Furnace tunnels and assembly system
AssigneeBD Energy Systems, LLC
InventorDaniel Joseph Barnett
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Flue gas entry into the tunnel(s) of a furnace is controlled by varying the flow conductivity or size of the individual or groups of openings through the entry ports. The openings can be provided either as gaps between adjacent blocks, or through bores of varying diameter, or as inserts having orifices of varying diameter and a profile matching the ports in which they are placed. Matching the flow conductivity (or cross-sectional flow area) and pressure drop through the individual ports to the desired mass flow, the flue gas flow can be distributed evenly, or as otherwise desired, into different ports, intervals, and/or regions of the tunnel.
Claims32
A furnace tunnel defining a flow channel for flue gas from a firebox to pass to an open end of the furnace tunnel, comprising:
- a longitudinal refractory structure separating the flow channel from the firebox, wherein the refractory structure comprises blocks;
- a plurality of ports formed in the refractory structure for the flue gas to enter the flow channel from the firebox, wherein the ports are integrally formed in the blocks;
- a regular spacing pattern of the ports along the length of the refractory structure;
- and
- passages through the respective ports providing relatively varied flow conductivities to control flue gas entry into the flow channel, wherein perforated inserts are received in the ports, and wherein perforations in the perforated inserts define cross-sectional flow areas through the respective passages that are less than a cross-sectional area of the respective ports.
A furnace tunnel assembly system comprising:
- a plurality of interlocking refractory blocks adapted to form a longitudinal wall of a flue gas flow channel in a firebox;
- at least some of the blocks comprising ports formed for flue gas to enter the flow channel from the firebox;
- respective flow passages for the ports, wherein at least some of the ports comprise passages having relatively different flow conductivities than at least some of the other passages, wherein the flow passages comprise orifices formed in respective inserts receivable in the ports, wherein the orifices define cross-sectional flow areas through the respective passages that are less than that of the respective ports, wherein the different flow conductivities correspond to different diameters of the orifices.
A method comprising:
- stacking refractory blocks to form a longitudinal wall of a furnace tunnel;
- providing a uniform density of ports in successive intervals in the wall between open and closed ends of the tunnel;
- and
- placing perforated inserts in one or more of the ports, wherein one or more orifices are formed in the perforated inserts placed in the ports, wherein the orifices define cross-sectional flow areas through the respective passages that are less than that of the respective ports, and wherein the different flow conductivities through the ports correspond to different diameters of the orifices to provide flow passages of varying relative flow conductivities through the ports.
A method comprising:
- passing flue gas from a firebox through a longitudinal refractory structure of a tunnel;
- positioning passages in respective ports evenly distributed along the length of the refractory structure to admit the flue gas into a flow channel in the tunnel;
- and
- controlling relative flow rates of the flue gas through the ports by providing some of the passages with different flow conductivities relative to the other passages by placing perforated inserts in one or more of the ports, wherein one or more orifices are formed in the perforated inserts placed in the ports, wherein the orifices define cross-sectional flow areas through the respective passages that are less than that of the respective ports, that are less than a cross-sectional area of the respective ports, and wherein the different flow conductivities through the ports correspond to different diameters of the orifices to provide flow passages of varying relative flow conductivities through the ports.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.