Burner-lance and combustion method for heating surfaces susceptible to oxidation or reduction

Abstract

A method of heating a surface susceptible to oxidation or reduction includes generating a central, generally cylindrical, fuel-rich particulate jet, and a coaxial, annular, supersonic velocity, oxidant-rich jet having a temperature greater than the auto-thermal ignition temperature of the fuel-rich particulate jet, directed toward the surface to be heated, the velocity of the fuel-rich particulate jet being less than the velocity of the oxidant-rich jet; allowing the supersonic oxidant-rich jet and the fuel-rich particulate jet to coact to form a coherent particulate fuel-rich and fuel-lean jet having a central particulate fuel-rich region and a coaxial annular fuel-lean region; impinging the coherent particulate fuel-rich and fuel-lean jet upon the surface to be heated for forming a turbulent reaction zone at the surface; and controlling oxidation and reduction reactions at the turbulent reaction zone by adjusting properties of the supersonic oxidant-rich jet and/or the fuel-rich particulate jet.

1 . A method of heating a surface susceptible to oxidation or reduction, comprising: 
 generating a central, generally cylindrical, fuel-rich particulate jet, and a coaxial, annular, supersonic velocity, oxidant-rich jet having a temperature greater than an auto-thermal ignition temperature of the fuel-rich particulate jet, the jets directed toward the surface to be heated, wherein a velocity of the fuel-rich particulate jet is less than the velocity of the oxidant-rich jet;    increasing the velocity of the fuel-rich particulate jet with a motive gas selected from the group consisting of air, an inert gas, argon, nitrogen, fuel, natural gas, vaporized petroleum liquids, vaporized coal derived liquids, carbon monoxide and hydrogen-rich streams from partial oxidation process, a pressurized gaseous fuel, a vaporized liquid distillate fuel feed, a fuel similar to the fuel used in generating the oxidant rich jet, and mixtures thereof;    allowing the supersonic oxidant-rich jet and the fuel-rich particulate jet to coact to form a coherent particulate fuel-rich and fuel-lean jet having a central particulate fuel-rich region and a coaxial annular fuel-lean region;    impinging the coherent particulate fuel-rich and fuel-lean jet upon the surface to be heated for forming a turbulent reaction zone at the surface; and    controlling oxidation and reduction reactions at the turbulent reaction zone by adjusting at least one property of at least one of the supersonic oxidant-rich jet and the fuel-rich particulate jet.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 forming a coherent jet combustion shroud region between the central particulate fuel-rich region and the coaxial annular fuel-lean region.    
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the supersonic oxidant-rich jet and the fuel-rich particulate jet coact over a distance of about 0.5 meters.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the velocity of the oxidant-rich jet is greater than about Mach 1.25, and optionally greater than about Mach 1.5.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein generating the oxidant-rich jet comprises: 
 feeding a fuel and a stoichiometric excess of oxidant, optionally in the presence of an inert gas, and at least partially oxidizing the fuel.    
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the oxidant is selected from the group consisting of air, oxygen enriched air, substantially pure oxygen, chlorine containing gas and fluorine containing gas.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the fuel is selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbons, elemental sulfur, metal hydrides, and steam.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the fuel is a gaseous fuel selected from the group consisting of natural gas, petroleum distillate vapor, coal tar distillate vapor, carbon monoxide and hydrogen-rich gaseous products of partial oxidation processes, atomized liquid fuels, petroleum liquid fuels, coal distillate liquid fuels and residual liquid fuels.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the fuel-rich particulate jet, and the oxidant-rich jet comprises an inert gas.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the fuel-rich particulate jet comprises non-gaseous particles selected from the group consisting of a non-gaseous fuel, a reagent, and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising feeding the non-gaseous particles to the fuel-rich particulate jet as a solid.  
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising feeding the non-gaseous particles to the fuel-rich particulate jet as liquid.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the fuel-rich particulate jet comprises at least one of a gaseous fuel, optionally natural gas; an atomizable liquid particulate, optionally a liquid fuel oil; or an inert gas, optionally argon or nitrogen, for facilitating particulate transport.  
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 producing the coherent particulate fuel-rich and fuel-lean jet, wherein nitrogen is the motive gas for the fuel-rich particulate jet; and    oxidizing methane as a gaseous fuel for generating the annular supersonic oxidant-rich jet.    
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein generating the fuel-rich particulate jet, comprises: 
 pressurizing a particulate feed with at least one of a non-fluidizing motive fluid and a pressurizing gas; and    increasing mobility of the particulate feed with a fluidizing motive fluid;    wherein the motive fluid, the pressurizing gas and the fluidizing motive fluid are independently selected from a group consisting of air, an inert gas, argon, nitrogen, a gaseous fuel, natural gas, a liquid fuel, and a petroleum derived fuel oil.    
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising controlling at least one of: 
 a ratio of the particulate feed to the motive fluid in the particulate, fuel-rich jet by adjusting the flow rate of the fluidizing motive fluid; and    a feed rate of the particulate feed by adjusting the flow rate of the non-fluidizing motive fluid.    
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein impinging the coherent particulate fuel-rich and fuel-lean jet is substantially perpendicular to the surface to be heated.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the surface to be heated comprises at least one of iron and steel making materials, and wherein the fuel-rich particulate jet comprises coal particles and optionally at least one of lime particles and iron oxide fines.  
   
