Burner Apparatus And Methods

Abstract

A burner assembly for and method of combusting fuel gas in a furnace is provided. The burner assembly includes a burner tile having a burner throat disposed therethrough. Combustion air is conducted through the burner throat into a combustion zone in the furnace. A pilot assembly is used to generate a pilot flame within the burner throat. Fuel gas is injected into an ignition zone located outside the burner throat and ignited therein. The pilot flame generated in the burner throat can be used to ignite the fuel gas in the ignition zone. The ignited fuel gas is admixed with combustion air in the combustion zone. The burner assembly can be operated without admixing a significant amount of fuel gas with combustion air in the burner throat, which can help control the formation of undesirable nitrogen oxides (NO X ).

1 . a burner assembly for a furnace comprising:
 a burner tile for association with the furnace, said burner tile including:
 an exterior surface to be positioned within the furnace; and 
 a burner throat disposed through said burner tile, said burner throat having an inlet and an outlet, said inlet of said burner throat adapted to receive combustion air from outside said burner throat, said outlet of said burner throat being positioned adjacent to said exterior surface of said burner tile and positioned to introduce combustion air into a combustion zone located within said furnace and adjacent to said exterior surface of said burner tile; 
   a burner pilot assembly for generating a pilot flame within said burner throat, said burner pilot assembly including a pilot fuel tip and a pilot fuel riser, said pilot fuel riser having an inlet adapted to be fluidly connected to a source of fuel and an outlet fluidly connected to said pilot fuel tip, said pilot fuel tip being disposed within said burner throat; and   a fuel injection assembly adapted to inject essentially all of the fuel needed for operation of said burner assembly into said furnace from one or more fuel tips located outside of said burner throat, said fuel injection assembly including a main fuel tip and a main fuel riser for injecting main fuel into an ignition zone located within said furnace and adjacent to said exterior surface of said burner tile, said main fuel riser having an inlet adapted to be fluidly connected to a source of fuel and an outlet fluidly connected to said fuel tip, said fuel tip being at least partially disposed within said furnace and positioned adjacent to said exterior surface of said burner tile.   
   
   
       2 . The burner assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said burner tile further includes an ignition passageway for receiving at least a portion of the flame generated by said burner pilot and conducting said flame or portion thereof to said ignition zone whereby said flame or portion thereof can contact and ignite main fuel injected by said main fuel tip into said injection zone, said injection passageway extending through said burner tile between said burner throat and said exterior surface of said burner tile and having an inlet and an outlet, said inlet of said ignition passageway being positioned adjacent to said burner throat and said outlet of said ignition passageway being positioned adjacent to said exterior surface of said burner tile. 
   
   
       3 . The burner assembly of  claim 2 , wherein said burner pilot assembly is adapted to pre-mix oxygen with fuel in said burner pilot assembly prior to generating said flame. 
   
   
       4 . The burner assembly of  claim 2 , wherein said ignition passageway includes a Coanda surface for causing at least a portion of the flame generated by said burner pilot assembly to be diverted into said ignition passageway. 
   
   
       5 . The burner assembly of  claim 2 , further comprising a flame diverter for causing at least a portion of the flame generated by said burner pilot assembly to be diverted into said ignition passageway. 
   
   
       6 . The burner assembly of  claim 5 , wherein said flame diverter is adapted to cause a portion of the flame generated by said burner pilot assembly to be diverted into said ignition passageway and a portion of the flame generated by said burner pilot assembly to be conducted through said outlet of said burner throat into said combustion zone. 
   
   
       7 . The burner assembly of  claim 5 , wherein said flame diverter is an impingement member located in said burner throat. 
   
   
       8 . The burner assembly of  claim 7 , wherein said flame diverter is a fluid injection assembly associated with said ignition passageway for injecting fluid into said ignition passageway toward said ignition zone. 
   
   
       9 . The burner assembly of  claim 8 , wherein said fluid injection assembly is adapted to be fluidly connected to a source of fuel whereby said fluid injection assembly can inject fuel into said ignition passageway. 
   
   
       10 . The burner assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said exterior surface of said burner tile includes a top section, a bottom section and a sidewall section connecting said top section to said bottom section. 
   
   
       11 . The burner assembly of  claim 10 , wherein said main fuel combustion tip and said ignition zone are located adjacent to said sidewall section of said exterior surface of said burner tile. 
   
