Combustion system with mixing and flame arresting for pollution reduction

Abstract

Premixing fuel and oxidizer in a burner to form a flammable mixture is described. The burner is configured to reduce formation of a pollutant when the fuel and the oxidizer are combusted while deterring upstream propagation of the combustion reaction. The burner includes a mixer for premixing fuel and oxidizer to form a flammable mixture to be supplied to a reaction zone for a combustion reaction and a flame arrestor for deterring upstream propagation of the combustion reaction. In some embodiments, the mixer and the flame arrestor include a packing volume. In some embodiments, the mixer and the flame arrestor include at least a first packing volume for containing first packing, a second packing volume for containing second packing, and a packing gap in fluid communication between the first packing volume and the second packing volume.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A burner for premixing fuel and oxidizer to form a flammable mixture for a combustion reaction in a reaction zone, the burner configured to reduce formation of a pollutant when the fuel and the oxidizer are combusted while deterring upstream propagation of the combustion reaction out of the reaction zone, the burner comprising:
 a mixer for premixing fuel and oxidizer to form a flammable mixture to be supplied to a reaction zone for a combustion reaction, the mixer configured to reduce formation of a pollutant when the fuel and the oxidizer are combusted;   a flame arrestor for deterring upstream propagation of the combustion reaction out of the reaction zone, the mixer and the flame arrestor including:
 a first packing volume for containing first packing, 
 a second packing volume for containing second packing, 
 a packing gap in fluid communication between the first packing volume and the second packing volume. 
   
     
     
         2 . The burner as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the mixer and the flame arrestor occupy the same volume. 
     
     
         3 . The burner as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising first packing in the first packing volume and second packing in the second packing volume. 
     
     
         4 . The burner as recited in  claim 3 , wherein at least one of the first packing or the second packing comprises random packing. 
     
     
         5 . The burner as recited in  claim 4 , wherein the random packing comprises a plurality of at least one of Pall rings or Raschig rings. 
     
     
         6 . The burner as recited in  claim 3 , wherein at least one of the first packing or the second packing comprises structured packing. 
     
     
         7 . The burner as recited in  claim 6 , wherein the structured packing comprises a plurality of rigid flow channels. 
     
     
         8 . The burner as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the fuel comprises at least one of a flammable gas, a flammable liquid, or a flammable solid. 
     
     
         9 . The burner as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the oxidizer comprises at least one of ambient air or oxygen from a pressurized oxygen source. 
     
     
         10 . The burner as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the oxidizer comprises a vitiated oxidizer. 
     
     
         11 . A method for premixing fuel and oxidizer in a burner to form a flammable mixture to be supplied to a reaction zone for a combustion reaction, the burner configured to reduce formation of a pollutant when the fuel and the oxidizer are combusted while deterring upstream propagation of the combustion reaction out of the reaction zone, the method comprising:
 introducing fuel and oxidizer to a first packing volume containing first packing;   introducing the fuel and the oxidizer to a packing gap downstream of the first packing volume; and   introducing the fuel and the oxidizer to a second packing volume containing second packing downstream of the packing gap.   
     
     
         12 . The method as recited in  claim 11 , wherein a portion of the fuel bypasses the first packing volume, the packing gap, and the second packing volume and is combusted in a secondary reaction zone. 
     
     
         13 . The method as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the oxidizer comprises vitiated oxidizer. 
     
     
         14 . A burner for premixing fuel and oxidizer to form a flammable mixture for a combustion reaction in a reaction zone, the burner configured to reduce formation of a pollutant when the fuel and the oxidizer are combusted while deterring upstream propagation of the combustion reaction out of the reaction zone, the burner comprising:
 a mixer for premixing fuel and oxidizer to form a flammable mixture to be supplied to a reaction zone for a combustion reaction, the mixer configured to reduce formation of a pollutant when the fuel and the oxidizer are combusted; and   a flame arrestor for deterring upstream propagation of the combustion reaction out of the reaction zone.   
     
     
         15 . The burner as recited in  claim 14 , wherein the mixer and the flame arrestor occupy the same volume. 
     
     
         16 . The burner as recited in  claim 15 , wherein the mixer and the flame arrestor include a packing volume. 
     
     
         17 . The burner as recited in  claim 14 , wherein the mixer and the flame arrestor include:
 a first packing volume for containing first packing,   a second packing volume for containing second packing,   a packing gap in fluid communication between the first packing volume and the second packing volume.   
     
     
         18 . The burner as recited in  claim 17 , further comprising first packing in the first packing volume and second packing in the second packing volume. 
     
     
         19 . The burner as recited in  claim 18 , wherein at least one of the first packing or the second packing comprises random packing. 
     
     
         20 . The burner as recited in  claim 19 , wherein the random packing comprises a plurality of at least one of Pall rings or Raschig rings. 
     
     
         21 . The burner as recited in  claim 18 , wherein at least one of the first packing or the second packing comprises structured packing. 
     
     
         22 . The burner as recited in  claim 21 , wherein the structured packing comprises a plurality of rigid flow channels. 
     
     
         23 . The burner as recited in  claim 14 , wherein the fuel comprises at least one of a flammable gas, a flammable liquid, or a flammable solid. 
     
     
         24 . The burner as recited in  claim 14 , wherein the oxidizer comprises at least one of ambient air or oxygen from a pressurized oxygen source. 
     
     
         25 . The burner as recited in  claim 14 , wherein the oxidizer comprises a vitiated oxidizer. 
     
     
         26 . A method for premixing fuel and oxidizer in a burner to form a flammable mixture to be supplied to a reaction zone for a combustion reaction, the burner configured to reduce formation of a pollutant when the fuel and the oxidizer are combusted while deterring upstream propagation of the combustion reaction out of the reaction zone, the method comprising:
 introducing fuel and oxidizer to a mixer for premixing the fuel and the oxidizer to form a flammable mixture to be supplied to a reaction zone for a combustion reaction; and   introducing the fuel and the oxidizer to a flame arrestor for deterring upstream propagation of the combustion reaction out of the reaction zone.   
     
     
         27 . The method as recited in  claim 26 , wherein a portion of the fuel bypasses the mixer and the flame arrestor and is combusted in a secondary reaction zone. 
     
     
         28 . The method as recited in  claim 26 , wherein the oxidizer comprises vitiated oxidizer. 
     
     
         29 . The method as recited in  claim 26 , wherein introducing the fuel and the oxidizer to a mixer and introducing the fuel and the oxidizer to a flame arrestor comprise introducing the fuel and the oxidizer to a packing volume. 
     
     
         30 . The method as recited in  claim 29 , wherein introducing the fuel and the oxidizer to a packing volume comprises:
 introducing the fuel and the oxidizer to a first packing volume containing first packing;   introducing the fuel and the oxidizer to a packing gap downstream of the first packing volume; and   introducing the fuel and the oxidizer to a second packing volume containing second packing downstream of the packing gap.