Abstract: The grate is used for burning a granular fuel material, for instance a biomass material, to be fed onto a loading area of the grate while a primary air feed is coming from below the grate. The grate includes a perforated bed floor having a downwardly-sloping upper surface converging towards a discharge opening where char is concentrated as the granular fuel material is burned during operation. The grate also includes an elongated and bottom-perforated char-receiving conduit positioned immediately under the bed floor. The char-receiving conduit has an inlet end positioned under the discharge opening, and an outlet end that is opposite the inlet end. The char-receiving conduit downwardly slopes between the inlet end and the outlet end. A method of burning a granular fuel material is also disclosed. The proposed concept can increase the overall thermal efficiency of a heat generator and reduce gas and particle emissions in the atmosphere.

Abstract: An apparatus for steam reforming of hydrocarbons, the apparatus comprising a vessel defining a combustion chamber. The combustion chamber has a burner device for combustion of a fuel and a flue gas outlet for exhausting flue gas resulting from the combustion. A second chamber is integrally formed with the vessel. The second chamber comprises a first inlet conduit adapted for receiving water therein and an outlet conduit for exhausting steam. A reformer tube in the combustion chamber is filled with a catalyst and is connected to a second inlet conduit for having a steam and hydrocarbon mixture flow therethrough, and to a second outlet conduit for exhausting a process gas resulting from a steam reforming process in the reformer tube. The reformer tube is disposed in the combustion chamber so as to transfer heat from the combustion to the steam reforming process.

Abstract: A burner is provided for heating a stream of combustion supporting gas, like air. The burner has a main feed pipe extending across the stream of combustion supporting gas. The main feed pipe has an inlet for receiving a fuel gas from a fuel gas source, and at least one outlet for producing a main jet of fuel gas substantially in the direction of the stream. The burner also has two parallel auxiliary feed pipes extending across the stream of combustion supporting gas, at a predetermined distance downstream from the main pipe and on each side of the main jet. Each of the auxiliary feed pipes has an inlet for receiving fuel gas from the fuel gas source, and at least one outlet for producing an auxiliary jet of fuel gas in the direction of the stream. The burner further has two bluff-body devices in front of the outlets of both the auxiliary feed pipes respectively.