more sensors in electrical communication to the controller, and a controller in electrical communication with the charge managing module and the one or more sensors. The charge managing module controls charging and discharging of the electrodes. The sensors are positioned and configured to measure at least one combustion parameter of the charged flame. The controller controls operation of the charge managing module responsive to the at least one combustion parameter measured by the sensors.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A flame control system, comprising:
one or more electrodes configured to be disposed adjacent to a charged flame;
a charge managing module including an electrical energy device coupled to a pulse transformer that is coupled to the one or more electrodes, the charge managing module further including a switch having a field effect transistor (FET), the charge managing module configured to control charging and discharging of the one or more electrodes;
one or more sensors in electrical communication with the controller, the one or more sensors positioned and configured to measure at least one combustion parameter of the charged flame; and
a controller in electrical communication with the charge managing module and the one or more sensors, the controller programmed to control the pulse transformer to deliver energy to the one or more electrodes responsive to the one or more sensors measuring the at least one combustion parameter of the charged flame.

2. The flame control system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more electrodes are configured to deliver bursts of electrical energy in a period of time ranging from about 0.1 millisecond to about 1 millisecond to the charged flame.

3. The flame control system of claim 1 , wherein the charge managing module includes an energy storage device having at least one of a capacitor, an inductor, or a battery.

4. The flame control system of claim 3 , wherein the switch is configured to control release of stored energy from the energy storage device to the pulse transformer.

5. The flame control system of claim 1 , wherein the FET includes a metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor.

Assignees

• Clearsign Comb Corp

Inventors

• Krichtafovitch Igor A

Classifications

• F23D14/84

  Flame spreading or otherwise shaping (F23D14/70 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F23C99/001

  Applying electric means or magnetism to combustion (for combustion engines F02B51/04, F02M27/04) · CPC title

• F23D11/406

  Flame stabilising means, e.g. flame holders · CPC title

• F23N5/123

  using electronic means · CPC title

• F23N5/00 Primary

  Systems for controlling combustion (regulating fuel supply F23N1/00, regulating air supply or draught F23N3/00) · CPC title