Burner Nozzle Configuration and its Use

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for cleaning a gas mixture comprising contaminants. The device comprises a cylinder and a burner nozzle for supplying a fuel to be burned, said burner nozzle being embodied for directing into the cylinder a flame, wherein the flame is directed in a flow direction of the gas mixture. The device is characterized in that the device comprises cone shaped gas conductor with a relatively wide entrance for the gas mixture to be cleaned and a relatively narrow exit, The tapered shape is positioned in the flow direction and the narrow part of which is positioned near or within the supply side of the cylinder, with the proviso that the device is embodied for supplying into the cylinder the gas mixture to be cleaned partly through the cone shaped gas conductor and partly around the cone shaped gas conductor. The burner nozzle is positioned at the narrow side of the cone.

Claims

1. A device for cleaning a gas mixture that comprises contaminants, comprising: a cylinder with a supply side for supplying to the cylinder the gas mixture and a discharge side for discharging from the cylinder the cleaned gas mixture; and a burner nozzle for supplying a fuel to be burned, which burner nozzle is embodied for directing into the cylinder a flame, wherein the flame is directed substantially in a direction of flow of the gas mixture to be cleaned; characterized in that: the device comprises a cone shaped gas conductor with an entrance for the gas mixture to be cleaned and an exit, wherein the entrance is relatively wider than the exit such that the cone has a tapered shape, the tapered shape of which is situated in the direction of flow with the exit positioned near or within the supply side of the cylinder, and wherein the burner nozzle is provided near the exit of the cone, with the proviso that the device is embodied for guiding the gas mixture to be cleaned partly through the cone shaped gas conductor and partly around the cone shaped gas conductor and into the cylinder.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the exit of the cone is positioned inside the cylinder and the entrance to the cone is positioned outside the cylinder.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein both the entrance and the exit of the cone are positioned inside the cylinder.

4. A device according to claim 1, wherein both the entrance to the cone and the exit are positioned outside the cylinder.

5. A device according to claim 1, wherein the burner nozzle is provided at the exit of the cone.

6. A device according to claim 1, wherein the burner nozzle is provided substantially distributed over the circumference of the exit of the cone.

7. A device according to claim 6, wherein the burner nozzle comprises at least two nozzles that are distributed over the circumference of the exit of the cone.

8. A device according to claim 1, wherein the fuel comprises H.sub.2 and O.sub.2, preferably in a substantially stoichiometric ratio of 2 parts H.sub.2 and 1 part O.sub.2.

9. A device according to claim 8, wherein the fuel comprises H.sub.2 and O.sub.2 in a ratio of 2 parts H.sub.2 and 1 to 1.2 part O.sub.2.

10. A device according to claim 1, wherein the gas to be cleaned comprises oxidizable contaminants.

11. A device according to claim 6, wherein the flames from the burner nozzles are substantially directed into a flow path of the gas to be cleaned.

12. A device according to claim 1, wherein the cone and the cylinder are positioned substantially coaxially.

13. A device according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of the diameter of the cone to the diameter of the cylinder is in a range of at least 0.6:1, preferably at least 0.7:1, more preferably at least 0.8:1, and still more preferably between 0.7:1 and 0.9:1.

14. Use of the burner configuration according to claim 1 for cleaning a gas that comprises contaminants, comprising the steps of supplying to the burner nozzle a fuel and igniting same for obtaining a flame, such that the flame is directed into the cylinder and a first part of said gas to be cleaned is supplied via the entrance of the cone to the exit of the cone and is at least partially fed into the flame for heating and decomposing contaminants in said gas mixture and a second part of said gas mixture is supplied into the cylinder around the cone for mixing said second part of the gas mixture to be cleaned with said heated first part.

15. A use according to claim 14, comprising the step of supplying a fuel comprising H.sub.2 and O.sub.2 to the burner nozzle.

16. A use according to claim 15, comprising the step of supplying a stoichiometric excess of O.sub.2 in the fuel.

17. A use according to claim 14, wherein the gas to be cleaned is air that is contaminated with asbestos.

18. A use according to claim 17, wherein the mixture of cleaned gas and combustion products is returned to a confined environment.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and form a part of the specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. The drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating one or more embodiments of the invention and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. In the drawings:

[0033] FIG. 1 a perspective view of a burner configuration according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0034] FIG. 2 is an alternative embodiment of the burner configuration according to the present invention.

[0035] FIG. 3 is an alternative embodiment of the burner configuration according to the present invention.

[0036] FIG. 4 is an alternative embodiment of the burner configuration according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0037] In the figures similar parts are referred to with the same reference numbers. However, for sake of ease of understanding, not all parts that are required for a practical embodiment are shown in the drawing.

[0038] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a burner configuration, hereinafter also called burner 1, according to the present invention. The burner 1 comprises a (shown in dashed line) cylinder 2 and a cone 3, serving as a conductor for at least part of the gas mixture to be cleaned. The flow direction of the gas mixture to be cleaned is shown by means of arrows 4, 4. Part of the gas mixture that is supplied through the cone is referred to by reference numeral 4, whereas part of the gas mixture that is supplied around the cone is referred to by reference number 4. The cone 3 is positioned with its broad or wide side 5 relatively upstream and with the narrow side relatively downstream.

[0039] At the narrow side 6 a burner nozzle 7 is provided. At the burner nozzle a fuel is supplied for making flame 8. Said flame 8 is shown as two separate flames 8 but will preferably be provided at substantially the complete circumference of the narrow side 6 of burner nozzle 7. Gas mixture that is supplied via gas flow 4 through cone 3 and through flame 8, will for a short period be subjected to a high temperature of flame 8 such that contaminants in said gas mixture will be decomposed.

[0040] FIG. 2 provides a sectional view of the burner configuration 1. The cone 3 is positioned partly within and partly outside cylinder 2. The gas flow 4, 4 that is supplied into the cone 3 and into the cylinder 2 has been shown in the drawing, as is the flow path of the gas mixture within the cylinder 2 after it has been guided through flame 8 and after it has been received in the cylinder after it has been partially received within the interstitial space between the cone 3 and the wall of the cylinder 2. Mixing of both partial flows 4, 4 is clearly visible.

[0041] In FIG. 3 an alternative embodiment of the burner configuration 1 has been shown wherein the cone 3 is positioned fully within the cylinder 2. On the contrary, FIG. 4 shows an embodiment wherein the cone 3 is positioned fully outside the cylinder 2. In the embodiment according to FIG. 3 it is preferred that the cone 3 is smaller than in the embodiment according to FIG. 4. The ratio of the diameter of the widest part of the cone with respect to the inner diameter of the cylinder is, according to the embodiment of FIG. 3, clearly smaller than in the embodiment according to FIG. 4, so as to obtain a suitable flow of gas mixture 4, 4.

[0042] The supply of fuel may be obtained through pipes that are positioned at wide sides of the cones, said pipes comprising branches to the burner nozzles, which are positioned near the narrow sides of the cone. If H.sub.2 gas and O.sub.2 gas are used as fuel, and also where other mixtures of any other fuel with oxygen are used, it is preferred that the fuel and the oxygen are supplied through separate pipes and are mixed only in or after the burner nozzle so as to yield a proper combustion.

[0043] The invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein and as shown in the drawing. The invention is limited only by the appended claims.

[0044] The invention also embodies all combinations of features that have been described herein before independently with respect to each other.

[0045] Although the invention has been described in detail with particular reference to these embodiments, other embodiments can achieve the same results. Variations and modifications of the present invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such modifications and equivalents. The entire disclosures of all references, applications, patents, and publications cited above are hereby incorporated by reference.