   
       12 . The burner assembly of  claim 11 , wherein said fuel injection assembly further includes a supplemental fuel tip and supplemental fuel riser for injecting supplemental fuel into said combustion zone, said supplemental fuel riser having an inlet adapted to be fluidly connected to a source of fuel and an outlet connected to said supplemental fuel tip. 
   
   
       13 . The burner assembly of  claim 12 , wherein said supplemental fuel riser is partially disposed through the burner tile and extends into a trough disposed in the burner tile that includes an outlet positioned adjacent to said combustion zone, and said supplemental fuel tip is disposed in said trough. 
   
   
       14 . The burner assembly of  claim 2 , further comprising a turning member, said turning member located adjacent to said exterior surface of said burner tile and positioned to redirect said flame or a portion thereof from said outlet of said ignition passageway across said exterior surface of said burner tile. 
   
   
       15 . The burner assembly of  claim 14 , further comprising a stabilizing member, said stabilizing member positioned on said exterior surface of said burner tile to receive said flame or a portion thereof and facilitate contact of said flame or a portion thereof with fuel injected by said main fuel tip. 
   
   
       16 . The burner assembly of  claim 15 , wherein said stabilizing member is attached to said turning member and extends substantially perpendicularly therefrom along said exterior surface of said burner tile, and said stabilizing member receives said flame or a portion thereof from said turning block. 
   
   
       17 . The burner assembly of  claim 1 , wherein said fuel injection assembly further includes a supplemental fuel tip and supplemental fuel riser, said supplemental fuel riser having an inlet adapted to be fluidly connected to a source of fuel and an outlet connected to said supplemental fuel tip, said supplemental fuel tip being at least partially disposed within said furnace and positioned to discharge said supplemental fuel into said combustion zone. 
   
   
       18 . A burner assembly for a furnace comprising:
 a burner tile for association with the furnace, said burner tile including:
 an exterior surface to be positioned within the furnace; and 
 a burner throat disposed through said burner tile, said burner throat having an inlet and an outlet, said inlet of said burner throat adapted to receive combustion air from outside said burner throat, said outlet of said burner throat being positioned adjacent to said exterior surface of said burner tile and positioned to introduce combustion air into a combustion zone located within said furnace and adjacent to said exterior surface of said burner tile; 
   an ignition passageway extending through said burner tile between said burner throat and said exterior surface of said burner tile and having an inlet and an outlet, said inlet of said ignition passageway being positioned adjacent to said burner throat and said outlet of said ignition passageway being positioned adjacent to said exterior surface of said burner tile;   a burner pilot assembly for generating a pilot flame within said burner throat, said burner pilot assembly including a pilot fuel tip and a pilot fuel riser, said pilot fuel riser having an inlet adapted to be fluidly connected to a source of fuel and an outlet fluidly connected to said pilot fuel tip, said pilot fuel tip being disposed within said burner throat; and   a fuel injection assembly adapted to inject fuel into said furnace from one or more fuel tips located outside of said burner throat, said fuel injection assembly including a main fuel tip and a main fuel riser for injecting main fuel into an ignition zone located within said furnace and adjacent to said exterior surface of said burner tile, said main fuel riser having an inlet adapted to be fluidly connected to a source of fuel gas and an outlet fluidly connected to said main fuel tip, said main fuel tip being at least partially disposed within said furnace and positioned adjacent to said exterior surface of said burner tile, whereby said ignition passageway receives at least a portion of said pilot flame generated by said burner pilot assembly and conducts said flame or portion thereof to said ignition zone such that said flame or portion thereof can contact and ignite main fuel injected by said main fuel tip into said ignition zone.   
   
   
       19 . The burner assembly of  claim 18 , wherein said fuel injection assembly is adapted to inject essentially all of the fuel needed for operation of said burner assembly into said furnace from one or more fuel tips located outside of said burner throat. 
   
   
       20 . The burner assembly of  claim 18 , wherein said burner pilot assembly is adapted to pre-mix oxygen with pilot fuel in said burner pilot assembly prior to generating said flame. 
   
   
       21 . The burner assembly of  claim 18 , wherein said ignition passageway includes a Coanda surface for causing at least a portion of the flame generated by said burner pilot assembly to be diverted into said ignition passageway. 
   
   
       22 . The burner assembly of  claim 18 , further comprising a flame diverter for causing at least a portion of the flame generated by said burner pilot assembly to be diverted into said ignition passageway. 
   