   
       19 . A method of heating a surface susceptible to oxidation or reduction, comprising: 
 generating a central, generally cylindrical, fuel-rich particulate jet, and a coaxial, annular, supersonic velocity, oxidant-rich jet having a temperature greater than an auto-thermal ignition temperature of the fuel-rich particular jet, the jets directed toward the surface to be heated, wherein a velocity of the fuel-rich particulate jet is less than the velocity of the oxidant-rich jet;    increasing the velocity of the fuel-rich particulate jet with a motive gas selected from the group consisting of air, an inert gas, argon, nitrogen, fuel, natural gas, vaporized petroleum liquids, vaporized coal derived liquids, carbon monoxide and hydrogen-rich streams from partial oxidation processes, and mixtures thereof;    oxidizing methane as a gaseous fuel for generating the annular supersonic oxidant-rich jet;    allowing the supersonic oxidant-rich jet and the fuel-rich particulate jet to coact to form a coherent particulate fuel-rich and fuel-lean jet comprising nitrogen as the motive gas for the fuel-rich particulate jet, and having a central particulate fuel-rich region and a coaxial annular fuel-lean region;    impinging the coherent particulate fuel-rich and fuel-lean jet upon the surface to be heated for forming a turbulent reaction zone at the surface; and    controlling oxidation and reduction reactions at the turbulent reaction zone by adjusting at least one property of at least one of the supersonic oxidant-rich jet and the fuel-rich particulate jet.    
   
   
       22 . A method of heating a surface susceptible to oxidation or reduction, comprising: 
 generating a central, generally cylindrical, fuel-rich particulate jet, and a coaxial, annular supersonic velocity, oxidant-rich jet having a temperature greater than an auto-thermal ignition temperature of the fuel-rich particulate jet, the jets directed toward the surface to be heated, wherein a velocity of the fuel-rich particulate jet is less than the velocity of the oxidant-rich jet, wherein generating the fuel-rich particulate jet comprises: 
 pressurizing a particulate feed with a least one of a non-fluidizing motive fluid and a pressurizing gas, and  
 increasing the mobility of the particulate feed with a fluidizing motive fluid, wherein the motive fluid, the pressurizing gas and the fluidizing motive fluid are independently selected from a group consistency of air, an inert gas, argon, nitrogen, a gaseous fuel, natural gas, a liquid fuel, and a petroleum derived fuel oil;  
   allowing the supersonic oxidant-rich jet and the fuel-rich particulate jet to coact to form a coherent particulate fuel-rich and fuel-lean jet having a central particulate fuel-rich region and a coaxial annular fuel-lean region;    impinging the coherent particulate fuel-rich and fuel-lean jet upon the surface to be heated for forming a turbulent reaction zone at the surface; and    controlling oxidation and reduction reactions at the turbulent reaction zone by adjusting at least one property of at least one of the supersonic oxidant-rich jet and the fuel-rich particulate jet.    
   
   
       21 . The method of claim  20 , further comprising controlling at least one of the ratio of the particulate feed to the motive fluid in the particulate, fuel-rich feed by adjusting the flow rate of the fluidizing motive fluid; and the feed rate of the particulate feed by adjusting the flow rate of the non-fluidizing motive fluid.