Prefabricated integrated combustion assemblies and methods of installing the same into a combustion system

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein are directed to devices and methods for improving operation of a combustion system. According to various embodiments disclosed herein, a prefabricated integrated combustion assembly is disclosed that may be installed into a combustion chamber of a combustion system. The combustion system may be a new combustion system that is being manufactured or a conventional combustion system that is being retrofitted.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A burner configured for deployment in a fire-tube boiler, comprising:
 a mounting flange configured to be coupled to a base of a fire-tube boiler peripheral to a furnace opening;   at least one main fuel nozzle disposed proximate to the mounting flange and configured to direct flow of a main fuel;   a combustion air source operatively coupled to the mounting flange and configured to direct flow of a combustion air;   a support member operatively coupled to the mounting flange and configured to provide cantilever support to the burner in a horizontal cylindrical furnace within the fire-tube boiler;   a distal pilot burner operatively coupled to the support member; and   a distal flame holder operatively coupled to the support member.   
     
     
         2 . The burner of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one main fuel nozzle is operatively coupled to the mounting flange. 
     
     
         3 . The burner of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one main fuel nozzle is operatively coupled to the support member. 
     
     
         4 . The burner of  claim 1 , wherein the distal pilot burner and the distal flame holder are positioned to receive the main fuel and the combustion air at a distance from the mounting flange sufficient to allow mixing of the main fuel and the combustion air. 
     
     
         5 . The burner of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a mixing tube operatively coupled to the support member, the mixing tube being disposed between the mounting flange and the distal flame holder, the mixing tube having an inlet at an end proximate the mounting flange and an outlet at an end proximate the distal flame holder;   wherein the mixing tube is aligned to promote mixing of the main fuel and the combustion air.   
     
     
         6 . The burner of  claim 5 , wherein the distal pilot burner and the distal flame holder are operatively connected to the support member via the mixing tube. 
     
     
         7 . The burner of  claim 5 , wherein the mixing tube is aligned to cause the combustion air and the main fuel to educe flue gas into the inlet of the mixing tube; and
 wherein the mixing tube is configured to promote mixing of the main fuel, the combustion air, and the flue gas.   
     
     
         8 . The burner of  claim 5 , wherein the mixing tube forms a portion of the support member. 
     
     
         9 . The burner of  claim 5 , wherein the mixing tube includes a flared portion at the inlet, the flared portion having a first perimeter at an extent proximate the mounting flange and a second perimeter where the flared portion joins the mixing tube, the first perimeter being larger than the second perimeter. 
     
     
         10 . The burner of  claim 9 , wherein the perimeter of the flared portion decreases linearly between the first perimeter and the second perimeter. 
     
     
         11 . The burner of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a distal support leg configured to swing outward with respect to the distal flame holder to provide support for the distal flame holder and the distal pilot burner after the support member, the distal pilot burner and the distal flame holder are inserted through the furnace opening, the distal support leg configured to engage a wall of the fire-tube boiler.   
     
     
         12 . The burner of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 a mixing tube disposed between the mounting flange and the distal flame holder, and having an inlet at an end proximate the mounting flange and an outlet at a distal end of the mixing tube proximate the distal flame holder;   wherein the distal support leg is secured to the distal end of the mixing tube.   
     
     
         13 . The burner of  claim 1 , wherein the distal pilot burner is disposed between the mounting flange and the distal flame holder. 
     
     
         14 . The burner of  claim 13 , wherein the distal pilot burner is disposed proximate the distal flame holder. 
     
     
         15 . The burner of  claim 1 , wherein the distal pilot burner includes at least one pilot fuel nozzle, the at least one pilot fuel nozzle configured to emit pilot fuel for mixture with the combustion air. 
     
     
         16 . The burner of  claim 1 , wherein the distal flame holder comprises one or more perforated flame holder tiles. 
     
     
         17 . The burner of  claim 16 , wherein each of the one or more perforated flame holder tiles has a width dimension (w) and a depth dimension (d), each perforated flame holder tile being oriented with the width dimension approximately perpendicular to a flame propagation axis and the depth dimension being approximately parallel to the flame propagation axis. 
     
     
         18 . The burner of  claim 17 , wherein the width dimension is smaller than the depth dimension, and a pair of the one or more perforated flame holder tiles are spaced from each other across the flame propagation axis.