U.S. patent application number 10/868042 was filed with the patent office on 2005-02-03 for multi-stage combustion using nitrogen-enriched air.
Invention is credited to Anderson, Brian L., Fischer, Larry E..
Application Number | 20050026095 10/868042 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 23297327 |
Filed Date | 2005-02-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050026095 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Fischer, Larry E. ; et
al. |
February 3, 2005 |
Multi-stage combustion using nitrogen-enriched air
Abstract
Multi-stage combustion technology combined with
nitrogen-enriched air technology for controlling the combustion
temperature and products to extend the maintenance and lifetime
cycles of materials in contact with combustion products and to
reduce pollutants while maintaining relatively high combustion and
thermal cycle efficiencies. The first stage of combustion operates
fuel rich where most of the heat of combustion is released by
burning it with nitrogen-enriched air. Part of the energy in the
combustion gases is used to perform work or to provide heat. The
cooled combustion gases are reheated by additional stages of
combustion until the last stage is at or near stoichiometric
conditions. Additional energy is extracted from each stage to
result in relatively high thermal cycle efficiency. The air is
enriched with nitrogen using air separation technologies such as
diffusion, permeable membrane, absorption, and cryogenics. The
combustion method is applicable to many types of combustion
equipment, including: boilers, burners, turbines, internal
combustion engines, and many types of fuel including hydrogen and
carbon-based fuels including methane and coal.
Inventors: |
Fischer, Larry E.; (Los
Gatos, CA) ; Anderson, Brian L.; (Lodi, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Eddie E. Scott
P.O. Box 808, L-703
Livermore
CA
94551
US
|
Family ID: |
23297327 |
Appl. No.: |
10/868042 |
Filed: |
June 14, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10868042 |
Jun 14, 2004 |
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10295501 |
Nov 14, 2002 |
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6790030 |
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60332234 |
Nov 20, 2001 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
431/2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F23L 2900/07002
20130101; Y02E 20/34 20130101; F23C 6/045 20130101; F02M 25/00
20130101; Y02E 20/344 20130101; F02B 1/12 20130101; F23C 2900/06041
20130101; F23L 7/00 20130101; F23R 3/346 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
431/002 |
International
Class: |
F23B 001/00 |
Goverment Interests
[0003] The United States Government has rights in this invention
pursuant to Contract No. W-7405-ENG-48 between the United States
Department of Energy and the University of California for the
operation of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method for burning fuel in a combustion system, comprising:
producing combustion of fuel in at least two combustion stages, and
directing a nitrogen-enriched air as an oxidant into at least the
first of the combustion stages.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein combustion occurs in each
combustion stage for producing energy and additionally including
extracting energy produced by the combustion between the combustion
stages to perform work or provide heat.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first stage of combustion is
fuel rich (phi>1) and the final stage of combustion is at or
nearly stoichiometric.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first stage of combustion
uses the nitrogen-enriched air for combustion and subsequent stages
of combustion use the nitrogen-enriched air or air for
combustion.
5. The method of claim 1, additionally including controlling the
combustion temperature and products in the first combustion stage
by combining fuel rich combustion of .PHI.=1.1-1.5 with nitrogen
enriched air of 79.5%-90% to obtain high operation-temperature for
the combustion, low corrosive and oxidative products, and low
NO.sub.x.
6. The method of claim 1, additionally including controlling
production of NO.sub.x in the first combustion stage by burning
fuel rich, controlling production of NO.sub.x in subsequent
combustion stages by burning slightly fuel rich with
.PHI.=0.90-1.10 and/or by maintaining the temperature in the
subsequent combustion stages less than that in the first combustion
stage and with the final combustion stage having the lowest
combustion temperature and operating at or near stoichiometric
conditions of .PHI.=0.90-1.10, to obtain low corrosive and
oxidative products and low NO.sub.x production, low CO production,
and low hydrocarbon emissions.
7. The method of claim 1, additionally including obtaining a
desired operational temperature by the use of nitrogen enriched air
which permits burning less fuel rich.
8. The method of claim 1, additionally including obtaining a
desired operational temperature by the use of burning fuel rich
permits using low amounts and concentrations of nitrogen enriched
air.
9. The method of claim 1, additionally including fuel injection in
stages beyond the first stage to ensure that combustion occurs in
stages subsequent to the first stage.
10. The method of claim 1, additionally including providing a fuel
for the combustion system selected from the group consisting of any
combustible matter, fossil fuels, inorganic fuels, and organic
fuels.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the fossil fuels are selected
from the group consisting of oil natural gas, and coal; wherein the
inorganic fuels are selected from the group consisting of ammonia,
hydrazine, and calcium; and wherein the organic fuels are selected
from the group consisting of alcohols, ethers, and wood.
12. The method of claim 1, additionally including providing a fuel
for the combustion system selected from the group consisting of
methane and low-sulfur coal.
13. The method of claim 1, additionally including providing the
combustion system from the group consisting of any system where
combustion takes place to perform work or provide heat, furnaces,
and engines.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the furnaces are selected from
the group consisting of burners, boilers, and smelters; and wherein
the engines are selected from the group consisting of Otto, diesel,
and turbine.
15. The method of claim 1, additionally including providing the
combustion system from the group consisting of boilers and furnaces
having multi-state combustors, and multi-stage turbines.
16. The method of claim 1, additionally including producing the
nitrogen-enriched air using air separation technologies selected
from the group consisting of cryogenics, absorption, diffusion, and
permeation.
17. The method in claim 16 using separation technologies to produce
nitrogen enriched air also produces at the same time oxygen
enriched air that can be used locally to enhance the local
combustion process, although the overall combustion process would
still be nitrogen enriched.
18. The permeation method in claim 16 uses a permeable membrane
that is designed for nitrogen enrichment of air in the range of
79.5-85% to achieve low pressure drop for the nitrogen enriched
flow.
Description
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application relates to U.S. Provisional Application No.
60/332,234 filed Nov. 20, 2001 and claims priority thereof.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0002] This application is a division of application Ser. No.
10/295,501 filed Nov. 14, 2002 entitled "Multi-Stage Combustion
Using Nitrogen-Enriched Air."
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The present invention relates to combustion systems,
particularly to increasing the efficiency of combustion systems
while simultaneously reducing polluting exhaust emissions, and more
particularly to a combustion system which combines multi-stage
combustion technology with nitrogen-enriched air technology.
[0005] Increasing fuel efficiency in combustion engines while
simultaneously reducing polluting exhaust emissions has been
researched over the past 25 years and subsidized by the Federal
Government. Maximum fuel efficiency normally occurs at or near
stoichiometric conditions where the fuel is completely oxidized. In
practice, the combustion process in an engine is usually with air
and not with pure oxygen. When oxygen is supplied by dry air, 3.76
moles of nitrogen will accompany one mole of oxygen. The
stoichiometric air-fuel ratio is the ratio of the mass of air to
the mass of fuel to result in stoichiometric combustion. The actual
operating condition of an engine is usually expressed in terms of
the equivalence ratio, which is the ratio of the stoichiometric
air-fuel ratio to the actual air-fuel ratio. The equivalence ratio
is 1.0 when the engine is operating at stoichiometric conditions.
When an engine operates at an equivalence ratio greater than 1.0,
it is operating fuel rich and produces pollutants such as
hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matter. At
equivalence ratios less than 1.0, the engine produces oxides of
nitrogen (NO.sub.x) which is major source of photochemical smog and
is regulated. Also, the combustion gases can be very corrosive with
the excess oxygen and reduce the life of the engine.
[0006] Past research developed efficient engines by operating with
equivalence ratios less than one, but will not meet impending
requirements for greatly reduced NO.sub.x. Current research
includes the development or modification of engines such as
Variable Compression, Homogenous Charged Compression Ignition
(HCCI), Clean Energy System (CES), Gasoline Injection and nitrogen
augmentation or enriched air combustion. Emissions can also be
reduced using catalytic converters for spark-ignited engines or
using the Plasma-Assisted Catalytic Reduction (PACER) process for
lean-burn engine.
[0007] By increasing the combustion temperature and pressure, the
efficiency of a combustion system can usually be increased. As
shown in FIG. 1, the efficiency of the Brayton cycle generally
increases with temperature and pressure, but can decrease with
pressure when the temperature is too low. Hence, it is important to
operate at the highest temperature as possible to obtain high
efficiency. The maximum operational temperature of most combustion
systems, especially continuous flow ones, is limited by the
materials of construction and the corrosive and oxidative products
of combustion. In general, higher operational temperatures decrease
the materials physical properties (e.g., strength) and increase
corrosion and oxidation of the material.
[0008] Typically, gas turbines operate with excess air
(.PHI.=0.4-0.7) to reduce the operational temperature but produces
large amounts of corrosive, and oxidative gases. A two-staged
turbine can be used to reduce the corrosive and oxidative gases by
burning fuel rich in the first stage and stoichiometrically in the
second stage. However, in order to obtain acceptable combustion
temperatures in the first stage, the fuel ratio tends to be
excessively high which can result in soot formation and
fouling.
[0009] Another approach to reduce the combustion temperature is to
use nitrogen augmentation or enriched air. Air separation
technologies are used to enrich nitrogen in air up to 100%. To
obtain reasonably high efficiency, the fuel and nitrogen enriched
air are combusted in a single stage at stoichiometric conditions
which requires relatively large amounts of highly enriched nitrogen
oxidant.
[0010] The problem of increasing fuel efficiency while reducing
emissions should be solved because it affects energy consumption
and the environment. The present invention provides a solution to
this problem wherein multi-stage combustion technology is combined
with nitrogen-enriched air technology. In the combustion system of
the present invention, the first stage of combustion operates fuel
rich where most of the heat of combustion is released by burning
the fuel with nitrogen-enriched air. Part of the energy in the
combustion gases is used to perform work or to provide heat. The
cooled combustion gases are reheated by additional stages of
combustion until the last stage is at or near stoichiometric
conditions. Additional energy is extracted from each stage to
result in relatively high thermal cycle efficiency.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] It is an object of the present invention to increase fuel
efficiency in combustion systems while simultaneously reducing
polluting exhaust emissions.
[0012] A further object of the invention is to provide a combustion
system which controls the combustion temperature and products so as
to extend the maintenance and lifetime cycles of materials in
contact with the combustion products and reduce pollutants while
maintaining relatively high combustion and thermal cycle
efficiencies.
[0013] Another object of the invention is to combine multi-stage
combustion technology with nitrogen-enriched air technology.
[0014] Another object of the invention is to provide a multi-stage
combustion system using nitrogen-enriched air.
[0015] Another object of the invention is to provide a multi-stage
combustion system wherein the first stage of combustion operates
fuel rich, wherein part of the energy in the combustion gases is
used to perform work or to provide heat, and wherein the cooled
combustion gases are reheated by at least one additional stage of
combustion until the last stage is at or near stoichiometric
conditions.
[0016] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will
become apparent from the following description and accompanying
drawing. The invention is a multi-stage combustion system using
nitrogen-enriched air. The combustion system of this invention can
increase fuel efficiency while simultaneously reducing polluting
exhaust emissions. For example, a two-stage turbine can be used to
reduce the corrosive and oxidative gases by burning fuel rich in
the first stage and stoichiometrically in the second stage, with
the combustion temperature being reduced by the use of nitrogen
augmentation or enriched air. By operating the first stage of
combustion by burning the fuel with nitrogen-enriched air, most of
the heat of combustion is released in the burning process, part of
the energy in the combustion gases being used to perform work or to
provide heat, and the cooled combustion gases are reheated by
additional stages of combustion until the last stage is at or near
stoichiometric conditions. Additional energy is extracted from each
stage to result in relatively high thermal cycle efficiency. The
air is enriched with nitrogen using air separation technologies
such as diffusion, premeable membrane, absorption, and cryogenics.
The invention has application for various types of combustion
systems including turbines, boilers, furnaces, as well as
combustion engines, and various types of fuels can be utilized
including hydrogen, coal, methane, and various other carbon-based
fuels.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] The accompanying drawings which are incorporated into and
form a part of the disclosure, illustrate embodiments of the
invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the
principles of the invention.
[0018] FIG. 1 illustrates the Brayton Cycle efficiency at various
temperatures.
[0019] FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a multi-stage combustion
system using nitrogen-enriched air in accordance with the present
invention.
[0020] FIG. 3 illustrates a typing multi-stage gas turbine system
utilizing the multi-stage combustion with nitrogen-enriched air in
accordance with the invention.
[0021] FIG. 4 illustrates an alternate two-stage combustion turbine
engine configuration.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0022] The present invention is directed to multi-stage combustion
using nitrogen-enriched air. The combustion approach of this
invention results in lower pollutant emissions, lower corrosion
rates of combustion and heat-transfer equipment, and comparable or
improved efficiencies as compared to the typical combustion process
used in boilers, burners, turbines, and internal combustion
engines. This combustion approach combines the technologies of
stage-combustion with the use of nitrogen-enriched air for the
oxidant stream in one or more of the combustion stages.
[0023] The high oxidant loading in the effluent from many
combustion processes facilitates large corrosion rates in the
related combustion and process equipment, especially the equipment
that is in contact with high-temperature effluent. The high oxidant
concentration typically results from the single-stage burning of
fuel "lean" (more than the stoichiometric amount of air) to control
the combustion temperature, the corrosion rate, and the production
of pollutants. The monatomic oxygen formed, which is much higher
when fuel is burned oxidant-rich (fuel-lean), is particularly
corrosive. For boilers and burners fired with sulfur-containing
fuel, a reduction in the effluent oxygen concentration should
reduce the formation of SO.sub.3 and the associated corrosion of
the iron oxide layer (to form atomic iron and sulfate ion) on heat
transfer equipment, especially in the superheater and other
surfaces above 823K. Additionally, a low-oxygen concentration in
the effluent can help with the oxidation of vanadium to vanadium
trioxide instead of the much more corrosive pentoxide.
[0024] The combustion system of this invention involves burning
fuel in two or more stages in a combustion system, where the fuel
is combusted fuel-rich with nitrogen-enriched air in the first
stage, and then the fuel remaining after the first combustion stage
is burned in the remaining stage(s) with air or nitrogen-enriched
air. (see FIG. 2). All the combustion stages, except the last have
a slightly rich fuel/oxidant mixture, and the last stage has a
stoichiometric (or near stoichiometric) fuel/oxidant mixture.
Following each combustion stage, part of the energy from the
combustion gases is used to perform work or to provide heat. The
equivalency ratio for the first stage of combustion and the
nitrogen-enriched air are adjusted to achieve the desired
combustion temperature and reduced corrosion and pollutant levels.
The equivalency ratio and nitrogen enrichment concentration ranges
are respectively typically, .PHI.=1.1-1.5 and 81-88%. This method
of burning fuel substantially reduces the oxidant (i.e., O.sub.2
and O) and pollutant levels (i.e., NO and CO) in the effluent and,
thus, allow higher operational temperatures to maintain or increase
the thermal efficiency. This combustion method is applicable to
many types of combustion systems, including boilers, burners,
turbines, internal combustion engines, and many types of fuel
including hydrogen and carbon-based fuels. Application of SCNEA to
a two stage gas turbine combustion system cycle is shown
schematically in FIG. 3. First, air is enriched in nitrogen using
air separation technology and then compressed in a water-cooled
compressor to 30 atmospheres. The nitrogen enriched air enters the
first stage combustion chamber where it is mixed with fuel and
burns fuel rich. The combustion gases exit the combustion chamber
and enters a turbine at the combustion temperature of 1700K and the
pressure of 30 atmospheres. Work is performed in the turbine by
expansion of the gases to a temperature of 780K and a pressure of 2
atmospheres. The cooled combustion gases enter the second stage
where nitrogen-enriched air or air is added to burn the remaining
fuel in the second stage. The nitrogen-enriched air or air is
supplied by a compressor and heated in a heat exchanger by the
second stage exhaust gases.
[0025] The invention can be utilized for low-pollutant,
low-corrosion, high-efficiency combustion of low-sulfur coal in
boilers and furnaces, as well as the combustion of methane in
turbines.
[0026] Referring now to FIG. 2, the multi-stage combustion system
of the invention, generally indicated at 10, comprises a first
stage combustion section 11, a final stage combustion section 12,
each connected to a nitrogen enrichment air separation section 13,
as indicated by arrow 14 and 15, with arrow 15 being partially
dotted to enable insertion of any number of desired additional
combustion sections, with a dotted line 16 intermediate the
combustion sections 11 and 12. Fuel, indicated by arrow 17, is
supplied to the first stage combustion section 11, with work/heat
being extracted from combustion sections 11 and 12 as indicated by
arrows 18 and 19, and with an exhaust from combustion section 12 as
indicated by arrow 20, which may be, for example, low CO, NO.sub.x,
and O.sub.2.
[0027] Analytical verification of the invention has been carried
out relative to combustion of methane in turbines and the
combustion of low-sulfur coal in boilers, each using
nitrogen-enriched air for the oxidant stream in the first
stage.
[0028] The equilibrium reaction products (and thermodynamic values
for the reaction, i.e., .DELTA.H) are calculated using the computer
code FACT. All the combustion reactions were determined for
.DELTA.H=0, which corresponds to no heat loss by the system. The
combustion calculations were performed by assuming in initial
temperature, a constant pressure, no heat loss, and the final
temperature and equilibrium reaction products were determined with
the computer code. The fraction nitrogen in the nitrogen-enriched
air was adjusted to achieve a desired final temperature for the
first combustion stage.
[0029] The use of the invention in a two-stage turbine is described
followed by a description of the two-staged combustion of
low-sulfur coal in a boiler. The staged combustion
nitrogen-enriched air combustion system of this invention is
referred to herein after as the SCNEA method.
[0030] The two-stage turbine cycle was modeled as an ideal Brayton
cycle, where the first compression stage is water cooled and the
oxidant stream for the second combustion stage is preheated in a
heat exchanger by the hot effluent gases from the second turbine.
The thermodynamic calculations for the two-stage turbine cycle
(ideal Brayton cycle) were performed using the computer code
CyclePad, where the gas was standard air.
[0031] In the two-stage turbine cycle, the first compressor feed
would consist of nitrogen-enriched air mixed with the fuel (methane
for our example) at 300K and a pressure of one atmosphere. The
first compressor compresses the gas mixture to the desired pressure
(this compression increases the gas temperature). The mixture is
then combusted at a constant pressure. Nitrogen-enriched air is
used as the oxidant stream in the first combustion stage to allow
precise control of the combustion temperature (and correspondingly
the pollutant generation) while producing effluent gases that have
a very low oxidant loading. The combustion products at high
temperature and an elevated pressure are expanded to 2.0
atmospheres and work is extracted (this expansion results in a
lowering of the gas temperature). Since the first combustion stage
is operated fuel-rich (.PHI.>1), there is enough fuel remaining
in the effluent from the first combustion stage to be flammable
when mixed with a stoichiometric amount of air (or
nitrogen-enriched air). This mixture is combusted at a constant
pressure of 2.0 atmospheres in the second combustion stage. The
temperature of the second combustion stage is maintained below the
temperature of the first combustion stage by controlling the amount
of fuel remaining after the first combustion stage. The effluent
from the second combustion stage is then expanded to 1.0
atmospheres and work is again extracted. See FIG. 3 for a diagram
of the thermodynamic cycle used to model a two-stage turbine
cycle.
