Abstract: A regenerative heat exchange system performs heat exchange by alternately passing combustion exhaust gas as high-temperature fluid and combustion air as low-temperature fluid through a fixed regenerator. A regenerative burner carries out combustion using preheated air from the exchange system. The regenerative heat system comprises: a permeable regenerator partitioned into three or more chambers in the circumferential direction; a double-pipe outlet/inlet partitioned into a supply chamber and an exhaust chamber; and changeover member which isolates the regenerator from the outlet/inlet and by which the regenerator selectively communicates with the outlet/inlet by a supply communicating hole and an exhaust communicating hole which are provided with such a positional relation that the supply communicating hole and the exhaust communicating hole do not simultaneously lie in any of the partitioned chambers.

Abstract: A ceramic recuperator (18) for a recuperator burner (1) is provided, in its heat exchanger region, with a plurality of radially inward- and outward-extending teeth. On the otherwise hollow-cylindrical recuperator (18), the teeth (19) are arranged in groups, e.g., in rings; the teeth of one ring are each offset from the teeth of an adjacent ring. Alternatively, it is possible to arrange the teeth on a single- or multi-start helical line. The recuperator can be produced economically by the slip-casting method.

Abstract: A burner has a plate (21) with small openings (22) leading a first portion of the combustion air to mix with fuel and larger openings (24) for leading a second portion of the combustion air to mix with the burning fuel downstream of the position where the first portion of the air mixes with the fuel. The smaller openings (22) are sufficiently small for boundary layer effects to influence the ratio of the first portion to the second portion of the combustion air as the temperature of the air changes.

Abstract: A radiant tube assembly includes a radiant tube having a burner leg with a burner therein, an exhaust leg and a connector leg. A recuperator is located inside the exhaust leg in a stream of products of combustion flowing through the exhaust leg. The recuperator has an air inlet port at the outer end and a mixing baffle at the inner end. The mixing baffle causes combustion air and products of combustion to be mixed at the inner end of the recuperator and the mixture is supplied to the burner for combustion.

Abstract: This incinerator circulates fumes to be incinerated through a heat exchange chamber; feeds the fumes into a combustion chamber; directs the incinerated fumes through heat exchange tubes to heat incoming fumes; scavenges fume leakage; and recirculates the scavenged fumes for incineration. Leakage of unincinerated fumes is controlled by use of a plurality of scavenging tubes positioned such that their orifices are proximate the hot end tube sheet within the combustion chamber to collect leaking fumes found near the hot end tube sheet and to feed those fumes back to the inlet for incineration.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for combustion of a fuel/oxidant mixture in which at least a portion of the fuel is preheated and, thereafter, burned with any remaining portion of fuel in a flame having fuel-rich zones, thereby forming soot within the resulting flame to produce a luminous, high heat transfer, low NO.sub.x flame.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process and a device for burning oxidizable components in a vehicle gas to be purified, comprising a gas inlet (36), a burner (19) with an attached flame pipe (22) opening into a main combustion chamber (24) comprising a bottom and side walls, an annular chamber leading from the side of the main combustion chamber bottom (21), a heat exchanger (32) around which flows the purified gas and through which flows the gas to be purified, and a gas outlet (38). To obtain good combustion with a compact construction, especially to make the best possible use of the geometric dwell time in the main combustion chamber, it is proposed that the main combustion chamber be constructed in such a way and/or has such guide components (40,42,44) that the gas flowing from the bottom towards the annular chamber is distributed completely or largely uniformly over the cross-section of the main combustion chamber.

Abstract: Burner for a gaseous fuel, provided with separate supply lines for fuel and oxidizing gas, the oxidizing gas being tangentially fed into a cylindrical swirl chamber, which is connected to a burner bowl through a mixing channel, the fuel being radially supplied at the connection of the swirl chamber to the mixing channel. The burner is optionally provided with an integrated heat exchanger. A composite burner system is disclosed, made-up of burners as described above and optionally provided with a plate which isolates the burners from the surrounding area and which indirectly heats the surrounding area.

