Flue gas recirculation system
AssigneeTexaco Inc.
InventorsEric L. Berger, Karl W. Kolthoff, Thomas J. Rankin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for improving the economics of flue gas recirculation. In particular, the present invention relates to an apparatus for the minimization of oxides of nitrogen (“NOx”) in the exhaust gas of various combustion processes via balanced pressure drops of the recirculation gas, and a method for the calculation of flue gas recirculation percentage. The flue gas recirculation system achieves the balanced pressure drops by sizing the air intake line and recirculation line associated with the system.
Claims18
A passive flue gas recirculation system, for use with a combustion generator, for providing a selected percentage of flue gas recirculation, comprising:
- an exhaust stack for exhausting flue gas from the combustion generator, said exhaust stack having a stack inlet coupled to the combustion generator and a take off point;
- a recirculation line having a recirculation inlet and a recirculation outlet, wherein said recirculation inlet is coupled to said take off point;
- and
- an air inlet line for providing air to the combustion generator, wherein said recirculation outlet is coupled to said air inlet line at a combination point, said air inlet line is sized relative to said recirculation line such that the air inlet pressure drop plus the exhaust stack pressure drop equals the recirculation line pressure drop, thereby passively maintaining the selected percentage of flue gas recirculation to achieve a corresponding reduction in NOx emission.
A passive flue gas recirculation system, for use with a combustion generator, for providing and maintaining a selected percentage of flue gas recirculation, comprising:
- an exhaust stack for exhausting flue gas from the combustion generator, said exhaust stack having a stack inlet coupled to the combustion generator and a take off point;
- a recirculation line having a recirculation inlet and a recirculation outlet, wherein said recirculation inlet is coupled to said take off point;
- an air inlet line for providing air to the combustion generator, wherein said recirculation outlet is coupled to said air inlet line at a combination point, said air inlet line is sized relative to said recirculation line such that the air inlet pressure drop plus the exhaust stack pressure drop equals the recirculation line pressure drop, thereby passively maintaining the selected percentage of flue gas recirculation to achieve a corresponding reduction in NOx emission;
- a first temperature sensor disposed in said air inlet line;
- and
- a second temperature sensor disposed in said recirculation line.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.