[0032] The thermodynamic cycle of compression-combustion-expansion
is the Brayton cycle. For the ideal Brayton cycle, the compression
and expansion (turbine) stages are assumed to be adiabatic and
isentropic, and the combustion stage is assumed to be isobaric. The
efficiency of the Brayton cycle can be increased sometimes by
increasing the maximum pressure. However, if the temperature is too
low, an increase in pressure can result in a decrease in
efficiency. See FIG. 1 for a plot of the real Brayton cycle
efficiency as a function of pressure for various temperatures.
[0033] From FIG. 1, it is clear that if the compression ratio is
above 15, the temperature should be at least 1400K. The low oxidant
loading in the effluent when using the SCNEA method allow both
higher temperatures and higher pressures without increasing
corrosion rates over those of typical combustion facilities. These
allowable increases in temperature and pressure, when using SCNEA
method, lead to higher Brayton cycle efficiencies.
[0034] The SCNEA of methane in the two-stage turbine cycle, as
shown in FIG. 3, is described below for each unit operation. Also,
described hereinafter is the SCNEA of methane in a single-stage
turbine cycle.
[0035] First Fuel/Oxidant Mixing Stage:
[0036] The fuel, methane in this example, at 300K is mixed with
nitrogen-enriched air at 300K in the first mixing stage at a
pressure of one atmosphere.
[0037] First Compression:
[0038] The nitrogen-enriched air and methane mixture is input to
the compressor at 300K and 1.0 atmosphere. The compressor increases
the pressure of the gas mixture to 30 atmospheres, and because the
compressor is assumed to be water-cooled, the compressed gas is
assumed to exit the compressor at a temperature of 350K.
[0039] First Combustion Stage:
[0040] The methane and nitrogen-enriched air mixture at 30
atmospheres and 350K is input to the first combustion chamber where
most of the methane is burned and the temperature is increased to
1700K.
[0041] The relative amount of fuel and air in the combustion
mixture is described by < >, the ratio of mass fuel to mass
air divided by the ratio of mass fuel to mass air for a
stoichiometric mixture [i.e., (Mass Fuel/Mass Air)/(Mass Fuel/Mass
Air).sub.s]. For .PHI.>1, the mixture is fuel-rich and for
.PHI.>1, the mixture is fuel-lean. The combustion temperature as
a function of the mole percent nitrogen in the nitrogen-enriched
air for various values of .PHI. have been plotted but not shown
herein.
[0042] It is important to ensure that the gas mixture anticipated
for the first combustion stage is flammable. The flammability
limits for nitrogen-air-methane mixtures at room temperature and
atmospheric pressure have been plotted. The percent excess nitrogen
([N.sub.2(ex)/[N.sub.2(ex)+N.sub.2(air)+O.sub.2(air)+CH.sub.4]]*100%)
has been plotted versus the percent methane
([CH.sub.4/[(N.sub.2(ex)+N.sub.2(-
air)+O.sub.2(air)+CH.sub.4]]*100%). Mixture compositions that fall
to the left of a solid line were flammable and mixture compositions
that fall to the right of that solid line were non-flammable.
[0043] Various fuel/oxidant mixtures, their corresponding
.PHI.-values, their corresponding excess nitrogen percentages,
their corresponding percent nitrogen values, and the corresponding
mole percent of fuel remaining after the first combustion stage are
given in Table 1. For a final temperature of 1700K, mixtures with
less than about 35% excess nitrogen are flammable (at 300K and 1
atm). This indicates that a stoichiometric mixture case 6 may not
be flammable, and that mixtures for cases 1-4 would be flammable.
As a conservative approach to insure flammability of the
fuel/oxidant mixture, the flammability limits at room conditions
are applied to the input conditions of the first combustion stage,
when actually an increase in temperature and pressure would expand
and widen the flammability envelope.
[0044] For Cases #1-4 in Table 1 (.PHI.=1.33-1.111), the mole
percent fuel remaining after the first combustion is from 7.33% to
2.67%. Since the fuel components remaining in the effluent from the
first combustion stage are mainly hydrogen and carbon monoxide, a
reasonable flammability limit is about 4%. For this flammability
limit, the mixtures for Cases #1-3 are appropriate for the example
of SCNEA in a two-staged turbine cycle. Additionally, since the
final temperature of the second stage combustion increases (and
correspondingly the pollutant generation i.e., NO and CO) with
.PHI., it is desirable to minimize .PHI. while still allowing the
gas mixture entering the second combustion stage to be flammable.
Therefore, a .PHI. of 1.176 (Case #3), which corresponds to a mole
percent fuel remaining after the first combustion of 4.2%, is close
to the best choice for operation of a two-staged turbine cycle
since SCNEA. In the following sections of this example, details of
the reaction products and the turbine cycle attributes for the
mixture described by Case #3 in Table 1 is addressed.
1TABLE 1 Various fuel/oxidant stream mixtures and their
corresponding percent nitrogen excess, percent nitrogen in
nitrogen-enriched air, .PHI.-value, and the mole percent fuel
remaining after the first combustion. (T.sub.i = 350K, T.sub.i =
1700K, P.sub.i = P.sub.i = 30 atm) Percent N.sub.2 Mole % fuel
Percent In Remaining O.sub.2 N.sub.2 N.sub.2 N.sub.2 N.sub.2
N.sub.2-Enriched After 1.sup.st CH.sub.4 (air) (air) (total)
(excess) (excess) Air Combustion Case # (mol) (mol) (mol) (mol)
(mol) (%) (%) .PHI. (%) 1 1 1.5 5.643 8.559 2.916 26.37 85.09 1.333
7.33 2 1 1.6 6.019 9.650 3.631 29.64 85.78 1.250 5.76 3 1 1.7 6.395
10.748 4.353 32.37 86.34 1.176 4.20 4 1 1.8 6.771 11.852 5.081
34.67 86.81 1.111 2.67 5 1 1.9 7.148 12.962 5.814 36.66 87.21 1.053
1.25 6 1 2 7.524 14.058 6.5342 38.31 87.54 1.000 0 7 1 3.3445
12.582 12.582 0 0 79.00 0.598 0
[0045] First Expansion Stage:
[0046] The first expansion stage consists of expanding the products
of the first combustion stage, which are at 1700K and 30
atmospheres, to a pressure of two atmospheres. For an isentropic
and adiabatic expansion of air at 1700K and 30 atmospheres to a
pressure of 2 atmospheres, the final gas temperature is 784.2K.
[0047] Second Compression Stage
[0048] The air stream for the second combustion stage is
adiabatically and isentropically compressed from a temperature of
300K and a pressure of one atmosphere to a pressure of two
atmospheres. This compression results in a final gas temperature of
365.7K. This gas at 2 atmospheres and 365.7K is then passed through
a heat exchanger where it is isobarically heated to a temperature
of 784.2K with the effluent from the second turbine.
