Method for effecting control over a radially stratified flame core burner

A method for effecting control over a radially stratified flame core burner installed in a fossil fuel-fired furnace comprising the steps of:

• a. providing a furnace having a radially stratified flame core burner installed therewith;
• b. establishing an outer zone of air flow consequence of the injection thereinto of a first portion of the total amount of required to effect the combustion of the fossil fuel being burned through operation of the radially stratified flame core burner;
• c. establishing an inner zone of air flow and a fossil fuel as a consequence of the injection thereinto of a second portion of the total amount of air required to effect the combustion of the fossil fuel being burned through operation of the radially stratified flame core burner;
• d. establishing a plurality of different flame types that the radially stratified flame core burner is capable of producing with the same predetermined volume of air injected into the inner zone as the second portion of the total amount of air, the step of establishing the plurality of different flame types including controlling the angular momentum of the air injected into the inner zone by mechanical means which do not vary the predetermined volume of the injected air and controlling the angle of injection of the fossil fuel injected into the inner zone, a first one of the plurality of different flame types being a flame type possessing a very injection of the fossil fuel injected into the inner zone, a first one of the plurality of different flame types being a flame type possessing a very short flame length that is characterized by a very short, well stirred flame with high volumetric heat release and that is operative to produce therewith the highest NO.sub.X level of any of the plurality of different flame types yet a NO.sub.X level that is still capable of meeting State and Federal requirements, a second one of the plurality of different types of flame types being a flame type possessing a medium flame length that is characterized by a medium flame with a moderate degree of turbulent flow and that is operative to produce therewith low NO.sub.X, low CO and low opacity, and a third one of the plurality of different flame types being a flame type possessing a long flame length that is characterized by a long flame with a lesser degree of turbulent flow than any other one of the plurality of different flame types and that is operative to produce therewith low NO.sub.X, high CO and high opacity;
• e. establishing the depth of the furnace having the radially stratified flame core burner installed therewithin as being of a specific depth selected from a plurality of different depths, a first one of the plurality of different depths being a depth that is short in length, a second one of the plurality of different depths being a depth that is medium in length, and a third one of the plurality of different depths being a depth that is long in length;
• and
• f. selecting based on the establishment of the depth of the furnace having the radially stratified flame core burner installed therewithin in accordance with e. the one of the plurality of different flame types that has a length corresponding to the depth of the furnace such that if the depth of the furnace is short the flame type selected from the plurality of different flame types is the flame type possessing a very short length and if the depth of the furnace is medium the flame type selected from the plurality of different flame types is the flame type possessing a medium length and if the depth of the furnace is long the flame type selected from the plurality of different flame types is the flame type possessing a long length with the same predetermined volume of air being injected into the inner zone irrespective of the one of the plurality of different flame types which is selected.