GB2146759A - Burner - Google Patents
Burner Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2146759A GB2146759A GB08423147A GB8423147A GB2146759A GB 2146759 A GB2146759 A GB 2146759A GB 08423147 A GB08423147 A GB 08423147A GB 8423147 A GB8423147 A GB 8423147A GB 2146759 A GB2146759 A GB 2146759A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- combustion chamber
- burner
- cylinder
- channels
- fuel
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
- 238000002485 combustion reaction Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 50
- 239000000446 fuel Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 22
- 239000007789 gas Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 13
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 12
- QVGXLLKOCUKJST-UHFFFAOYSA-N atomic oxygen Chemical compound [O] QVGXLLKOCUKJST-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims abstract description 9
- 239000001301 oxygen Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 9
- 229910052760 oxygen Inorganic materials 0.000 claims abstract description 9
- 230000000737 periodic effect Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 6
- 238000004880 explosion Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 4
- 239000002360 explosive Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 4
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 claims description 7
- PXHVJJICTQNCMI-UHFFFAOYSA-N Nickel Chemical compound [Ni] PXHVJJICTQNCMI-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 6
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 4
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 4
- 239000012809 cooling fluid Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 238000005507 spraying Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- VYZAMTAEIAYCRO-UHFFFAOYSA-N Chromium Chemical compound [Cr] VYZAMTAEIAYCRO-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 2
- ZOKXTWBITQBERF-UHFFFAOYSA-N Molybdenum Chemical compound [Mo] ZOKXTWBITQBERF-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 2
- 229910001257 Nb alloy Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000011651 chromium Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000011733 molybdenum Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 claims 2
- 229910000599 Cr alloy Inorganic materials 0.000 claims 1
- 229910001182 Mo alloy Inorganic materials 0.000 claims 1
- 229910000990 Ni alloy Inorganic materials 0.000 claims 1
- 238000011084 recovery Methods 0.000 abstract description 4
- 239000010779 crude oil Substances 0.000 abstract description 3
- 239000000498 cooling water Substances 0.000 abstract 1
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 4
- IJGRMHOSHXDMSA-UHFFFAOYSA-N Atomic nitrogen Chemical compound N#N IJGRMHOSHXDMSA-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000002826 coolant Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 2
- 229910001119 inconels 625 Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229910052751 metal Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229910052759 nickel Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 238000006243 chemical reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229910052804 chromium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000003245 coal Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000001419 dependent effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000004907 flux Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000008246 gaseous mixture Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000007792 gaseous phase Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000011065 in-situ storage Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000977 initiatory effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000003801 milling Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229910052750 molybdenum Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 229910052757 nitrogen Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 230000001105 regulatory effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000630 rising effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000011435 rock Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000004065 semiconductor Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000035882 stress Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000008646 thermal stress Effects 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F23—COMBUSTION APPARATUS; COMBUSTION PROCESSES
- F23C—METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR COMBUSTION USING FLUID FUEL OR SOLID FUEL SUSPENDED IN A CARRIER GAS OR AIR
- F23C15/00—Apparatus in which combustion takes place in pulses influenced by acoustic resonance in a gas mass
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
- E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- E21B36/00—Heating, cooling or insulating arrangements for boreholes or wells, e.g. for use in permafrost zones
- E21B36/02—Heating, cooling or insulating arrangements for boreholes or wells, e.g. for use in permafrost zones using burners
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Geology (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
- Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
- Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Nozzles For Spraying Of Liquid Fuel (AREA)
- Fluidized-Bed Combustion And Resonant Combustion (AREA)
Abstract
Burner having a pulsating mode of operation comprising a combustion chamber 1 for the periodic burning of successive separate charges of combustible fuel supplied to the combustion chamber, inlets 4 and 5 for fuel and air for supplying the combustible fuel to the combustion chamber and an igniter 3 for periodically igniting the fuel and oxygen containing gas. The combustion chamber has a wall in at least two co-axial parts 11,12. The parts are interference fitted together and have one or more recesses 14 in one or more of the parts so as to form internal channels capable of allowing the passage of cooling water. During use of the burner, a series of explosion waves is produced in the burner by periodic ignition of the successive separate explosive mixture charges. The burner may be used underground in the thermal recovery of crude oil. <IMAGE>
Description
SPECIFICATION
Burner
The present invention relates to burners and more particularly relates to burners having a pulsating mode of operation.
Interest in thermal recovery techniques for the recovery of viscous crude oils, the possibility of in-situ coal conversion, etc., has led to interest in burners capable of operating in strata at depths of down to several thousand feet.
A burner suitable for operation at these depths is described in UK Patents Nos.
1254452 and 1254453. The burner has a pulsating mode of operation and comprises a combustion chamber having grossly rough internai walls and a gaseous oxygen/fuel inlet system which has a low resistance to gaseous flow and which is arranged to mix the fuel and oxygen at one end of the combustion chamber, whereby, during use of the burner, a series of explosion waves is produced by repeated ignition of an explosive mixture fed into the combustion chamber.