Abstract: An apparatus for thermally cleaning exhaust air containing combustible components comprises at least one combustion chamber for thermally cleaning an exhaust fluid stream and at least two containers adapted for gases to flow therethrough and containing heat storage material for heating the exhaust fluid stream to be cleaned before it enters the combustion chamber and for receiving heat from the cleaned exhaust fluid stream exiting the combustion chamber. Each of the containers has at least one first opening for connecting the container interior to the combustion chamber and at least one second opening for supplying exhaust fluid stream to be cleaned to the container interior and for withdrawing the cleaned exhaust fluid stream from the container interior. The containers accommodating the heat storage substances can be flexibly configured and, if desired, arranged one behind the other in a row.

Abstract: An industrial burner with low NO.sub.x emissions, particularly for heating furnace chambers of industrial furnaces, has a high-heat-resistance combustion chamber (9), which is formed with a fuel supply device and an air supply device and with at least one nozzle-shaped outlet (10) for the gases emerging into a heating chamber. The fuel supply device (17, 18) extends through the combustion chamber, which is acted upon constantly with air. The fuel supply device can be switched over between two operating states, with a differing three-dimensional location of fuel nozzle devices (25, 26) relative to the combustion chamber outlet. In a first operating state, fuel is introduced into the combustion chamber, creating a fuel/air mixture that burns with a stable flame in the combustion chamber, and in a second operating state, the reaction between the fuel and the combustion air is substantially shifted into the heating chamber.

Abstract: A combustion device (1) incorporated in an apparatus for combustion and/or decomposition of pollutants in air or other gases. The device has a stationary bed of e.g. sand having heat-accumulating and heat-exchanging properties. The bed is provided with heating means to heat a central part of the bed to the self-decomposition and/or the self-combustion temperature of the medium to be treated. The stationary bed (2) is placed on an essentially horizontal support (3), and at the remaining sides it is enclosed by side elements (4, 5) and a roof element (6), the latter resting directly on the upper face of the bed (2) so that the bed supports the roof element (6) and the loads to which the latter is exposed. Inside the bed upper, essentially horizontal tubes (7) are arranged as well as lower, essentially horizontal tubes (8), all said tubes being provided with valve systems at their ends.

Abstract: A method for controlling gas flow direction through a regenerative incinerator system coupled to a flow reversing valve, and for reversing the flow direction of the gas stream through the regenerative incinerator system. The regenerative incinerator system having a combustion zone and one or more heat accumulating and heat exchanging zones. The method establishes a combustion zone base temperature set-point, or T.sub.CB for referencing combustion zone temperatures, or T.sub.C 's, and an outlet base temperature set-point, or T.sub.OB, for referencing outlet temperatures, or T.sub.O 's, from the regenerative incinerator system. A switching temperature, or T.sub.S, is also established as a function of T.sub.C, T.sub.CB and T.sub.OB such that the slope of said function, i.e. dT.sub.S /dT.sub.C, is never negative over a predetermined range of combustion zone temperatures, or T.sub.C 's. The switching temperature being equal to T.sub.OB when the combustion zone temperature is equal to T.sub.CB.

Abstract: Apparatus is disclosed herein for reducing engine nitrogen oxide emissions by mixing hydrogen prepared from a portion or all of engine fuel within a simple burner. The apparatus includes an insulated burner having an internal combustion chamber for receiving either a portion of or all the gaseous fuel or liquid fuel for mixture with air and subsequent ignition by a spark plug. The chamber is within a feed preheater assembly. A mixing chamber is included having a series of baffles against which injected air and fuel vapor impinge causing thorough and complete air/fuel blending into a mixture subsequently ignited and burned, and then discharged into the combustion chamber of the engine itself. The pre-heating assembly raises the temperature of the incoming air/fuel mixture via a heat exchanging process with post combusted gases from the combustion chamber.

Abstract: A heating apparatus includes at least a pair of regenerative burner units having a fuel injection nozzle and a heat regenerator provided for a combustion air supply path. One regenerative burner unit is supplied with fuel through a fuel shut-off valve and a fuel change-over valve, and supplied with combustion air through a supply and exhaust change-over valve to perform combustion operation. The other regenerative burner unit performs heat regenerating operation by passing a combustion waste gas. Operations of the fuel shut-off valve, the fuel change-over valve and the supply and exhaust change-over valve are controlled depending upon an operation parameter of the heating apparatus.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for reducing the emissions from a thermal oxidizer for volatile organic compounds (VOC) containing waste gases. The waste gas is treated in a thermal reactor and either before, in or after the thermal reactor the waste gas is contacted with a catalyzed surface device in the gas stream within the thermal oxidizer. The catalyzed surface device has a catalyzed surface which contacts the waste gas and further oxidizes the waste gas.

