Oxy-Fuel Furnace and Method of Heating Material in an Oxy-Fuel Furnace

Abstract

An oxy-fuel furnace and method of heating material in an oxy-fuel furnace are disclosed. The method includes combusting oxygen and fuel with an oxy-fuel burner arrangement in the oxy-fuel furnace forming combustion gases, and maintaining a vortex including the combustion gases within a central region of an enclosure of the oxy-fuel furnace. The oxy-fuel burner arrangement includes a plurality of high momentum oxy-fuel burners arranged at an angle to generate the vortex, the angle being greater than 15 degrees but less than 75 degrees with respect to a furnace wall boundary of the enclosure, an angular velocity of greater than 0.07 radians per second, or a combination thereof. The furnace includes an oxy-fuel burner arrangement including at least two high momentum oxy-fuel burners having high shape factor nozzle geometries, and an enclosure. The vortex increases convective heating within the enclosure and uniformity of heating within the enclosure.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.