Volatile organic compound burner

Abstract

A volatile organic compound burner includes a pre-heating bushing, a burner body, a porous medium and an ignition electric power source. The volatile organic compound is low-enthalpy fuel. The volatile organic compound burner functions in the same way as a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine to use a combustible volatile organic compound as fuel and introduce the combustible volatile organic compound into the combustion chamber, adjust timely the fuel mixing ratio in the combustion chamber according to the temperature required for the oxidation of the volatile organic compound in the volatile organic compound burner, and ignite the volatile organic compound in the combustion chamber with an electronic ignitor. The volatile organic compound burner is structurally simple and widely applicable to simulation of the environment of oxidation of the volatile organic compound, has high cost to performance ratio, and reduces fuel cost and emission of air pollutants.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A volatile organic compound burner, comprising:
 a pre-heating bushing internally circumferentially defining a receiving space and outwardly provided with a pre-heating bushing casing, the pre-heating bushing casing having air inlet outer holes for admitting combustion-enhancing air, the air inlet outer holes being in communication with the pre-heating bushing, the pre-heating bushing being conducive to pre-heating the combustion-enhancing air, cooling the volatile organic compound burner, and recycling heat;   a porous medium comprising a heat-storing porous medium and a pre-heating porous medium, the heat-storing porous medium recycling most of heat of a flame and maintaining temperature, and the pre-heating porous medium recycling a portion of the heat of the flame, pre-heating, and preventing tempering;   a burner body disposed in the receiving space and comprising a burner wall defining a combustion chamber and a mixing chamber, the mixing chamber having air inlet inner holes in communication with the pre-heating bushing, with a nozzle disposed between the mixing chamber and the combustion chamber, the burner wall having an organic gas inlet for admitting a harmful volatile organic compound (VOC) and a combustion gas outlet for discharging the volatile organic compound to be oxidized at a high temperature to produce carbon dioxide and water, with the heat-storing porous medium disposed between the combustion chamber and the combustion gas outlet, with the pre-heating porous medium disposed between the nozzle and the combustion chamber, the volatile organic compound, in form of different or different mixtures of volatile organic matter, entering, via the organic gas inlet, the mixing chamber to mix sufficiently therein with the combustion-enhancing air pre-heated by the pre-heating bushing to become a combustible volatile organic compound, wherein the combustible volatile organic compound passes through the gradually-widening nozzle to expand and mix to become a uniform combustible volatile organic compound, wherein the uniform combustible volatile organic compound passes through the pre-heating porous medium to undergo heat exchange with the pre-heating porous medium such that the combustible volatile organic compound gets heated up before entering the combustion chamber, wherein an arc generated by electric power ignites the combustible volatile organic compound in the combustion chamber, allowing the combustible volatile organic compound in the combustion chamber to be oxidized at a high temperature to produce carbon dioxide and water that meet emission standards, wherein the carbon dioxide and water thus produced pass through the heat-storing porous medium before being discharged from the combustion chamber via the combustion gas outlet; and   an ignition electric power source having a high-voltage ignition electrode electrically coupled to the combustion chamber through a high-voltage power supply and a power switch connected between the high-voltage power supply and the high-voltage ignition electrode, wherein the power switch can be turned off to start the ignition electric power source, allowing the high-voltage power supply to provide electric power to cause the high-voltage ignition electrode to discharge and generate the arc.   
     
     
         2 . The volatile organic compound burner of  claim 1 , wherein the porous medium is made of porous alumina ceramic or a material with high permeability and heat storing capability. 
     
     
         3 . The volatile organic compound burner of  claim 1 , wherein the volatile organic compound is organic solvent gas emitted from semiconductor fabs, optoelectronics plants and chemical engineering plants and waste gas generated from means of transportation and through fuel combustion. 
     
     
         4 . The volatile organic compound burner of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a process pipe connected to the burner body and having a pipe wall, a gas inlet and a gas outlet, with an exhaust fan disposed at the gas outlet, the pipe wall having a channel, the channel linking the gas inlet to the gas outlet, the pipe wall having a penetrating hole corresponding in position to the combustion gas outlet, allowing the channel to be in communication with the combustion gas outlet;   an organic gas collection apparatus connected to the burner body and having a gas collector, an adsorbing concentrating apparatus and a blower, wherein an organic gas pipe sequentially connects the gas collector, the adsorbing concentrating apparatus and the blower and is in communication with the organic gas inlet of the burner body, and the blower uses the gas collector to withdraw a production-line, low-concentration volatile organic compound by suction, wherein the production-line, low-concentration volatile organic compound is concentrated by the adsorbing concentrating apparatus to attain a moderate concentration level or above before being delivered long the organic gas pipe to enter the volatile organic compound burner to undergo combustion and high-temperature oxidation to turn into carbon dioxide and water and thereby meet green emission standards, wherein the carbon dioxide and water, together with any other gas admitted via the gas inlet, are removed by the exhaust fan of the process pipe and emitted to the atmosphere via the gas outlet; and   an auxiliary fuel apparatus connected to the organic gas collection apparatus and having a tank, the tank containing an auxiliary fuel and having an output pipe in communication with the organic gas pipe, the output pipe having an auxiliary fuel control valve, wherein if the concentration level of the concentrated, production-line, low-concentration volatile organic compound is too low for ignition to occur, the auxiliary fuel control valve will be opened, allowing the auxiliary fuel to be outputted via the output pipe to serve as a supplement.   
     
     
         5 . The volatile organic compound burner of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a process pipe connected to the burner body and having a pipe wall, a gas inlet and a gas outlet, with an exhaust fan disposed at the gas outlet, the pipe wall having a channel, the channel linking the gas inlet to the gas outlet, the pipe wall having a penetrating hole corresponding in position to the combustion gas outlet, allowing the channel to be in communication with the combustion gas outlet; and   an organic gas supply apparatus connected to the burner body and having a container, the container containing an organic solvent and having an organic gas pipe, the organic gas pipe being in communication with the organic gas inlet and having an organic gas valve, the organic solvent evaporating to turn into a volatile organic compound and has a saturated vapor pressure, wherein a difference between the saturated vapor pressure and the suction pressure of the exhaust fan of the process pipe generates a driving force, wherein the driving force and the opening of the organic gas valve together control a volumetric flow rate of the volatile organic compound admitted into the volatile organic compound burner, wherein the organic solvent in the volatile organic compound burner undergoes combustion to enable the volatile organic compound to undergo high-temperature oxidation to turn into carbon dioxide and water and thereby meet green emission standards, wherein the carbon dioxide and water, together with any other gas admitted via the gas inlet, are emitted to the atmosphere via the gas outlet.