Abstract: This invention aims to attain an industrial furnace which ensures uninterrupted operation of itself and protects accessorial devices thereof including a rotary regenerative burner against otherwise possible damage when the rotary regenerative burner suffers from a mechanical trouble, and possess high responsivity and high accuracy. This industrial furnace has an oxidizing agent passage (12) communicating with-an oxidizing agent duct (33a) of a rotary regenerative burner (30), an exhaust gas passage (13) communicating with an exhaust gas duct (33b), a bypass (15) allowing intercommunication between the oxidizing agent passage (12) and the exhaust gas passage (13), and cut-off valves (16, 17) provided respectively in the bypass (15) and the exhaust gas passage (13), whereby the cut-off valve (16) on the bypass (15) side and the cut-off valve (17) on the exhaust gas passage (13) is controlled in response to a signal from burner.

Abstract: An atomizing type burner comprises an air supply tube (11,103) for supplying an air, a combustion cylinder (104,114,115) connected to the open end of the air supply tube (11,103), a fuel supply tube (102) for supplying a fuel at least partially placed in the air supply tube (11,103), a fuel atomizing nozzle (101) formed in the shape of a funnel and connected to the open end of the fuel supply tube (102), a passage formed by the air supply tube (11), the combustion cylinder (104), the fuel supply tube (102) and the fuel atomizing nozzle (101), and a small clearance portion formed in the passage near the fuel atomizing nozzle (101). The small clearance portion is nallower than the front and the rear portions of the passage so as to function as an atomizer.

Abstract: A pipestill heater capable of increasing heat efficiency without using a large-sized oxidizing agent heating unit. The pipestill heater includes a radiation section and a convection section for preheating process fluid by exhaust gas of an elevated temperature discharged through a gas discharge path. A combustion device including a combination of a burner and a heat exchanger is arranged on a furnace floor constituting a part of a furnace wall. The heat exchanger includes a regenerator heated by exhaust gas to heat an oxidizing agent and a duct structure including an oxidizing agent passage and an exhaust passage. The regenerator is rotated relative to both passages. Exhaust gas is guided through both a gas discharge path and an exhaust passage.

Abstract: A burner device of regenerative and alternate combustion type including a pair of burners and a regenerative bed, which permits flow passage changeover to be taken selectively between the pair of burners, via the regenerative bed, by four-way and three-way valves which are simultaneously operated by one actuator. Preferably, both two valves are connected coaxially together. The four-way and three-way valves have a same angle of rotation for executing their respective flow passage changeover actions, but they each have its own inoperative area defined differently from each other to produce a difference in timing for supply of fluid to one of the two burners, thereby providing a lead time for prior supply of air and a delay time for delaying supply of fuel to facilitate ignition in one of the burners during the alternate combustion operation.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for reducing the emissions from a thermal oxidizer for volatile organic compounds (VOC) containing waste gases. The waste gas is treated in a thermal reactor and either before, in or after the thermal reactor the waste gas is contacted with a catalyzed surface device in the gas stream within the thermal oxidizer. The catalyzed surface device has a catalyzed surface which contacts the waste gas and further oxidizes the waste gas.

Abstract: The combustion apparatus having a heat-recirculating function comprises: a porous burner component (4) being made of permeable metallic material and having a first region (4a) through which a fuel-air mixture flows and is ejected therefrom into the combustion chamber at a velocity higher than the burning velocity of the fuel-air mixture to form a flame base on the periphery of the fuel-air mixture ejection area and having a second region (4b) being located adjacent to and outside of the first region to recover heat from high temperature product gas generated from the combustion of the fuel-air mixtures by red-heating the surface of the second region on the combustion chamber side while the product gas is penetrating through the burner component (4), wherein the heat recovered in the second region is conducted to the first region; the combustion chamber (5) being located to cover both the first region (4a) and the second region (4b) and enclosing these regions, and a cylindrical wall (6) separating a fuel-air