[0049] Second Fuel/Oxidant Mixing Stage:
[0050] The air at a pressure of two atmospheres and a temperature
of 784.2K is mixed with the effluent from the first combustion
stage, which is also at a pressure of two atmospheres and a
temperature of 784.2K.
[0051] Second Combustion Stage:
[0052] The flammable gas mixture at a pressure of 2 atmospheres and
a temperature of 784.2K is combusted at a constant pressure in the
second combustion stage. The final temperature of the second
combustion stage is dependent upon the amount of fuel remaining
after the first combustion stage. The .PHI. for the gas mixture
input to the first combustion stage is related to the temperature
of the second combustion stage. The higher the .PHI.-value (for
.PHI.>1) for the first combustion stage, the more fuel will
remain after the first combustion stage (see table 4.1), and the
higher the final temperature of the second combustion stage.
[0053] For our example with .PHI.=1.176 for the first combustion
stage, the final temperature of the second combustion stage is
1093.7K.
[0054] Second Expansion Stage:
[0055] The hot gases from the second combustion stage are
isentropically and adiabatically expanded from a pressure of two
atmospheres to a pressure of one atmosphere in the second turbine.
This expansion results in a lowering of the gas temperature.
[0056] For our example with .PHI.=1.176, the gas temperature is
reduced to 897.2 when it is expanded to a pressure of one
atmosphere. This gas from the second expansion stage is passed
through a heat exchanger (to heat the input air to the second
combustion stage from 365.7K to 784.2K) before being released to
the environment.
[0057] Emissions and Brayton Cycle Results for the SCNEA of Methane
in a Two-Staged Turbine Cycle:
[0058] The emissions of pollutants and oxidizing gases from SCNEA
of methane in a two-staged turbine cycle are as follows:
1.16.times.10.sup.-6 moles NO per mole CH.sub.4 feed
(1.53.times.10.sup.-11 kg NO per BTU); 1.95.times.10.sup.-6 moles
CO per mole CH.sub.4 feed (2.4.times.10.sup.-11 kg CO per BTU); and
2.33.times.10.sup.-6 moles oxygen (O plus O.sub.2) per mole
CH.sub.4 feed.
[0059] For a feed rate of 1 kg/s (methane+nitrogen-enriched air),
the ideal two-staged Brayton cycle with a water-cooled first
compressor and a heat exchanger to heat the input air to the second
combustion chamber with the effluent from the second turbine
produces a net power of 819.8 kW. Since the ratio of the real
Brayton cycle efficiency to the ideal Brayton cycle efficiency is
0.699 for the compression pressures in this example, the real
Brayton cycle net power is 573.0 kW. Since there is an energy cost
for producing the nitrogen-enriched air, this "energy cost" must be
subtracted from the net power. From vendor information, the energy
cost for producing the nitrogen-enriched air is about 150 kW per
kilogram of excess nitrogen. Therefore, considering the energy cost
of the nitrogen-enriched air, the real Brayton cycle net power is
560.2 kW. Since the mass fraction of the methane in the feed was
4.309.times.10.sup.-2, the real Brayton cycle net power per mass
methane is 1.30.times.10.sup.4 kW/kg Ch.sub.4.
[0060] Single-Stage Turbine Cycle Using Nitrogen-Enriched Air for
the Oxidant Stream:
[0061] In this section, a single-stage methane-burning turbine
cycle where the oxidant stream is nitrogen-enriched air is
examined. For this analysis, the operating pressures and
temperatures are the same as those for the first stage of the
two-stage turbine cycle, i.e., (1) fuel/oxidant mixture is input to
the compressor at 300K and one atmosphere, (2) gases exiting the
water cooled compressor are at 350K and 30 atmosphere, and (3) the
final temperature of the combustion is 1700K.
[0062] Since there is one combustion stage, the fuel/oxidant
mixture should be at or near the stoichiometric (.PHI.=1)
composition (see Case #6, Table 1) to ensure that the fuel
consumption is as complete as possible. The hot effluent gases
(P=3-atm, T=1700K) are expanded to one atmosphere. This expansion
reduces the gas temperature to 643.3K.
[0063] The emissions of pollutants and oxidizing gases from the
single-stage combustion of methane using nitrogen-enriched air in a
single-staged turbine cycle are as follows: 8.41.times.10.sup.-4
moles NO per mole CH.sub.4 feed (1.42.times.10.sup.-8 kg NO per
BTU); 1.72.times.10.sup.-3 moles CO per mole CH.sub.4 feed
(2.7.times.10.sup.8 kg CO per BTU); and 8.6.times.10.sup.-4 moles
oxygen (O plus O.sub.2) per mole CH.sub.4 feed.
[0064] For a single stage turbine cycle burning methane with
nitrogen-enriched air, the ideal Brayton cycle net power is 744.0
kW. Since the ratio of the real Brayton cycle efficiency to the
ideal Brayton cycle efficiency for this case is 0.6413, the real
Brayton cycle net power is 477.1 kW. Adjusting for the energy cost
of enriching the air with nitrogen at a rate of 150 kW per kilogram
of excess nitrogen, the adjusted net power for the real Brayton
cycle is 419.2 kW. Then, with a mass fraction of methane in the
feed of 3.378.times.10.sup.-2, the real Brayton cycle net power as
a function of mass methane is 1.24.times.10.sup.4 kW/kg
CH.sub.4.
[0065] Single-Stage Turbine Cycle Using Excess Air for the Oxidant
Stream:
[0066] In this section, a single-stage methane-burning turbine
cycle where the oxidant stream is air is examined. For this
analysis, the operating pressures and temperatures are the same as
those for the first stage of the two-stage turbine cycle, i.e., (1)
fuel/oxidant mixture is input to the compressor at 300K and one
atmosphere, (2) gases exiting the water cooled compressor are at
350K and 30 atmospheres, and (3) the final temperature of the
combustion is 1700K.
[0067] For this case, the fuel/air mixture must be very fuel-lean
(excess air) to maintain a final combustion temperature of 1700K.
The mixture composition has a .PHI. of about 0.6 (see Case #7 in
Table 1). The hot effluent gases (P=30 atm, T=1700K) are expanded
to one atmosphere. This expansion reduces the gas temperature to
643.3K.
