Indirect modulation method for activity controlled waste incinerator afterburner

Abstract

This invention involves an improved technique for the modulation of waste an actively controlled compact waste incinerator afterburner. This improved technique utilizes acoustic driving to affect indirect modulation of waste flow velocities. The waste surrogate gases are modulated indirectly by periodic entrainment created by the roll-up of the main air vortex as well as indirect acoustic excitation of secondary air injection. One of the main advantages of this new configuration is the acoustic drivers used to phase inject the waste into the vortex for proper combustion are not in direct contact with the hot waste and therefore can be less expensive and more durable over the long term.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for actively controlling a combustion process comprising the steps of: producing a series of discrete, coherent large scale vortices in a combustion chamber with a vortex generating means;   injecting a fuel supply proximate the vortices with an indirect acoustic/fluid dynamic fuel modulator, said fuel modulator adapted for inducing the pulsed injection of said fuel into said vortices at designated locations relative to the formation of said vortices within said combustion chamber thereby affecting the mixing of said fuel with an oxidizer, the efficiency of the burning, and the amount of undesirable combustion by-products formed during the combustion process; and   controlling the timing and location of the pulsed fuel injection relative to the formation of said vortices within the combustion chamber with a controller device, said controller device being operatively connected to said vortex generating means and said fuel modulator in order to synchronize and actively control the phase shift between the formation of the large scale vortices and the pulsed injection of said fuel in response to predetermined inputs.