Abstract: The combustion apparatus is composed of: a porous burner component being made of a permeable metallic material and having a centrally located first region (11a, 11aa, 11ba, 11ca) where the fuel-air mixture is ejected and the red heat condition is formed on the surface of downstream side and having a second region (10b, 11ab, 11bb, 11cb) being located outside of the first region to recover heat from high temperature product gas coming from a combustion chamber, wherein the heat recovered in the second region is conducted to the first region; the combustion chamber (8) being located covering both the first region and the second region and enclosing these regions; a fuel-air mixture supply passage (7) to feed the fuel-air mixture into the central first region; and an exhaust passage (6) to lead the flue gas discharged from the second region to the exhaust opening (9), which exhaust passage is located adjacent to and outside of the fuel-air mixture supply passage and is separated by a separation wall (4) therefro

Abstract: A regenerative burner having heat storage units with combustion effluent/combustion air ducts therethrough, fuel intake means and a burner body, wherein the burner is designed to suppress NOx formation and to control flame shape and characteristic in the regenerative system during combustion. The regenerative burner may include a burner baffle, or may include a plurality of gas jets entrained in generally converging fashion for control of the flame charactaristics and shape dispositive of NOx formation. The burner may provide for staged combustion, either by means of sequential fuel injection or sequential provision of combustion air, or the burner may depress NOx formation by vitiation of combustion air with products of combustion. The present regenerative burners suppress NOx formation yet preserve the remaining characteristic features of regenerative systems.

Abstract: A heating system for heating a heat sink via a heat transfer medium. The invention includes a vortex chamber having opposite first and second inwardly curved end walls, a combustion chamber fluidly communicating with the vortex chamber, fuel-air supply means fluidly communicating with the combustion chamber for injecting fuel-air mixture into the combustion chamber. Ignition means are provided in the combustion chamber for igniting the fuel-air mixture. A fuel ionizing chamber is disposed in the vortex chamber fluidly communicating with the fuel-air supply means for ionizing fuel entering the fuel-air supply means, and heat transfer medium containing means are provided for holding the heat transfer medium in thermal contact with the vortex chamber.

Abstract: A burner suitable for heating a furnace chamber of an industrial furnace which is equipped with a recuperative preheater for combustion air has a combustion chamber at one end and a feed-through cap at the other end which is accessible outside of a furnace in which the burner is installed. The tubular recuperative preheater is of the coaxial countercurrent flow configuration extending between the combustion chamber and an annular outflow collector cap. A coaxial fuel pipe is centered in the burner extending to the combustion chamber. Overheating of the burner cap is prevented by means of a spacer sleeve of small heat conductivity interposed between the preheater and the burner cap. This permits the valves to be seated in the burner cap without risk of thermal damage. For protection of personnel against contact with hot surfaces, a perforated metal shield is provided between the burner cap and the outflow cap of the recuperator, essentially covering all the portions of the burner outside a furnace wall.

Abstract: A high temperature fluid-to-fluid heat exchanger is described wherein heat is transferred from a higher temperature fluid flow core region to a lower temperature fluid flow annulus. The wall separating the high and low temperature fluid flow regions is comprised of a material having high thermal absorptivity, conductivity and emissivity to provide a high rate of heat transfer between the two regions. A porous ceramic foam material occupies a substantial portion of the annular lower temperature fluid flow region, and is positioned to receive radiated heat from the wall. The porosity of the ceramic foam material is sufficient to permit a predetermined relatively unrestricted flow rate of fluid through the lower temperature fluid flow region.

Abstract: The incinerator has a closed housing (10) with high temperature insulation (17). A linear gas burner (50) is wholly within the bottom portion of the incineration chamber (22), producing a line of small flames (59). Polluted air, passing downwardly through vertically suspended heat exchanger tubes (47) wholly within the combustion chamber, is preheated and then discharged downwardly against the flames 59 of the linear burner (50), producing products of combustion and air heated to about 1400.degree. F. The products of combustion and air pass upwardly and on opposite outer sides of the tubes (47) and exit the incinerator. The heated air and products of combustion heat the insulation sufficiently that it emits radiant energy inwardly for heating the tubes 47 by radiation, as the products of combustion and air heat the tubes 47 by convective heat transfer.