[0068] The emissions of pollutants and oxidizing gases from the
single-stage combustion of methane using excess air in a
single-staged turbine cycle are as follows: 1.13.times.10.sup.-2
moles NO per mole CH.sub.4 feed (1.9.times.10.sup.-7 kgNO per BTU);
4.37.times.10.sup.-5 moles CO per mole CH.sub.4 feed
(6.9.times.10.sup.-10 kg CO per BTU); and 1.33 moles oxygen (O plus
O.sub.2) per mole CH.sub.4 feed.
[0069] For a single-stage cycle burning methane with excess air,
the ideal Brayton cycle net power is 749.2 kW for a feed
(methane+nitrogen-enriched air) rate of 1 kg/s. For this case, the
ratio of the real Brayton cycle efficiency to the ideal Brayton
cycle efficiently is 0.6413, and the real Brayton cycle net power
is 480.4 kW. Since the mass fraction of the methane in the feed is
3.366.times.10.sup.2, the real Brayton cycle net power as a
function of the mass methane is 1.43.times.10.sup.4 kW/kg
CH.sub.4.
[0070] Summary Brayton Cycle and Effluent Results for SCNEA of
Methane in Turbines:
[0071] The summary effluent and Brayton cycle results for: (1)
single-stage turbine cycle burning methane with excess air; (2)
single-stage Brayton cycle burning methane with nitrogen-enriched
air; and (3) two-stage Brayton cycle burning methane with
nitrogen-enriched air in the first stage at .PHI.=1.176 and burning
the remaining fuel in the second-stage with stoichiometric air are
given in Table 2.
2TABLE 2 Summary effluent and fuel efficiency results for one- and
two-stage Brayton cycles Effluent O & O.sub.2 Feed NO CO (moles
O & Power Cycle # CH.sub.4 O.sub.2 N.sub.2 (kg (kg O.sub.2/mole
Efficiency Description Stages (mole) (mole) (mole) .PHI. NO/BTU
CO/BTU CH.sub.4) (kW/kg CH.sub.4) Single/stage w/ 1 1.0 3.3445
12.582 0.6 1.9 .times. 10.sup.-7 6.9 .times. 10.sup.-10 1.33 1.43
.times. 10.sup.4 Excess air Single/stage w/ 1 1.0 2.0 14.058 1.0
1.42 .times. 10.sup.-8 2.7 .times. 10.sup.-8 8.6 .times. 10.sup.-4
1.24 .times. 10.sup.4 N.sub.2-enriched air Two-staged w/ 2 1.0 1.7
10.748 1.176, 1.53 .times. 10.sup.-11 2.4 .times. 10.sup.-11 2.33
.times. 10.sup.-6 1.30 .times. 10.sup.4 N.sub.2-enriched air 1.0
(SCNEA)
[0072] As shown in Table 2, the single-stage cycle using
nitrogen-enriched air produces over 10 times less NO and over 1000
times less oxidant in the effluent with a decrease in fuel
efficiency of 13.3% as compared to the single-stage cycle using
excess air. Therefore, the decrease in NO and oxidant in the
effluent has a cost of 13.3% less fuel efficiency. This decrease in
fuel efficiency may be overcome in practice, however, since the
single-stage cycle using nitrogen-enriched air can be operated at a
higher temperature than the single-stage cycle with excess air with
no appreciable increase in corrosion (due to the decreased oxidant
loading for the single-stage cycle with nitrogen-enriched air) and
obtain a corresponding increase in efficiency.
[0073] The SCNEA of methane in a two-staged turbine cycle provides
the lowest pollutant and oxidant production rates of the cycles
considered. The two-stage cycle using nitrogen-enriched air for the
first-stage and air for the second stage produces over 10,000 times
less NO, over 10 times less CO, over 500,000 times less oxidant
with a decrease in fuel efficiency of 9.1% as compared to the
single-stage cycle using excess air. Additionally, the two-stage
turbine cycle has better performance than the single-stage turbine
cycle using nitrogen-enriched air. The two-stage cycle using
nitrogen-enriched air in the first stage produces almost 1000 times
less NO, over 1000 times less CO, and over 100 times less oxidants
with an increase in fuel efficiency of about 4.8% as compared to
the single-stage cycle using nitrogen-enriched air.
[0074] An alternate two sage combustion turbine engine
configuration is shown in FIG. 4. The air separation is achieved by
putting compressed air into a permeable membrane. Nitrogen
enrichment occurs as the compressed air flow down the length of the
membrane because the oxygen permeates faster through the membrane
than nitrogen. The pressure drop for the nitrogen enriched air is
about 1-2 psi down the length and hence the process is relatively
energy efficient. Another feature also shown in the figure is the
injection of fuel into the second stage to ensure that combustion
occurs. For similar operating conditions as those shown in FIG. 3,
this alternate configuration would have an energy reduction of less
than 3.5% compared to a single stage combustion with excess air.
The NO.sub.x effluent would be less than 10E-11 kg/btu.
[0075] The following demonstrates the benefits of SCNEA by
examining the two-staged combustion of low-sulfur coal in a boiler
or burner using nitrogen-enriched air for the oxidant stream in the
first stage.
[0076] For SCNEA in two stages, the first combustion stage is
operated slightly fuel-rich so that there is just enough fuel
remaining for a second combustion stage. Nitrogen-enriched air is
used as the oxidant stream in the first combustion stage, which
allows precise control of the combustion temperature (and
correspondingly the pollutant generation) while producing effluent
gases that have a very low oxidant loading (1,000 times less
oxidant loading than fuel burned lean with excess air). The fuel
remaining after the first combustion stage (along with the other
effluent gases) is mixed with a stoichiometric amount of air and
burned in the second stage. The temperature of the second
combustion stage is maintained below the temperature of the first
combustion stage (by controlling the amount of fuel remaining after
the first combustion stage or using nitrogen-enriched air as the
oxidant stream).
[0077] Two-Staged SCNEA of Coal in a Boiler or Burner: An
Example
[0078] First-Stage Combustion:
[0079] Consider the combustion of low-sulfur coal in the first
stage of a two-stage combustion process. The first combustion stage
is operated slightly fuel-rich and the oxidant stream is
nitrogen-enriched air. The initial temperature of the feed (oxidant
stream and coal) is 300K, the final temperature was chosen as
1800K, and the pressure was assumed constant at 1.2
atmospheres.
