Furnace and ductwork implosion interruption air jet system
AssigneeAecom
InventorFrederick Robert Rosse
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus and methods are disclosed for rapidly counteracting a transient low-pressure condition, that can occur intermittently in the exhaust section of a power plant or other such industrial facility upstream of exhaust fans as a result of an event that interrupts the generation and/or flow of exhaust gases, using jet nozzles disposed in the exhaust section and connected to a source of pressurized air or other suitable momentum material. By orienting the jet nozzles in a direction generally opposite to the flow of exhaust gas and actuating the system to release a burst of compressed air, for example in the event of a power plant interruption, the low-pressure condition can be ameliorated preventing damage to the exhaust section.
Claims26
An implosion interruption system for rapidly counteracting transient low-pressure implosion conditions in an exhaust gas section of an exhaust gas-producing plant through which there is a forward flow of plant exhaust gases during normal plant operation that continues for at least a short period of time even after a plant operation interruption which creates a possible implosion condition, said implosion interruption system comprising in combination:
- a source of a momentum material;
- one or more jet nozzles disposed in the exhaust gas section, such jet nozzles oriented to produce a stream of momentum material in a direction generally opposite to the forward flow direction of the exhaust gases through that exhaust gas section;
- one or more conduits connecting the source of momentum material to the jet nozzles, said conduits having a material flow control element;
- a propelling mechanism that imparts sufficient velocity to a sufficient mass of the momentum material passing through the jet nozzles to produce a substantially immediate reverse pumping effect that tends to arrest the forward flow of exhaust gases and increase pressure upstream of the jet nozzles to effectively counteract an implosion condition;
- and, a controller that activates the implosion interruption system at an impending implosion condition.
In a power plant wherein a fuel is combusted to generate power and the combustion process produces an exhaust gas which is exhausted in an exhaust flow direction through an exhaust section of the power plant with the assistance of one or more exhaust fans in fluid communication with the exhaust section wherein fan rotational inertia continues to cause displacement of exhaust gas from the exhaust section for at least a short period of time even after the fan(s) is/are turned off creating a possible low-pressure implosion condition, the improvements comprising:
- one or more jet nozzles disposed in said exhaust section, said jet nozzles being oriented in a direction generally opposite to the exhaust flow direction of the exhaust gas;
- a source of momentum material and a material flow connection between the source of momentum material and the jet nozzles;
- and,
- a propelling mechanism capable of imparting sufficient velocity to a sufficient mass of the momentum material passing through the jet nozzles to substantially immediately tend to arrest the flow of exhaust gas in the exhaust flow direction and increase pressure upstream of the jet nozzles to effectively counteract an implosion condition.
An implosion interruption system for rapidly counteracting transient low-pressure implosion conditions in an exhaust gas section of an exhaust gas-producing plant through which there is a forward flow of plant exhaust gases during normal plant operation that continues for at least a short period of time even after a plant operation interruption which creates a possible implosion condition, said implosion interruption system comprising in combination:
- a source of a momentum material comprising a tank of compressed air;
- one or more jet nozzles disposed in the exhaust gas section, such jet nozzles oriented to produce a stream of momentum material in a direction generally opposite to the forward flow direction of the exhaust gases through that exhaust gas section;
- one or more conduits connecting the source of momentum material to the jet nozzles, said conduits having a material flow control element;
- a propelling mechanism that imparts sufficient velocity to a sufficient mass of the momentum material passing through the jet nozzles to produce a substantially immediate reverse pumping effect that tends to arrest the forward flow of exhaust gases and increase pressure upstream of the jet nozzles to effectively counteract an implosion condition;
- and, a controller that activates the implosion interruption system at an impending implosion condition.
In a power plant wherein a fuel is combusted to generate power and the combustion process produces an exhaust gas which is exhausted in an exhaust flow direction through an exhaust section of the power plant with the assistance of one or more exhaust fans in fluid communication with the exhaust section wherein fan rotational inertia continues to cause displacement of exhaust gas from the exhaust section for at least a short period of time even after the fan(s) is/are turned off creating a possible low-pressure implosion condition, the improvements comprising:
- one or more jet nozzles disposed in said exhaust section, said jet nozzles being oriented in a direction generally opposite to the exhaust flow direction of the exhaust gas;
- a source of momentum material comprising a tank of compressed air and a material flow connection between the source of momentum material and the jet nozzles;
- and,
- a propelling mechanism capable of imparting sufficient velocity to a sufficient mass of the momentum material passing through the jet nozzles to substantially immediately tend to arrest the flow of exhaust gas in the exhaust flow direction and increase pressure upstream of the jet nozzles to effectively counteract an implosion condition.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.