Abstract: A jacketed jet radiant heater for an industrial process furnace as a frame tube composed of axially aligned pipe pieces abutted on one another that are held together by clasps on the outside of the flame tube that have studs which protrude into holes in adjacent pipe pieces and have a head portion which serves to center the flame tube within the jacket tube. The clasps make it possible to provide exhaust gas releasing slots between some of the pipe pieces of the flame tube and thereby avoiding local overheating of the jacket tube.

Abstract: A single unit, shell and tube fume incinerator utilizes a vacuum baffle (34) structure proximate a combustion zone (24) to control the flow of combustion exhaust gas. The vacuum baffle (34) is located slightly above the hot ends of a plurality of heat exchange tubes (20) to deflect the hot exhaust gases from the combustion zone (24) away from the ends of the tubes (20), and back to the outside of the tubes (20), thereby controlling the "time at temperature" for contaminants in the impure gas feed. A vacuum effect is created just below the baffle (34) to draw cleansed exhaust below the baffle (34) back up into the combustion zone (24) to prevent the escape of impure gas.

Abstract: A burner head for a recuperative radiant tube burner system is constructed so as to effect clean burning of a gaseous fuel such as butane having a relatively high heat value. The burner head includes a sleeve having a frustoconical section formed with combustion air ports which cause combustion air to spin and mix thoroughly with butane discharged from a gas nozzle having a discharge orifice located downstream of certain ones of the combustion air ports.

Abstract: An improved regenerative thermal oxidizer ("RTO") and improved method of operating same in order to provide a substantially steady-state flow of contaminant-laden air into the RTO. The RTO includes an automatically-operated balancing valve structure for minimizing pressure variations experienced at the inlet of the RTO. The balancing valve is connected to and provides a selectively closeable bypass path for air flow between the high pressure and low pressure sides of an exhaust fan. The balancing valve opens the bypass path whenever flush valves of the RTO are all closed. The RTO further includes a hydraulic control system for minimizing variations in the operation of the RTO due to varying ambient or seasonal temperature conditions to which the RTO may be subjected. The RTO additionally includes a gravity-actuated damper valve structure near the top of a vertically arranged exhaust stack.

Abstract: In a combustion process, liquid or gaseous residues having little or no calorific value are supplied to a flame in the main combustion chamber in addition to the fuel gas and the air for combustion. Stabilization of the flame and hence a reduction in the emission of nitrogen oxides is achieved by preheating the fuel gas and introducing it into the main combustion chamber at a temperature above its ignition temperature.

Abstract: A gas regenerator is provided having for the clean air a set of two adjacent parallel flow paths having hot and cold ends, and for the waste gas a set of two adjacent parallel different flow paths, having hot and cold ends, the air and waste gas being separated while passing through the mass storage and heat transfer material of the regenerator, valves arranged only at the cold ends of the flow paths are adapted to be selectively positioned for allowing the flow paths of each set to be alternately selected, and in which the different sets of flow paths are arranged perpendicularly or at another overlapping desired angle to each other.

Abstract: A process for incinerating fluid waste, which comprises introducing a high heating value fluid waste and an oxidant having at least about 28% oxygen concentration into an oxygen/fuel burner to engender a flame and providing additional oxidant annularly around the flame.

Abstract: A device for oxidizing gaseous materials, comprising a combustion chamber, wherein the device and the combustion chamber both have a top and a bottom, the device further having a gas outlet and being adapted to operate in conjunction with means applying negative pressure to the outlet, means for introducing process gas and a source of fuel into the top of the combustion chamber, means for effecting heat exchange between oxygen-containing gas and the combustion chamber to preheat the oxygen-containing gas, means for introducing the preheated gas into the top of the combustion chamber, means for mixing the preheated gas with the process gas and fuel so that the mixture can burn in the combustion chamber to form an exhaust gas, means for permitting the gas to exit from the bottom of the combustion chamber, means for diluting the exhaust with air to form a flue gas, and means for directing the flue gas from the bottom of the combustion chamber out of the outlet of the device.