[0080] The input to the first combustion stage and the products
from the first combustion stage (per mole feed) are given in Table
3.1 for three different nitrogen-enrichment levels. The oxidant
loadings (O & O.sub.2) in the effluent from the first-stage
combustion as a function of mole percent nitrogen in the
nitrogen-enriched air have been plotted. The relative amount of
fuel and air in the combustion mixture is described by .PHI., the
ratio of mass fuel to mass air divided by the ratio of mass fuel to
mass air for a stoichiometric mixture [i.e., (Mass Fuel/Mass
Air)/(Mass Fuel Air.sub.2). For .PHI.>1, the fuel-oxidant
mixture is fuel-rich and for .PHI.<1, the fuel-oxidant mixture
is fuel-lean. Increasing the nitrogen level in the nitrogen
enriched air, decreases the combustion temperature, and the oxidant
(O & O.sub.2) and pollutant (NO & CO) loading in the
effluent gases. Also, increasing .PHI. decreases the combustion
temperature, and the oxidant (O & O.sub.2) and pollutant (NO
& CO) loading in the effluent gases.
3TABLE 3.1 Input to First-Stage Combustion 300K, 1.2 atm CH.sub.4
O.sub.2 N.sub.2 % N.sub.2 in N.sub.2-Enriched Air Case # (mol)
(mol) (mol) .PHI. (%) 1 1 0.632 4.181 1.158 86.9 2 1 0.61 3.958
1.20 86.6 3 1 0.53 3.169 1.376 85.6
[0081] If air is used as the oxidant stream in a two-stage coal
combustion process where the first stage has a fuel-rich mixture,
the fuel-air mixture would need to be extremely fuel-rich to
control the combustion temperature at 1800K. For example, the
coat/air mixture would require a .PHI. of about 2.2 to obtain a
combustion temperature of 1800K (initial temperature 300K, pressure
1.2 atm). Burning coal very fuel-rich results in incomplete
combustion with soot occurring and undesirable deposition, slagging
and fouling. This high .PHI.-value corresponds to about 50% of the
stoichiometric oxidant required for complete combustion. The effect
of .PHI. on the production of oxidants and pollutants and on the
combustion temperature have been plotted for the combustion of
low-sulfur coal with air (initial temperature 300K, constant
pressure 1.2 atmospheres).
[0082] Second-Stage Combustion:
[0083] The gaseous effluents from the first combustion stage are
mixed with air (or nitrogen-enriched air at the stoichiometric
ratio, i.e., .PHI.=1) and burned in the second combustion stage.
The temperature of the effluent gases from the first combustion
stage (entering the second combustion stage) depends on how much
heat has been extracted from the effluent gases (e.g., to produce
steam in the boiler). The final temperature of the second
combustion stage (and the resultant oxidant loading in the
effluent) depends on the initial temperature and the amount of fuel
in the second combustion stage.
[0084] For our example, the input gases for the second stage are
the product gases from the first-stage combustion of low-sulfur
coat (Table 3.2). The final temperature of the second-stage
combustion and the oxidant loading in the second-stage effluent
gases increases as the input temperature to the second combustion
stage increases. Additionally, the final temperature of the
second-stage combustion and the oxidant loading of the second-stage
effluent gases increases, as .PHI. for the first combustion stage
increases (more fuel-rich in the first combustion stage, higher
combustion temperature in the second combustion stage). This can be
understood by observing that as .PHI. increases (for .PHI.>1),
the amount of fuel left after the first combustion increases, and
the temperature achieved when that residual fuel is burned in the
second stage increases.
4TABLE 3.1B Products of First-Stage Combustion of Low-Sulfur Coat
at 180K and 1.2 atmospheres Case N.sub.2 NO H.sub.2O CO H.sub.2
SO.sub.2 H H.sub.2S SO OH HS NO # (mol) (mol) (mol) (mol) (mol)
(mol) (mol) (mol) (mol) (mol) (mol) (mol) 1 4.508 0.476 0.273 0.147
2.25 .times. 10.sup.-2 1.01 .times. 10.sup.-3 1.10 .times.
10.sup.-4 2.86 .times. 10.sup.-6 3.06 .times. 10.sup.-5 9.04
.times. 10.sup.-5 1.58 .times. 10.sup.-4 2.99 .times. 10.sup.-5 2
4.368 0.439 0.266 0.184 2.97 .times. 10.sup.-2 9.93 .times.
10.sup.-4 1.24 .times. 10.sup.-4 7.12 .times. 10.sup.-6 4.07
.times. 10.sup.-5 7.49 .times. 10.sup.-5 3.33 .times. 10.sup.-4
2.10 .times. 10.sup.-5 3 3.872 0.315 0.235 0.308 6.11 .times.
10.sup.-2 8.36 .times. 10.sup.-4 1.63 .times. 10.sup.-4 8.01
.times. 10.sup.-5 8.00 .times. 10.sup.-5 4.22 .times. 10.sup.-5
2.39 .times. 10.sup.-5 7.39 .times. 10.sup.-6
[0085] Optimizing .PHI. for the SCNEA Method:
[0086] The input temperature of the second combustion stage and the
.PHI.-value should be minimized to minimize the oxidant and
pollutant loading in the effluent from the second combustion stage.
However, the .PHI.-value should not be too close to one or enough
fuel will not remain for the second combustion, NO production will
increase, and the oxidant levels in the effluent will increase. The
.PHI.-value should be sufficiently above one so that the fuel
remaining after the first combustion stage, when mixed with a
stoichiometric amount of air (or nitrogen-enriched air at .PHI.=1),
is above the lower flammability limit. Keeping the final
temperature of the second stage combustion lower than that of the
first stage combustion requires .PHI. be kept less than about
1.3.
[0087] The fuel remaining after the first combustion stage is
composed predominantly of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, with some
sulfur monoxide. A fuel/air mixture at 1000K, where the fuel is
mainly CO, H.sub.2, and SO, should be flammable when the fuel
percentage is about 4 or 5%, which corresponds to a .PHI. of about
1.2. (see Table 3.2).
[0088] When coal is combusted in the first combustion stage with
nitrogen-enriched air at .PHI.=1.2, enters the second combustion
chamber at 1000K, and is combusted in the second combustion chamber
with air at .PHI.=1.0, the final combustion temperature in the
second combustion stage is 1237.2K.
5TABLE 3.2 Mole percent fuel in second stage combustion mixture as
a function of .PHI. .PHI. Mole Percent Fuel in lst Combustion
Effluent 1.158 3.3 1.20 4.4 1.376 9.0
[0089] Results for SCNEA of Low-Sulfur Coal in a Two-Stage
Boiler:
[0090] The net pollutant and oxidant production when low sulfur
coal is combusted in a two-stage boiler using nitrogen-enriched air
in the first stage to burn the coal fuel-rich (.PHI.=1.2) and a
stoichiometric amount of air in the second stage are as follows:
8.96.times.10.sup.-10 kgNO/BTU, 3.69.times.10.sup.-10 kg CO/BTU,
3.68.times.10.sup.-14 kgO/BTU, and 5.90.times.10.sup.-9
kgO.sub.2/BTU.