These burners produce high pressures during combustion and the combustion chamber is subjected to repeated high pressure pulses.
To withstand these stresses the walls of the combustion chamber need to be substantial. If the chamber is cooled conventionally by use say of an external jacket, the resultant temperature gradient can cause excessive thermal stress in thick chamber walls leading to distortion or even failure. Also the high temperature on the inner walls of the chamber can cause self ignition of the fuel air mixtures leading to poor burner performance.
The present invention relates to a burner having a pulsating mode of operation having an improved combustion chamber which is able to reduce or alleviate the foregoing problems.
Thus according to the present invention there is provided a burner having a pulsating mode of operation comprising a combustion chamber for the periodic burning of successive separate charges of combustible fuel continuously supplied to the combustion chamber, an inlet system for fuel and an oxygen containing gas for continuously supplying the combustible mixture to the combustion chamber, and an ignition source for periodically igniting the fuel and oxygen containing gas, the combustion chamber comprising a wall in at least two co-axial parts, the parts being interference fitted together and having one or more recesses in one or more of the parts so as to form internal channels capable of allowing the passage of a cooling fluid whereby, during use of the burner, a series of explosion waves is produced in said burner by periodic ignition of the successive separate explosive mixture charges.
The oxygen is supplied to the burner in the gaseous phase and it may be supplied as a gaseous mixture, e.g. air.
The fuel may be liquid in which case the fuel inlet system may take the form of an atomiser for spraying fine droplets of liquid fuel into the oxygen flow on entry to the combustion chamber.
Preferably the fuel is gaseous (or vapourised liquid).
The combustion chamber is preferably elongate and cylindrical. The internal walls may be roughened. For example, a spiral of rod, preferably metal, may be secured to the internal wall of the chamber, the walls may have grooves formed in them or a random roughness may be imposed on the internal walls.
The chamber may have partly roughened walls, the roughened area preferably being adjacent to the igniter.
For use as a steam generator, the burner having a pulsating mode of operation also comprises means for spraying or dispersing water into the exhaust gases from the combustion chamber of the burner to thereby form a steam/exhaust gas mixture.
Burners having a pulsating mode of operation may be used for down hole steam generation for, say, the thermal recovery of viscous crude oils. The present invention is particularly usefui for this type of application due to the higher pressures experienced in down hole strata and where it is necessary to use a cooling system for the combustion chamber which will withstand the repeated high pressure and heat fluxes without distortion or failure of the chamber.
The preferred burner having a pulsating mode of operation is described in our published UK patent application no. GB 21 02500A.
The combustion chamber preferably comprises a pair of co-axial cylinders, the cylinders being shrink fitted together to give an interference fit.
Prior to the interference fitting of the two co-axial parts, recesses are cut in one or more of the parts so that on fitting together, internal channels are formed through which the cooling fluid e.g. water, can be flowed.
The recesses may be of any suitable form e.g. helical but preferably the recesses are cut longitudinally in an inner co-axial cylinder, thereby forming a series of parallel longitudinal coolant channels. The cross section of the channels may be any suitable shape but a preferred cross section is a rectangular section surmounted by a hemisphere.
The combustion chamber is made from any material capable of withstanding the temperatures and pressures involved. A suitable material is a nickel, chromium, molybdenum, niobium alloy known as Inconel 625 (International Nickel Company).
The invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to Figs. 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 shows a section through a burner having a pulsating mode of operation.
Figure 2 shows a cross section through the combustion chamber along its longitudinal axis.
Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the combustion chamber.
The burner comprises a combustion chamber 1, a mixing head 2, for mixing combustible gas and air, an ignition source 3 and a coolant/steam system.
In Fig. 1, fuel and air are introduced into the combustion chamber 1 through inlet pipes 4,5 in the mixing head 2. The fuel/air mixture passes from outlet 6 into the combustion chamber 1 adjacent to the igniter 3.
The internal wall of the combustion chamber has grooves 7 cut into the metal to provide the internal roughness so that the combustion wave initiated by the igniter accelerates. The combustion chamber walls have an initial roughened portion 7 leading to a smooth portion 8.
Electrical initiation of the ignition can be with plasma jet spark plug, semi conductor plug, conventional spark plug or other electrical means. Also the technique described in our published UK patent application number
GB 2102500A may be used.
The burners will operate provided that sparks occur when the combustion chamber contains sufficient fuel. Preferably the spark rate is adjusted to gas flow rate so that the time between sparks equals the time required to burn the previous charge (in practice this time is small enough to be neglected) plus the time required to refill the combustion chamber with fresh mixture. Variations from this setting mean that either unburnt gas leaves the burner or burning takes place in only a portion of the combustion space.
In Figs. 2 and 3, the combustion chamber comprises a pair of coaxial tubes or cylinders 11,12 each fabricated from Inconel 625. Typical dimensions for the external chamber diameter, outer tube wall thickness and inner tube wall thickness are 140, 20 and 5.5 mm respectively.
The inner tube 11 has thirty six longitudinal recesses or channels 1 3 cut into it by milling.
The cross section of each recess 1 3 is a rectangle surmounted by a hemisphere. The depth of the recess is dependent on operating requirements and the recess is designed to withstand the pressures and temperatures involved.
Prior to assembly, the inner tube 11 is immersed in liquid nitrogen and then removed and located within the outer tube. Expansion of the inner tube 11 against the outer tube 12 creates an interference fit and forms the internal cooling channels 14.
Alternative procedures for interference fitting the tubes together are (a) heating the outer tube in a furnace and then sliding the inner tube inside the outer tube, the outer tube then being cooled to contract onto the inner tube and (b) heating the outer tube and cooling the inner tube simultaneously, the inner tube then being located inside the outer tube and the temperatures of the tubes being equalised so that they interference fit together.
During use of a burner having a pulsating mode of operation in a down hole steam generator, formation pressures of 70 bar rising transiently during the combustion pulse to the order of 350 bar are typical.
In use, the burner is positioned down a bore hole. Fuel and air are supplied from pipes to the chamber near the working end of the igniter. Ignition causes a combustion wave to be generated in the chamber, the combustion wave accelerating as it passes down the chambers. The fuel/air system is regulated to give pulsating combustion. Water is pumped from the downstream end of the internal cooling channels 14 to create a steam/exhaust gas mixture which is fed to the surrounding rock formation.
Claims (12)
1. A burner having a pulsating mode of operation comprising a combustion chamber for the periodic burning of successive separate charges of combustible fuel continuously supplied to the combustion chamber, an inlet system for fuel and an oxygen containing gas for continuously supplying the combustible mixture to the combustion chamber, and an ignition source for periodically igniting the fuel and oxygen containing gas, the combustion chamber comprising a wall in at least two co-axial parts, the parts being interference fitted together and having one or more recesses in one or more of the parts so as to form internal channels capable of allowing the passage of a cooling fluid, whereby, during use of the burner, a series of explosion waves is produced in the burner by periodic ignition of the successive separate explosive mixture charges.
2. Burner according to claim 1 in which the internal walls of the combustion chamber are at least partly roughened.
3. A burner according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the partly roughened walls of the combustion chamber are adjacent to the ignition source.
4. A burner according to any of claims 1 to 3 in which the combustion chamber comprises a pair of co-axial cylinders shrink fitted together to give an interference fit.
5. A burner according to any of claims 1 to 4 in which the recesses are formed longitudinally in the inner co-axial cylinder so that, on assembly, a series of parallel longitudinal channels are formed.
6. A burner according to any of claims 1 to 5 in which the cross section of the channels is of a rectangular section surmounted by a hemisphere.
7. A burner according to any of the preceding claims in which the combustion chamber is fabricated from a nickel, chromium, molybdenum and niobium alloy.
8. A burner according to any of the preceding claims in which the channels are connected to means for spraying or dispersing water into the exhaust gases from the combustion chamber to thereby form a steam/exhaust gas mixture.
9. A burner as hereinbefore described and with reference to Figs. 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings.
10. A method of fabricating a combustion chamber for a burner having a pulsating mode of combustion in which (a) a first cylinder is cooled for a sufficient time to cool it to a temperature substantially less than a second cylinder (b) removing the first cylinder from the cooling source and locating it within the second cylinder and (c) allowing the first cylinder to expand against the second cylinder to thereby create an interference fit, the first and/or second cylinders having recesses in the surface so that channels are formed suitable for use as internal cooling channels.
11. A method of fabricating a combustion chamber for a burner having a pulsating mode of combustion in which (a) a first cylinder is heated for a sufficient time to raise it to a temperature substantially greater than a second cylinder (b) removing the first cylinder from the heat source and locating within it the second cylinder and (c) allowing the first cylinder to contract against the second cylinder to thereby create an interference fit, the first and/or second cylinders having recesses in the surface so that channels ar formed suitable for use as internal cooling channels.
12. A method as hereinbefore described and with reference to Figs. 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB838324931A GB8324931D0 (en) | 1983-09-17 | 1983-09-17 | Burner |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB8423147D0 GB8423147D0 (en) | 1984-10-17 |
| GB2146759A true GB2146759A (en) | 1985-04-24 |
Family
ID=10548931
Family Applications (2)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB838324931A Pending GB8324931D0 (en) | 1983-09-17 | 1983-09-17 | Burner |
| GB08423147A Withdrawn GB2146759A (en) | 1983-09-17 | 1984-09-13 | Burner |
Family Applications Before (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB838324931A Pending GB8324931D0 (en) | 1983-09-17 | 1983-09-17 | Burner |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (2) | GB8324931D0 (en) |
-
1983
- 1983-09-17 GB GB838324931A patent/GB8324931D0/en active Pending
-
1984
- 1984-09-13 GB GB08423147A patent/GB2146759A/en not_active Withdrawn
Non-Patent Citations (1)
| Title |
|---|
| NONE * |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB8423147D0 (en) | 1984-10-17 |
| GB8324931D0 (en) | 1983-10-19 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |