Example apparatus and methods providing for the improved chemical conversion of the combustible components of a gaseous medium are disclosed. In some examples, the apparatus includes a guiding body that guides the flow of the gaseous medium within a reaction chamber of the apparatus. In some examples, the guiding body of the disclosed apparatus is configured to stabilize a residence period of the gaseous medium in the reaction chamber. In some examples, the guiding body results in a flow path of the gaseous medium within the reaction chamber being optimized and/or maximized, and/or results in a short circuit flow of the gaseous medium in the reaction chamber being suppressed. In some disclosed examples, the guiding body causes at least a portion of the flow path of the gaseous medium within the reaction chamber to take the form of a cyclone flow.

A burner assembly for top combustion hot blast stove including a burner surrounded by a burner shell, where the burner has a circular cross-section; a number of air nozzles arranged for tangentially feeding air to the burner, the air nozzles being connected to one or more air distribution chambers; a number of gas nozzles arranged for tangentially feeding gas to the burner, the gas nozzles being connected to one or more gas distribution chambers; wherein the air nozzles are arranged in one or more inclined or vertical stacked arrays of air nozzles, each inclined or vertical stacked array being in connection with one inclined or vertical air distribution chamber; the gas nozzles are arranged in one or more inclined or vertical stacked arrays of gas nozzles, each inclined or vertical stacked array being in connection with one inclined or vertical gas distribution chamber; and the inclined or vertical air distribution chamber(s) and the inclined or vertical gas distribution chamber(s) are arranged along the circumference of the burner shell.

A pressure gain combustor comprises a detonation chamber, a pre-combustion chamber, an oxidant swirl generator, an expansion-deflection (E-D) nozzle, and an ignition source. The detonation chamber has an upstream intake end and a downstream discharge end, and is configured to allow a supersonic combustion event to propagate therethrough. The pre-combustion chamber has a downstream end in fluid communication with the detonation chamber intake end, an upstream end in communication with a fuel delivery pathway, and a circumferential perimeter between the upstream and downstream ends with an annular opening in communication with an annular oxidant delivery pathway. The oxidant swirl generator is located in the oxidant delivery pathway and comprises vanes configured to cause oxidant flowing past the vanes to flow tangentially into the pre-combustion chamber thereby creating a high swirl velocity zone around the annular opening and a low swirl velocity zone in a central portion of the pre-combustion chamber. The E-D nozzle is positioned in between the pre-combustion chamber and detonation chamber and provides a diffusive fluid pathway therebetween. The ignition source is in communication with the low swirl velocity zone of the pre-combustion chamber. This configuration is expected to provide a combustor with a relatively low total run-up DDT distance and time, thereby enabling high operating frequencies and corresponding high combustor performance.

The present disclosure includes air spinners for use in duct burners, and duct burners and duct burner kits including a plurality of air spinners. Air spinners may include a plurality of blades extending radially outward from a fuel path and configured to impart rotation to air flowing between the blades, where the air spinner is configured to be coupled to a fuel runner of a duct burner such that the air spinner encircles a fuel outlet of the fuel runner with the axis of the fuel path extending at a non-parallel angle from an axis of the fuel runner. Duct burners can comprise a plurality of air spinners coupled to a plurality of fuel runners. Duct burner kits can comprise a plurality of air spinners configured to be coupled (e.g., without welding) to a plurality of fuel runners.

A method is provided for separating offgas from solid and/or liquid reaction products in the combustion of a metal M selected from alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, Al and Zn, and mixtures thereof, with a combustion gas. In a reaction step, the combustion gas is combusted with the metal M, forming offgas and further solid and/or liquid reaction products, and, in a separation step, the offgas is separated from the solid and/or liquid reaction products. In the separation step, a carrier gas is additionally added and the carrier gas is removed as a mixture with the offgas.

The present disclosure relates to a vortex chamber comprising a cavity elongating along a central axis and a swirl generator. The swirl generator comprises a plurality of swirl channels configured for introducing a gas flow into the cavity as a vortex flow about the central axis, each swirl channel comprising a channel entrance and a channel exit. The swirl generator further comprises a gas redistribution chamber comprising one or more main gas supply inlets for receiving a gas, a distribution channel configured for distributing the gas received from the one or more main gas supply inlets to the channel entrances of the swirl channels, and one or more blocking walls configured for blocking and unblocking one or more entrances of the plurality of swirl channels. The vortex chamber is further configured for relatively rotating the channel entrances of the swirl channels with respect to the one or more blocking walls from a first angular position to at least a second angular position and vice versa, and wherein when in the second angular position the one or more blocking walls block a larger number of channel entrances than when in the first angular position.