Inertial electrode and system configured for electrodynamic interaction with a flame

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9879858-B2
Application number	US-201213731095-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 30, 2012
Priority date	Mar 1, 2012
Publication date	Jan 30, 2018
Grant date	Jan 30, 2018

Abstract

An inertial electrode launcher may be configured to project charged particles or a voltage comprising an inertial electrode proximate a flame or combustion gas produced by the flame.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A burner system, comprising:
a burner configured to support a burner flame, the burner flame carrying first charged particles;
at least one inertial electrode launcher including an orifice;
the at least one inertial electrode launcher configured to launch an inertial electrode through the orifice, in proximity to the burner flame or a combustion gas produced by the burner flame, the inertial electrode including second charged particles; and
an electrode driver operatively coupled to the at least one inertial electrode launcher;
wherein the inertial electrode is configured to at least intermittently or periodically receive a voltage from the electrode driver to expel a portion of a fluid carrying the second charged particles;
wherein the portion of the fluid carrying the second charged particles forms the inertial electrode;
a charging apparatus configured to create the second charged particles;
wherein the inertial electrode launcher is configured to impart inertia onto the inertial electrode;
wherein the inertial electrode launcher further comprises an inertial electrode burner configured to at least intermittently or periodically support a flame inertial electrode; and
wherein momentum imparted onto the inertial electrode is configured to cause the burner flame or the combustion gas produced by the burner flame to respond to the momentum carried by the inertial electrode.

2. The burner system of claim 1 , wherein the charged particles carried by the inertial electrode are configured to impart a majority charge on the burner flame or on the combustion gas produced by the burner flame.

3. The burner system of claim 1 , wherein the inertial electrode is configured to affect a shape or location of the burner flame.

4. The burner system of claim 1 , wherein the inertial electrode is configured to affect a concentration of the first charged particles in the burner flame or in the combustion gas produced by the burner flame.

5. The burner system of claim 1 , wherein the second charged particles carried by the inertial electrode are configured to interact with first charged particles carried by the burner flame or by the combustion gas produced by the burner flame.

6. The burner system of claim 1 , wherein the momentum imparted onto the inertial electrode has a direction and the direction is aligned to the orifice.

7. The burner system of claim 1 , further comprising: an electrode driver configured to control and operate one or more function or operation performed by the at least one inertial electrode launcher.

8. The burner system of claim 7 , wherein the electrode driver is configured to periodically or intermittently change a concentration of the second charged particles or the voltage carried by the inertial electrode.

9. The burner system of claim 7 , wherein the electrode driver is configured to periodically or intermittently change a sign of the second charged particles or the voltage carried by the inertial electrode.

10. The burner system of claim 7 , wherein the at least one inertial electrode launcher further comprises: a directional actuator configured to determine a direction the inertial electrode is launched by the at least one inertial electrode launcher; wherein the electrode driver is configured to control the directional actuator.

11. The burner system of claim 7 , wherein the at least one inertial electrode launcher further comprises: a location actuator configured to determine a location from which the inertial electrode is launched by the at least one inertial electrode launcher; wherein the electrode driver is configured to control the location actuator.

12. The burner system of claim 1 , further comprising an object configured to be heated by or configured to be protected from heating by the burner flame or the combustion gas produced by the burner flame.

13. The burner system of claim 12 , wherein the object is electrically grounded.

14. The burner system of claim 12 , wherein the object is driven to or held at a voltage having an opposite sign compared to a sign of the second charged particles or the voltage carried by the inertial electrode.

15. The burner system of claim 12 , wherein the object is driven to or held at a voltage having a same sign compared to a sign of the second charged particles or the voltage carried by the inertial electrode.

16. The burner system of claim 12 , wherein the object is insulated from ground and is not driven to a voltage different than a voltage imparted by cooperation of the inertial electrode with the burner flame or the combustion gas produced by the burner flame.

17. The burner system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one inertial electrode launcher comprises: a charging apparatus including a depletion electrode configured to attract charges from the flame inertial electrode to create a majority sign of the second charged particles carried by in the flame inertial electrode.

18. The burner system of claim 17 , further comprising: an electrode driver configured to apply a voltage to the charging apparatus to control at least one of the majority sign or a concentration of the second charged particles in the inertial electrode.

19. The burner system of claim 17 , further comprising: a valve configured to control a flow of fuel to the inertial electrode burner; and an electrode driver configured to control the valve.

20. The burner system of claim 17 , further comprising: an electrical insulator or gap configured to electrically isolate the inertial electrode from ground or from another voltage.

21. The burner system of claim 1 , wherein the orifice comprises a nozzle.

22. The burner system of claim 21 , wherein the fluid includes a liquid.

23. The burner system of claim 21 , wherein the fluid includes a buffer or is functionalized to hold a charge.

24. The burner system of claim 21 , further comprising: a valve operatively coupled to the electrode driver; a fluid supply system in communication with the nozzle through the valve; wherein the valve is configured to respond to an actuation signal from the electrode driver to at least intermittently or periodically open flow of the fluid from the fluid supply system to flow through the nozzle.

25. The burner system of claim 21 , further comprising: a fluid supply system configured to supply the fluid to the nozzle and to maintain electrical isolation between the fluid and a fluid source.

26. The burner system of claim 25 , wherein the fluid supply system further comprises: a tank to hold the fluid, the tank being made of an electrically insulating material or being supported by electrical insulators to isolate the fluid from ground or from another voltage; and an antisiphon arrangement configured to maintain electrical isolation between the fluid and the fluid source.

27. The burner system of claim 21 , further comprising: an object configured to be held at a voltage and disposed proximate to the burner flame or the combustion gas carried by the burner flame; wherein a voltage sign to which the nozzle is driven and a charge sign of the second charged particles carried by the inertial electrode is the same as a sign of the voltage held by the object.

28. The burner system of claim 21 , further comprising: an object configured to be held at a voltage disposed proximate to the burner flame or the combustion gas carried by the burner fla

Assignees

• Clearsign Comb Corp

Inventors

• Goodson David B
• Prevo Tracy A
• Colannino Joseph
• Breidenthal Robert E
• Wiklof Christopher A

Classifications

• F23L7/00 Primary

  Supplying non-combustible liquids or gases, other than air, to the fire, e.g. oxygen, steam · CPC title

• F23C99/001

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

• F23D14/84

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

• F23D99/002

  Burners specially adapted for specific applications · CPC title

• F23D21/00

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic