Electrically-driven particulate agglomeration in a combustion system
AssigneeClearsign Combustion Corporation
InventorDavid B. Goodson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Technologies are presented for applying electrical energy to a combustion reaction to produce agglomerated combustion particulates. For example, a system may include: one or more electrodes configured to apply electrical energy to a combustion reaction; a combustion zone configured to support the combustion reaction of a fuel at a fuel source; and an electrical power source operatively coupled to the one or more electrodes and configured to apply electrical energy to the combustion reaction. The combustion reaction is controlled to produce a distribution of agglomerated combustion particulates characterized by an increase in at least one of an average particulate diameter or an average particulate mass.
Claims21
A method, comprising:
- supporting a flame by contacting a fuel and an oxidant in a combustion zone, the flame being electrically conductive;
- producing combustion particulates by reacting the fuel and the oxidant in the flame;
- forming an electrical circuit by putting a first electrode and a second electrode into at least intermittent electrical contact with the flame;
- producing agglomerated combustion particulates by applying electrical energy to the flame via the electrical circuit, the electrical energy being sufficient to cause agglomeration of the combustion particulates produced by the flame;
- detecting a sensor value that corresponds to an agglomerated combustion particulate parameter;
- and
- inputting the sensor value to a controller that automatically controls the electrical energy at least in part responsive to the sensor value that corresponds to the agglomerated combustion particulate parameter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.