Furnace operation method
AssigneesL'Air Liquide, Societe Anonyme pour l'Etude et l'Exploitation, American Air Liquide, Inc.
InventorsRemi Tsiava, Bhupesh Dhungel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for operating a furnace, the method including the steps of: combusting fuel with oxidant, thereby generating thermal energy and fumes, heating the furnace with a first part of the thermal energy generated in step a, evacuating the generated fumes from the furnace at a temperature of at least 900° C., the evacuated fumes containing a second part of the thermal energy generated in step a, and using the second part of the thermal energy generated in step a for heating the oxidant and as a heat source for cracking ammonia in a cracker into a mixture including hydrogen, nitrogen and un-cracked ammonia, at least part of the mixture produced in step d-ii being combusted as fuel in step a with at least part of the heated oxidant produced in step d-i.
Claims13
A method for operating a furnace, comprising:
- a. combusting fuel with oxidant, thereby generating thermal energy and fumes,
- b. heating the furnace with a first part of the thermal energy generated in step a,
- c. evacuating the generated fumes from the furnace at a temperature of at least 900° C., the evacuated fumes containing a second part of the thermal energy generated in step a,
- d. using the second part of the thermal energy generated in step a:
- i. for heating the oxidant, as fluid to be heated, by direct or indirect heat exchange with the evacuated fumes, as heat-bearing fluid, before the heated oxidant is used to combust the fuel in step a, and
- ii. as a heat source for cracking ammonia in a cracker into a mixture comprising hydrogen, nitrogen and un-cracked ammonia,
- wherein the ammonia is cracked without the use of catalyst, and
- wherein the ammonia is heated to a temperature of 1000° C.;
- whereby:
- during direct heat exchange, the heat-bearing fluid and fluid to be heated are physically separated from one another by a fluid-impermeable heat-conducting wall across which heat is transferred from the heat-bearing fluid to the fluid to be heated, while preventing mixing between the heat-bearing fluid and the fluid to be heated;
- and
- during indirect heat exchange:
- an intermediate heat-transfer fluid is used, the heat-bearing fluid and the intermediate fluid are physically separated from one another by a first fluid-impermeable heat-conducting wall across which heat is transferred from the heat-bearing fluid to the intermediate fluid, while preventing mixing between the heat-bearing fluid and the intermediate fluid, so as to obtain a heated intermediate fluid, and
- the heated intermediate fluid and the fluid to be heated are separated from one another by a second fluid-impermeable heat-conducting wall across which heat is transferred from the intermediate fluid to the fluid to be heated, while preventing mixing between the heated intermediate fluid and the fluid to be heated;
- and
- whereby, in step a, at least part of the mixture produced in step d-ii is combusted as fuel in step a with at least part of the heated oxidant produced in step d-i.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.