A system and method of igniting a coal air-fuel mixture, including a burner having a burner tube operable to carry a flowing mixture of fuel and air to a furnace for combustion therein and a first flow directing device disposed within the tube, operable to direct a first portion of the flowing fuel and air mixture to a location in the burner tube. The system also includes a laser igniter within the burner tube, the laser igniter including a laser tube having a first end with a laser light input and a second end with a light output, and a laser light source operably coupled to the laser light input. The laser light source, including a laser. The laser ignitor directing photons from the light output at the location in the burner tube to ignite at least a part of the first portion of the fuel.

In a multi-tube once-through boiler configured such that boiler water within water tubes is heated and evaporated to take out consumed steam, rows of water tubes arranged on the left and right of the combustion chamber are respectively connected by linear left and right upper headers provided at upper ends and linear left and right lower headers provided at lower ends, a lid body is formed on one end side facing the combustion chamber and a burner for supplying combustion gas to the combustion chamber is provided, and the burner is provided with a recovered oil supply unit for supplying recovered oil, a waste solvent supply unit for supplying a waste solvent, an injected air supply unit, a combustion air supply unit, and a control unit for controlling the supply of the recovered oil, the waste solvent, the injected air, and the combustion air.

Systems/methods for continuous operation of fixed bed reactors using gaseous fuels for the purpose of power generation through integration with a combined cycle power plant are provided. The fixed bed reactors are assumed to operate in a semi-batch mode composed of reactor modules that are integrated into module trains that comprise the chemical-looping combustion island of the power plant. The scheduling of each reactor train is cast as an optimization problem that maximizes thermodynamic efficiency subject to constraints imposed to each reactor and the entire island. When the chemical-looping reactors are arranged cyclically, each feeding to or being fed from another reactor, in an operating scheme that mimics simulated moving bed reactors, the thermodynamic efficiency of the reactor island can be improved. Allowing the reversal of module order in the cyclically arranged reactor modules further improves the overall thermodynamic efficiency (to 84.7%), while satisfying constraints imposed for carbon capture, fuel conversion, power plant safety and oxygen carrier stability.

A cylindrical burner apparatus and method which produce low NO.sub.x emissions and low noise levels without being dependent upon a blower, or natural draft, for providing air flow or flue gas recirculation. A flow of combustion air is induced into an initial tube pass of the burner by discharging a gas fuel from a plurality of discharge ports located in the initial tube pass. At the same time, a flow of recycled flue gas is induced through a bypass duct between a subsequent tube pass of the burner and the initial tube pass by discharging one or more jets of gas fuel through the bypass duct.

A vehicle heater includes a burner area, a circumferential wall providing a combustion chamber, a flame tube with a first end forming or adjacent to a part of the combustion chamber circumferential wall and a second flame tube end. A heat exchanger housing has a circumferential wall enclosing the flame tube. A waste gas backflow space is formed, between an outer side of the flame tube and an inner side of the heat exchanger housing circumferential wall, with an inlet area at the second flame tube end and with an outlet area in the area of the first flame tube end. An inner dimension of the circumferential wall increases in the direction from an inlet area of the waste gas backflow space to an outlet area. An outer dimension of the flame tube increases in the direction from the second flame tube end to the first flame tube end.

Horizontal immersion tube boilers include a plurality of burner nozzles positioned in substantial alignment with a respective plurality of boiler tubes. Fuel-air mixture directed through the burner nozzles are ignited by a pilot flame system positioned proximate to the burner nozzles within a combustion chamber. The burner nozzles and pilot flame system receive air from a secondary air manifold having inlets that provide secondary air into the combustion chamber. The flames extending from the burner nozzles are directed into the respective boiler tubes, which exchange heat from the flame into water within a boiler shell. The secondary air inlets direct air around the burner nozzles and toward the boiler tubes, creating an air blanket around each burner nozzle for reducing turbulence and guide the flames into their respective boiler tubes. An improved flame arrestor within the nozzle prevents flame back-flow when modulating to lower firing rates.

A cylindrical burner apparatus and method which produce low NO.sub.x emissions and low noise levels without being dependent upon a blower, or natural draft, for providing air flow or flue gas recirculation. A flow of combustion air is induced into the initial tube pass of the burner by discharging a gas fuel from a plurality of discharge ports located in the initial tube pass. At the same time, a flow of recycled flue gas is induced through a bypass duct between a subsequent tube pass of the burner and the initial tube pass by discharging one or more jets of gas fuel through the bypass duct.

A cylindrical burner apparatus and method which produce low noise levels and are not dependent upon a blower, or natural draft, for providing combustion air flow. A flow of combustion air is induced into a rearward end of a burner tube and a swirling flame is produced in the tube by discharging a gas fuel from a plurality of discharge ports located in the tube.

Embodiments of the present invention include high-temperature staged recirculating burners and radiant tube burner assemblies that provide high efficiency, low NOx and CO emissions, and uniform temperature characteristics. One such staged recirculating burner includes a combustion tube having inside and outside helical fins forming opposing spiral pathways for combustion gases and products of combustion, a combustion nozzle coupled to the combustion tube, a gas tube running axially into the combustion tube, and a staging gas nozzle coupled to the gas tube, where the staging gas nozzle includes radial exit holes into the combustion tube and an axial gas staging tube extending into the combustion nozzle to stage combustion.

According to an embodiment, a fired heater includes a fuel and combustion air source configured to output fuel and combustion air into a combustion volume, the combustion volume including a combustion volume wall defining a lateral extent separate from an exterior volume. According to an embodiment, the fired heater includes a boiler heater and the combustion volume wall comprises a combustion pipe defining a lateral extent of the combustion volume, the combustion pipe being disposed to separate the combustion volume from a water and steam volume. The fired heater includes a mixing tube aligned to receive the fuel and combustion air from the fuel and combustion air source. The mixing tube may be separated from the combustion volume wall by a separation volume. The fired heater includes a bluff body flame holder aligned to receive a fuel and combustion air mixture from an outlet end of the mixing tube. The bluff body flame holder may be configured to hold a combustion reaction for heating a combustion volume wall. The combustion volume wall may include a combustion pipe. The combustion pipe may be configured to heat the water in the water and steam volume.