System and method for flattening a flame

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9958154-B2
Application number	US-201213658766-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 23, 2012
Priority date	Feb 9, 2011
Publication date	May 1, 2018
Grant date	May 1, 2018

Abstract

A charge electrode configured to impart a time-varying charge to a flame and a shape electrode located outside the flame may be driven synchronously by a voltage source through time varying voltage(s). The flame may be flattened or compressed responsive to an electric field produced by the shape electrode acting on the charges imparted to the flame.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. An apparatus for flattening a flame, comprising:
a charge electrode disposed proximal to a burner, configured to be at least intermittently in contact with a flame supported by the burner;
a shape electrode disposed distal to the burner relative to the charge electrode; and
a voltage source operatively coupled to the charge electrode and the shape electrode, and configured to apply to the charge electrode and shape electrode respective substantially in-phase time-varying electrical potentials having a same frequency, wherein the charge electrode is configured to impart to the flame an electrical charge having instantaneously a same sign as the time-varying electrical potential applied to the charge electrode.

2. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 1 , further comprising:
the burner.

3. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 2 , further comprising:
a fuel feed rate apparatus configured to control a fuel feed rate to the burner; and
a fuel controller operatively coupled to the fuel feed rate apparatus and configured to cause the fuel feed rate apparatus to increase the fuel feed rate when the voltage source applies to the charge electrode and shape electrode the substantially in-phase time-varying electrical potentials.

4. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 3 , wherein the fuel feed rate apparatus includes an actuated valve for controlling a flow rate of a fuel to the burner.

5. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 3 , wherein the fuel feed rate apparatus includes an auger or eductor-jet pump for delivering a pulverized solid fuel to the burner.

6. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 3 , wherein the fuel controller is configured to cause a rate of fuel feed to the burner that would cause flame blow-off in the absence of applying the substantially in-phase time varying electrical potentials to the charge electrode and the shape electrode.

7. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 1 , wherein the shape electrode includes a toroid.

8. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 7 , wherein the shape electrode includes a torus.

9. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 1 , wherein the charge electrode includes a rod disposed at least partially within the flame.

10. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 1 , wherein the charge electrode includes a torus disposed at least partially within the flame.

11. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 1 , wherein the charge electrode includes a conductive portion of the burner.

12. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 1 , wherein each of the time-varying electrical potentials includes a periodic electrical potential.

13. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 1 , wherein each of the time-varying electrical potentials includes a sign-varying waveform.

14. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 1 , wherein each of the time-varying electrical potentials includes a periodic voltage waveform.

15. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 14 , wherein the periodic voltage waveform includes one of a sinusoidal waveform, square waveform, triangular waveform, sawtooth waveform, or Fourier series waveform.

16. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 14 , wherein each of the time-varying electrical potentials includes an AC voltage waveform.

17. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 1 , wherein the voltage source is configured to apply to one or both of the charge electrode and the shape electrode a voltage having a magnitude that would cause dielectric breakdown if the voltage were not time-varying.

18. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 1 , wherein the voltage source is configured to apply to each of the charge electrode and the shape electrode a periodic electrical potential having a frequency between 50 and 10,000 Hertz.

19. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 18 , wherein the voltage source is configured to apply to each of the charge electrode and the shape electrode a periodic electrical potential having a frequency between 50 and 1000 Hertz.

20. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 1 , wherein the voltage source is configured to apply to one or both of the charge electrode and the shape electrode a time-varying electrical potential of ±1000 Volts to ±115,000 Volts.

21. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 20 , wherein the voltage source is configured to apply to one or both of the charge electrode and the shape electrode a time-varying electrical potential of ±8000 Volts to ±40,000 Volts.

22. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 1 , wherein the voltage source is configured to maintain a voltage ratio between the charge electrode and the shape electrode.

23. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 1 , wherein the voltage source is configured to apply substantially the same voltage to the charge electrode and the shape electrode.

24. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 1 , wherein the charge electrode, the shape electrode, and the voltage source are configured to cooperate to avoid dielectric breakdown.

25. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 1 , wherein the voltage source is configured to output the time-varying electrical potentials in-phase; and
further comprising:
electrical leads from the voltage source to the charge electrode and the shape electrode;
wherein the apparatus is configured to cause the time-varying electrical potentials applied to the shape electrode and the charge electrode to differ by no more than a difference attributable to a propagation delay through the electrical leads.

26. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 1 , wherein the charge electrode, the shape electrode, and the voltage source are configured to cooperate to compress the flame into an etendue smaller than an etendue of the flame would be without application of the time-varying electrical potential.

27. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 1 , further comprising:
a burner housing having smaller volume than a burner housing would need to be for a flame without application of the time-varying electrical potential.

28. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 1 , further comprising:
a surface configured to receive energy from the flame.

29. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 1 , further comprising:
an industrial process configured to receive energy from the flame.

30. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 1 , further comprising:
a heating system configured to receive energy from the flame.

31. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 1 , further comprising:
an electrical power generation system configured to receive energy from the flame.

32. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 1 , further comprising:
one of a land vehicle, watercraft, or aircraft including an apparatus configured to receive energy from the flame.

33. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 1 , further comprising:
a structure configured to hold a workpiece to receive energy from the flame.

34. The apparatus for flattening a flame of claim 1 , wherein the voltage source further comprises:
an electrode controller; and
the apparatus further comprising:
one or more s

Assignees

• Clearsign Comb Corp

Inventors

• Colannino Joseph
• Hartwick Thomas S
• Goodson David B
• Prevo Tracy A
• Wiklof Christopher A

Classifications

• Y10T137/0391

  Affecting flow by the addition of material or energy · CPC title

• F23D14/84

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

• F23C5/14

  to obtain a single flame of concentrated or substantially planar form, e.g. pencil or sheet flame (F23C5/32 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F23C99/001 Primary

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

• F23N5/265

  using electronic means · CPC title