   
       23 . The burner assembly of  claim 22 , wherein said flame diverter is adapted to cause a portion of the flame generated by said burner pilot assembly to be diverted into said ignition passageway and a portion of the flame generated by said burner pilot assembly to be conducted through said outlet of said burner throat into said combustion zone. 
   
   
       24 . The burner assembly of  claim 22 , wherein said flame diverter is an impingement member located in said burner throat. 
   
   
       25 . The burner assembly of  claim 22 , wherein said flame diverter is a fluid injection assembly associated with said ignition passageway for injecting fluid into said ignition passageway toward said ignition zone. 
   
   
       26 . The burner assembly of  claim 25 , wherein said fluid injection assembly is adapted to be fluidly connected to a source of fuel whereby said fluid injection assembly can inject fuel into said ignition passageway. 
   
   
       27 . The burner assembly of  claim 18 , wherein said exterior surface of said burner tile includes a top section, a bottom section and a sidewall section connecting said top section to said bottom section. 
   
   
       28 . The burner assembly of  claim 27 , wherein said main fuel combustion tip and said ignition zone are located adjacent to said sidewall section of said exterior surface of said burner tile. 
   
   
       29 . The burner assembly of  claim 28 , wherein said fuel injection assembly further includes a supplemental fuel tip and supplemental fuel riser for injecting supplemental fuel into said combustion zone, said supplemental fuel riser having an inlet adapted to be fluidly connected to a source of fuel and an outlet connected to said supplemental fuel tip. 
   
   
       30 . The burner assembly of  claim 29 , wherein said supplemental fuel riser is partially disposed through the burner tile and extends into a trough disposed in the burner tile that includes an outlet positioned adjacent to said combustion zone, and said supplemental fuel tip is disposed in said trough. 
   
   
       31 . The burner assembly of  claim 18 , wherein said burner assembly includes more than one ignition passageway, more than one ignition zone and more than one main fuel combustion tip, said ignition zones and main fuel combustion tips being located adjacent to said sidewall section of said exterior surface of said burner tile. 
   
   
       32 . The burner assembly of  claim 31  wherein said fuel injection assembly includes more than one supplemental fuel tip, said supplemental fuel tips being positioned to discharge supplemental fuel into said combustion zone. 
   
   
       33 . The burner assembly of  claim 18 , further comprising a turning member, said turning member located adjacent to said exterior surface of said burner tile and positioned to redirect said flame or a portion thereof from said outlet of said ignition passageway across said exterior surface. 
   
   
       34 . The burner assembly of  claim 33 , further comprising a stabilizing member, said stabilizing member positioned on said exterior surface of said burner tile to receive said flame or a portion thereof and facilitate contact of said flame or a portion thereof with fuel injected by said main fuel tip. 
   
   
       35 . The burner assembly of  claim 34 , wherein said stabilizing member is attached to said turning member and extends substantially perpendicularly therefrom along said exterior surface of said burner tile, and said stabilizing member receives said flame or a portion thereof from said turning block. 
   
   
       36 . A method of using a burner assembly that includes a burner tile and a burner throat extending therethrough to combust fuel in a furnace space in order to generate heat without admixing a significant amount of fuel with combustion air in the burner throat, comprising:
 conducting combustion air through the burner throat into a combustion zone located within the furnace and adjacent to the exterior surface the burner tile;   generating a pilot flame in the burner throat with pilot fuel provided by a burner pilot assembly;   injecting essentially all of the fuel needed for operation of the burner assembly into the furnace from one or more fuel tips located outside of the burner throat, the one or more fuel tips including a main fuel tip for injecting main fuel into an ignition zone located within the furnace and adjacent to the exterior surface of the burner tile;   igniting main fuel in the ignition zone; and   admixing ignited main fuel with combustion air conducted through the burner throat in the combustion zone.   
   
   
       37 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein at least a portion of the pilot flame generated in the burner throat is used to ignite main fuel in the ignition zone. 
   
   
       38 . The method of  claim 37 , wherein the pilot flame or portion thereof is used to ignite main fuel in the ignition zone by conducting the pilot flame or portion thereof into the ignition zone through an ignition passageway extending through the burner tile between the burner throat and the exterior surface of the burner tile whereby the pilot flame or portion thereof can contact and ignite fuel in the injection zone. 
   