[0091] Single-Stage Combustion of Low-Sulfur Coal Using Excess
Air:
[0092] In single-stage combustion, the fuel is burned nearly
completely in one stage. Fuel is not burned rich (.PHI.>1) in
single-stage combustion because it results in incomplete combustion
(fuel inefficiency), and the products from incomplete combustion
can cause corrosion and scale problems. Single-stage combustion at
the stoichiometric mixture of air and fuel results in very high
combustion temperatures (>2300K) and high pollution generation
levels. To lower the combustion temperature in single-stage
combustion, fuel is usually burned lean (excess air, i.e.,
(.PHI.<1). Burning fuel lean lowers the combustion temperature,
but results in an effluent with high oxidant (O & O.sub.2) and
pollutant (NO & CO) levels.
[0093] When low-sulfur coal (300K) is combusted with air (300K) to
give a combustion temperature of 1800K, the coal must be burned
very fuel lean (.PHI.=0.6121). This lean burning with excess air
results in an oxidant-rich product stream with 3.43.times.10.sup.-5
kg O.sub.2/BTU (0.4707 moles O.sub.2 generated per mole of coal),
6.75.times.10.sup.-9 kg O/BTU (1.85.times.10.sup.-2 moles O
generated per mole coal), 1.09.times.10.sup.-6 kg NO/BTU
(1.59.times.10.sup.-2 moles NO/mole coal), 2.60.times.10.sup.-8 kg
CO/BTU (4.07.times.10.sup.-4 moles CO/mole coal).
[0094] Single-Stage Combustion of Low-Sulfur Coal Using
Nitrogen-Enriched Air:
[0095] When using nitrogen-enriched air in single-stage combustion,
the oxygen content in the air is the stoichiometric quantity
(.PHI.=1) and the nitrogen is enriched in the air to control the
combustion temperature. This lack of excess oxidant in the feed
results in an oxygen-depleted effluent stream with net pollutant
oxidant production as follows: 2.03.times.10.sup.-7 kg NO/BTU
(2.97.times.10.sup.-3 moles NO/mole coal),
1.46.times.10.times.10.sup.-7 kg CO/BTU (2.29.times.10.sup.-3 moles
CO/mole coal), 1.19.times.10.sup.-9 kg O/BTU (3.27.times.10.sup.-5
moles 0/mole coal), and 1.07.times.10.sup.-6 kg O.sub.2/BTU
(1.47.times.10.sup.-2 moles O.sub.2 generated per mole of
coal).
[0096] Comparison of LCSL of Low-Sulfur Coal to Other Combustion
Methods:
[0097] The LCSL of low-sulfur coal is compared to (1) single-stage
combustion with excess air, and (2) single-stage combustion with
nitrogen-enriched air. The summary results for the oxidant
production rates and pollutant generation rates for low-sulfur coal
burned using: (1) two-staged SCNEA, (2) single-stage combustion
with excess air, and (3) single-stage combustion with
nitrogen-enriched air are listed in Table 3.3 for purposes of
comparison.
[0098] The results in Table 3.3 show that, as compared to the
single-stage combustion of coal with excess air, the single-stage
combustion of coal with nitrogen-enriched air reduces the O.sub.2
production rate by over a factor of 30, the O production rate by
over a factor of 5, and the NO production rate by over a factor of
5. Additionally, as compared to the single-stage combustion of coal
with excess air, the Two-Stage Low Corrosion Combustion (TSLCC) of
coal reduces the O.sub.2 generation rate by over a factor of 5800,
the O generation rate by over a factor of 1.8.times.10.sup.5, the
CO generation rate by over a factor of 70, and the NO production
rate by over a factor of 1200.
[0099] These results clearly show the benefit of the SCNEA of coal
in dramatically reducing the oxidant and pollutant loading in the
effluent as compared it single-stage combustion with air or with
nitrogen-enriched air.
6TABLE 3.3 Summary Results For Combustion of Low-Sulfur Coal: (A)
Single-Stage Combustion with Excess Air; (B) Single-Stage
Combustion with Nitrogen-Enriched Air, and (C) Low-Corrosion Staged
Combustion (SCNEA) Oxidant Oxidant Stream Stream O NO CO # For
1.sup.st For 2.sup.nd O.sub.2 (kg (kg (kg Method Stages Stage .PHI.
Stage (kg O2/BTU O/BTU) NO/BTU) CO/BTU) A 1 Air 0.612 -NA- 3.43
.times. 10.sup.-5 6.75 .times. 10.sup.-9 1.09 .times. 10.sup.-6
2.60 .times. 10.sup.-8 B 1 N.sub.2- 1.0 -NA- 1.07 .times. 10.sup.-6
1.19 .times. 10.sup.-9 2.03 .times. 10.sup.-7 1.46 .times.
10.sup.-7 Enrich. Air C 2 N.sub.2- 1.2, Air 5.90 .times. 10.sup.-9
3.68 .times. 10.sup.-14 8.96 .times. 10.sup.-10 3.69 .times.
10.sup.-10 (SCNEA) Enrich. 1.0 Air Note: Initial Temperature was
300K, Combustion Temperature of first stage was 1800K, Input
Temperature to Second-Stage Combustion (if application) was
1000K)
[0100] It has thus been shown that the present invention enables
control of the combustion temperature and products so as to extend
the maintenance and lifetime cycles of materials in contact with
combustion products and to reduce pollutants while maintaining
relatively high combustion and thermal cycle efficiencies. It has
been shown that the invention can be utilized for the combustion of
methane in turbines, combustion of low-sulfur coal in burners or
boilers, as well as many types of fuel including hydrogen and other
carbon-based fuels in any two-stage or multistage applications,
including internal combustion engines. Also, it has been shown that
the addition of nitrogen-enriched air to single stage combustion
systems improves the efficiency. The air is enriched with nitrogen
using air separation technologies such as diffusion permeable
membrane, absorption, and cryogenics. Potential uses of the
invention include replacement/modification of current combustion
systems to extend their maintenance and lifetime cycles and to
reduce pollutants while maintaining relatively high combustion and
thermal efficiencies. The biggest impact of this invention will be
with respect to power plants and large vehicles such as trains and
ships.
[0101] While various embodiments of the invention have been
illustrated and or described, with various parameters, etc. set
forth that exemplify and teach the principles of the invention,
such are not intended to be limiting. Modifications and changes may
become apparent to those skilled in the art, and it is intended
that the invention be limited only by the scope of the appended
claims.
* * * * *