US 6,488,076 B1Granted

Heating apparatus and heating method for supply of gaseous fluid

AssigneeNippon Furnace Kogyo Kaisha, Ltd.

InventorsTsutomu Yasuda, Kunio Yoshikawa

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Abstract

A heating apparatus for heating supply of gaseous fluid 1 heats a relatively low temperature gaseous fluid and feeds a heated supply flow to a high temperature gaseous fluid introduction equipment. The heating apparatus has heat exchangers 11, 12 provided with fluid passages through which the low temperature fluid flow passes, a splitting area 15 for dividing a heated supply flow H of gaseous fluid, which is heated by the heat exchanger, into first and second heated gaseous streams H1, H2, and combustion areas 13, 14 in which a combustion reaction of combustible matter takes place in the existence of the first heated gaseous stream. The heated supply flow or the first stream is introduced into the combustion area and the combustible matter is fed thereto, and the combustion area causes the combustion reaction of combustible matter in the existence of the heated supply flow or the first stream. Hot gas produced by the combustion reaction is exhausted through the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger has a regenerator which accumulates heat in its heat-transferable contact with the hot gas and emits the heat in its heat-transferable contact with the low temperature gaseous fluid. The heating apparatus heats or preheats the low temperature gaseous fluid to a high temperature and feeds the second heated gaseous stream to the equipment.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A heating apparatus for supply of heated gaseous fluid to high temperature gaseous fluid introduction equipment, comprising:

a first regenerative heat exchanger;
a first combustion area connected to the first regenerative heat exchanger;
a splitting area connected to the first combustion area;
a second regenerative heat exchanger;
a second combustion area connected to the second regenerative heat exchanger and connected to the splitting area;
wherein the apparatus has a first position in which low temperature gaseous fluid is introduced to the first regenerative heat exchanger to form a heated fluid supply, wherein the heated fluid supply passes through the first combustion area, enters the splitting area where the heated fluid supply is split into first and second streams, wherein the second stream is conducted away from the apparatus to the gaseous fluid introduction equipment and the first stream is conducted to the second combustion area where a combustion reaction takes place to form combusted exhaust gas, wherein the combusted exhaust gas is conducted to the second heat exchanger to regenerate the second heat exchanger, and hot gas effluent is exhausted from the second heat exchanger, wherein no combustion is conducted in the first combustion area when the apparatus is in the first position;
wherein the apparatus has a second position in which low temperature gaseous fluid is introduced to the second regenerative heat exchanger to form a heated fluid supply, wherein the heated fluid supply passes through the second combustion area, enters the splitting area where the heated fluid is split into first and second streams, wherein the second stream is conducted away from the apparatus to said gaseous fluid introduction equipment and the first stream is conducted to the first combustion area where a combustion reaction takes place to form combusted exhaust gas, wherein the combusted exhaust gas is conducted to the first heat exchanger to regenerate the first heat exchanger, and hot gas effluent is exhausted from the first heat exchanger, wherein no combustion is conducted in the second combustion area when the apparatus is in the second position.

4 more elements

A heating method for heating a low temperature gaseous fluid and supplying a heated fluid supply flow to a high temperature fluid introduction equipment, comprising:

(1) a first heating process including the steps of
introducing the low temperature gaseous fluid through a first heat exchanger so as to heat the low temperature gaseous fluid to produce a heated fluid supply,
splitting said heated fluid supply into first and second streams, feeding the second stream to said high temperature fluid introduction equipment,
generating a combustion reaction including said first stream in a combustion area to produce combusted exhaust gas,
introducing the combusted exhaust gas into a second heat exchanger, wherein heat from the combusted exhaust gas is accumulated in a regenerator of a second heat exchanger;
and
(2) a second heating process including steps of
introducing the low temperature gaseous fluid through the second heat exchanger so as to heat the low temperature gaseous fluid to produce la heated fluid supply,
splitting said heated supply flow into first and second streams,
feeding the second stream to said high temperature fluid introduction equipment,
generating a combustion reaction including said heated fluid supply to produce a combusted exhaust gas,
introducing combusted exhaust gas produced by said combustion reaction into said first heat exchanger, wherein heat from the exhaust gas is accumulated in a regenerator of the first heat exchanger;
and
wherein said first and second heating processes are alternately changed over at a predetermined time interval so that said low temperature gaseous fluid is continuously heated.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.