US2702080A - Burner assembly for flow-type gas generators - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 15, 1955 w. P. GEE

BURNER ASSEMBLY FOR FLOW-TYPE GAS GENERATORS Filed Sept. 20. 1951 nvmvrox. William P. ee

Arneyg 5 .n.9 ,2555555,572.55 I.. lm. A. v`\`\\ S .L n3 O l BURNER ASSEMBLY FOR FLOW-TYPE GAS GENERATORS William P. Gee, Plainfield, N. I., assignor to Texaco Development Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application September 20, 1951, Serial No. 247,425

Claims. (Cl. 158-104) This invention relates to uid fuel burneis and more particularly to luid fuel burners of the kind used in ow-type gas generators. The latter are essentially closed reaction chambers, housing burners, and are pri marily used for the partial combustion of gaseous or vaporized liquid hydrocarbons in the manufacture of synthesis gases.

For illustrative purposes, the apparatus of the mvention shown on the attached drawings is for use as a conversion burner, for partial combustion of methane to form carbon monoxide and hydrogen. This reaction is well known to the art, and in general is represented by the following formula:

Obviously, other reactants could be used in burners of this type, and this particular reaction only typilies such processes. The reaction temperatures experienced in this conversion process are of the order of 2600 F., and one. of the biggest problems encountered is one of providing adequate cooling for the burner elements to prevent their deterioration at these temperatures.

lt is the primary object of this invention to provide a burner structure for a flow-type gas generator with adequate cooling means to permit satisfactory burner operation over substantial time periods.

It is a further object of this invention to provide al burner assembly in which the individual burner elements and the cooling means therefor, form an integral unit which can easily be inserted in and removed from a How-type gas generator.

Other objects of this invention will be apparent from the following description and read in conjunction with the attached drawing in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a burner assembly embodying the principles of this invention,

Figure 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, of one of the burner elements,

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the burner assembly showing a preferred burner element arrangement, and

Figure 4 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a ow-type gas generator showing the burner apparatus of this invention inserted therein.

Referring first to Figure 2, each individual burner element comprises an outer tube and inner tube 11 concentrically arranged, the inner tube being spaced from the outer by a member 12 having ports 13 extending therethrough. The reactant gases, for example methane and oxygen, are fed to the burner elements through a conduit 14 communicating with the annular space between 10 and 11 and directly through tube 11, respectively.

Referring now to Figure l, this shows the individual burner elements of Figure 2 mounted in a cooling jacket 15. While this member is shown as being annular in form, it could also assume a variety of plane gure shapes without materially affecting the operation. In addition, the jacket member may be made un of a relatively large number of segments to obviate any diculty caused by expansion of the heated metal. The upper and lower walls 16 and 17 of the jacket member are bored and threaded to receive the individual burner elements, the latter having mating projecting threaded aages 1S and 19. 'Ihe individual burner ele- United States Patent O ments may thus be rigidly axed to the cooling member in u'id tight relation thereto.

The cooling jacket 15 is provided with inlet and outlet connections 20 and 2l tor circulation of a coolant, such as water, interiorly thereof. ln this fashion the circulating coolant lls the cooling jacket and substantially completely surrounds each individual burner element. By maintaining a high rate ot' tiow of the coolant, each burner element and the cooling jacket itself is cooled by direct heat exchange relation with the circulating coolant. In this manner, the burner elements are maintained at a suliciently low temperature to prevent or substantially retard their deterioration.

The individual burner elements may be conveniently arranged in a concentric circular pattern substantially as shown in Figure 3. The burner tips which are exposed directly to the heat of the combustion space are made nearly ush with the upper wall lo of the cooling jacket 15. Corresponding tubular passageways of the individual burner elements may be linked by manifold members 22, 23 for supplying the reactant tluids to the burners. Figure 4 shows such an arrangement with the entire assembly mounted in a tlow-type gas generator Z4. Only a single row of burners and manirold connections is shown to simplify the drawing.

rlhe generator is provided with an outlet 25 for the reaction products which, in accordance with standard practice, may be led to a waste heat boiler wherein the heat would be utilized to generate steam. While llowtype gas generators are well known to the art, it may be pointed out that the combustion space 2o is surrounded by a layer ot' refractory material zl to withstand the intense heat generated in partial combustion processes 0f the type relerred to herein.

I claim:

1. A burner assembly for use in a dow-type gas generator comprising: a closed hollow metallic cooling jacket member comprising spaced, substantially parallel upper and lower walls; a plurality ot plural-passage burner elements mounted i'n and extending through said walls a major portion of the outer walls ot' said burner elements being thus disposed within the space denned by the walls of said cooling jacket member; a coolant inlet and outlet means mounted on and communicating with the interior or' said member so that each of said burner elements is substantially unitormly cooled by direct contact with the coolant; and means including closed conduits connected to said burner elements for supplying reactant lluids thereto.

2. A burner assembly tor use in a ow-type gas generator comprising: an annular, hollow metallic cooling jacket member; a plurality or concentric tubular burner elements mounted in and extending through opposite walls ot` said member a major portion ot' the outer walls of said burner elements being thus disposed within the space detined by the walls or said cooling jacket member; closed conduit means connecting corresponding burner element tubes for supplying reactant liuids thereto; and .means altording circulation ot huid coolant withm said jacket member in contact with each outer wall of said burner elements to cool the burner assembly.

3. A burner assembly as detined by claim l in which the burner element tips are substantially tlush with a wall of said cooling jacket.

4. A burner assembly as dened by claim 2 in which the burner elements are arranged in a concentric circular pattern in said cooling jacket.

5. A burner assembly as defined by claim 1 in which the burner elements comprise a pair of concentric tubular members, the outer of which members include threaded llanges at opposite ends thereof for attachment to opposite walls of said cooling jacket member.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,192,513 schneider July 25. i916 1,843,361 Hageman Feb. 2, 1932 2,043,867 Rava June 9, 1936 2,430,396 Gouin Nov.4, 1941

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