System for vaporization of liquid fuels for combustion and method of use
AssigneeCombustion, LLC
InventorsRichard J. Roby, Michael S. Klassen, Christopher F. Schemel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A gas stream with a reduced oxygen concentration relative to ambient air is used to vaporize a liquid fuel or liquefied higher hydrocarbon gas, or is mixed with a vaporized gas, and the reduced oxygen vaporized fuel gas is fed to a combustion device such as a premixed or diffusion combustor. Preferably, the oxygen content of the gas stream is less than the limiting oxygen index. By mixing the fuel with a gas stream that has an appropriately reduced oxygen content, auto-ignition prior to the desired flame location in the combustor can be avoided. In some embodiments, the reduced oxygen stream is generated from an air separator or taken from the exhaust of the combustion device.
Claims18
A method for operating a combustion device, the method comprising the steps of:
- producing a fuel gas using a liquid fuel comprising hydrocarbon molecules and a diluent gas;
- premixing the fuel gas with a second gas containing oxygen to produce a gas mixture in a premixing zone located upstream of a combustion zone of a combustion device, the combustion device being configured such that autoignition of the gas mixture would occur upstream of the combustion zone in the absence of the diluent gas;
- and
- combusting the gas mixture in the combustion zone of the combustion device;
- wherein the diluent gas is inert and present in an amount such that reaction of the fuel gas upstream of the combustion zone is suppressed.
A combustion apparatus comprising:
- a combustor, the combustor having a first inlet for accepting fuel gas, a second inlet for accepting oxygenated gas for supporting combustion of the fuel gas, a combustion zone, and a premixing zone upstream of the combustion zone, the combustion device being configured to premix the fuel gas with at least some of the oxygenated gas in the premixing zone to produce a gas mixture, and to combust the gas mixture in the combustion zone;
- and
- a fuel vaporization unit in fluid communication with the first inlet of the combustor, the fuel vaporization unit being configured to produce fuel gas using a liquid fuel comprising hydrocarbon molecules and a diluent gas;
- wherein the combustion apparatus is configured such that autoignition of the gas mixture would occur upstream of the combustion zone in the absence of the diluent gas and wherein the diluent gas is inert and present in the fuel gas in an amount such that reaction of the fuel gas upstream of the combustion zone is suppressed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.