   
       39 . The method of  claim 38 , further comprising the step of pre-mixing oxygen with the pilot fuel in the burner pilot assembly prior to generating the pilot flame. 
   
   
       40 . The method of  claim 39 , further comprising the step of diverting the pilot flame or portion thereof into the ignition passageway. 
   
   
       41 . The method of  claim 38 , further comprising diverting a first portion of the pilot flame into the ignition passageway and allowing a second portion of the pilot flame to be conducted through the burner throat into the combustion zone. 
   
   
       42 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the pilot flame or portion thereof is diverted into the ignition passageway by impinging the pilot flame or portion thereof on a diverting member located in the burner throat. 
   
   
       43 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the ignition passageway includes a Coanda surface, and the pilot flame or portion thereof is diverted into the ignition passageway by directing the pilot flame or portion thereof on the Coanda surface. 
   
   
       44 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the pilot flame or portion thereof is diverted into the ignition passageway by causing the pressure in the ignition passageway to be lower than the pressure in the burner throat. 
   
   
       45 . The method of  claim 44 , wherein the pressure in the ignition passageway is caused to be lower than the pressure in the burner throat by injecting an eductor fluid into the ignition passageway toward the ignition zone. 
   
   
       46 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein the eductor fluid is fuel. 
   
   
       47 . The method of  claim 36  wherein the one or more fuel tips include a supplemental fuel tip for injecting supplemental fuel into the combustion zone, and said method further comprises the step of injecting supplemental fuel into the combustion zone. 
   
   
       48 . A method of using a burner assembly that includes a burner tile and a burner throat extending therethrough to combust fuel in a furnace space in order to generate heat, comprising:
 conducting combustion air through the burner throat into a combustion zone located within the furnace and adjacent to the exterior surface of the burner tile;   generating a pilot flame in the burner throat with pilot fuel provided by a burner pilot assembly;   injecting fuel into the furnace from one or more fuel tips located outside of the burner throat, the one or more fuel tips including a main fuel tip for injecting main fuel into an ignition zone located within the furnace and adjacent to the exterior surface of the burner tile;   conducting at least a portion of the pilot flame from the burner throat to the ignition zone and using said pilot flame or portion thereof to ignite main fuel in the ignition zone; and   admixing ignited main fuel with combustion air conducted through the burner throat into the combustion zone.   
   
   
       49 . The method of  claim 48 , wherein the pilot flame or portion thereof is conducted from the burner throat to the ignition zone by conducting the pilot flame or portion thereof through an ignition passageway extending through the burner tile between the burner throat and said exterior surface of the burner tile. 
   
   
       50 . The method of  claim 48 , wherein essentially all of the fuel needed for operation of the burner assembly is injected into the furnace from one or more fuel tips located outside of the burner throat. 
   
   
       51 . The method of  claim 49 , further comprising the step of pre-mixing oxygen with the pilot fuel in the burner pilot assembly prior to generating the pilot flame. 
   
   
       52 . The method of  claim 49 , further comprising the step of diverting the pilot flame or portion thereof into the ignition passageway. 
   
   
       53 . The method of  claim 49 , further comprising diverting a first portion of the pilot flame into the ignition passageway and allowing a second portion of the pilot flame to be conducted through the burner throat into the combustion zone. 
   
   
       54 . The method of  claim 52 , wherein the pilot flame or portion thereof is diverted into the ignition passageway by impinging the pilot flame or portion thereof on a diverting member located in the burner throat. 
   
   
       55 . The method of  claim 52 , wherein the ignition passageway includes a Coanda surface, and the pilot flame or portion thereof is diverted into the ignition passageway by directing the pilot flame or portion thereof on the Coanda surface. 
   
   
       56 . The method of  claim 52 , wherein the pilot flame or portion thereof is diverted into the ignition passageway by causing the pressure in the ignition passageway to be lower than the pressure in the burner throat. 
   
   
       57 . The method of  claim 56 , wherein the pressure in the ignition passageway is caused to be lower than the pressure in the burner throat by injecting an eductor fluid into the ignition passageway toward the ignition zone. 
   
   
       58 . The method of  claim 57 , wherein the eductor fluid is fuel. 
   
   
       59 . The method of  claim 48  wherein the one or more fuel tips include a supplemental fuel tip for injecting supplemental fuel into the combustion zone, and said method further comprises the step of injecting supplemental fuel into the combustion zone.