Abstract: A regenerative burner having heat storage units with combustion effluent/combustion air ducts therethrough, fuel intake means and a burner body, wherein the burner is designed to suppress NOx formation and to control flame shape and characteristic in the regenerative system during combustion. The regenerative burner may include a burner baffle, or may include a plurality of gas jets entrained in generally converging fashion for control of the flame characteristics and shape dispositive of NOx formation. The burner may provide for staged combustion, either by means of sequential fuel injection or sequential provision of combustion air, or the burner may depress NOx formation by vitiation of combustion air with products of combustion. The present regenerative burners suppress NOx formation yet preserve the remaining characteristic features of regenerative systems.

Abstract: To avoid high NOx emissions, the fuel is oxidized with an extremely high exhaust gas recirculation ration substantially without flames and without pulsations.

Abstract: In a firing installation, fresh air (6) is drawn in and mixed with a fraction of flue gases (7), which are taken from the combustion chamber (1), by means of a fan (5) which acts outside of the casing of the firing installation. The fresh air/flue gas mixture (8) thus formed flows on its way to the combustion chamber (1) through a first heat exchanger (2a) whose caloric preparation is accomplished by the flue gases (7) fed in. In the combustion chamber (1) itself, this mixture flows through a heat exchanger (2) placed there. Before the mixture (9) thus preheated is fed as combustion air to a burner (4), it undergoes a further mixing with flue gases via a number of jet injectors (3), which further increases the temperature of this combustion air (10), with an optimized flue gas fraction.

Abstract: A heat recovery system is disclosed for a pulse combustion drying system in which the exhaust gas of combustion from a pulse combustor passes successively through a dryer, a product collector and a scrubber. The heat of the exhaust gas is recovered in the scrubber by spraying with water or other liquid and transferring by heat exchange the heat absorbed by the water to compressed air, and passing the heated compressed air successively through a membrane heat exchange tube on the wall of the product collector and a membrane heat exchange tube on the wall of the dryer. The air is discharged finally in an air-injection nozzle of the pulse combustor.

Abstract: A process for controlling the temperature and flame front in a liquid waste incinerator comprising: dispersing fluid wastes into the flame of at least one oxygen/fuel burner to incinerate the waste in and around the flame, wherein flame energy is regulated by adjusting the fuel to the low heating value waste ratio to control the flame front and temperature in said incinerator. The flue gas resulting from burning the waste may be used to heat, possibly concentrate partially and/or evaporate (if liquid is present) the fluid waste prior to dispersing it into the flame.

Abstract: A method of cleaning flow structure within a regenerative fume incinerator of the type having a plurality of heat exchange chambers for directing fluid into and out of a combustion chamber. Each of the heat exchange chambers have a separate inlet and outlet line which are cyclically opened such that air to be cleaned is continuously being directed into the combustion chamber through one of the chambers, and cleaned air is continuously directed out of the combustion chamber through an alternative one of the chambers. The flow structure, valves and manifolds may become clogged with residue from the air being combusted. An alternate inlet line communicates from the source of fluid directly into the combustion chamber. That line is opened when cleaning of the flow structure is desired. At the same time flow to the normal inlet manifold is closed.

Abstract: A regenerative burner includes a chamber containing heat storage bodies which extract heat from hot products of combustion flowing through the burner during one part of a cycle of operation and yield up that heat to incoming air during a further part of the cycle.

Abstract: A heating device for pre-heating liquid fuel, especially diesel fuel and for heating devices of a low heating performance which are independent from a motor having a heating performance which is suitable for mounting into vehicles, which are driven by the liquid fuel. The pre-heating is effected by a transmission of heat of the exhaust gas to the fuel of the heating device, the fuel being lead through a continuous tubular wrapping in one layer or through a hollow cylinder formed or positioned around the exhaust pipe. This wrapping or hollow cylinder is part of the fuel main from the fuel tank to the fuel supply pump of the heating device. A pre-heating of the content of the tank is effected by the return of the pre-heated, but not burnt fuel through a fuel return main back into the tank. A heat transmitting jacket is advantageously disposed between the wrapping, or a hollow cylinder and the exhaust gas pipe.

Abstract: A pilot flame or burner apparatus for supporting a flame provided by a gaseous fuel and air mixture which is induced to flow to a flame nozzle by an eductor into which gaseous fuel is ejected and mixed with combustion air to flow through a fuel-air mixing chamber to the nozzle. Combustion air enters the eductor by way of an opening formed by a shroud and a heat exchanger member disposed concentrically around the flame nozzle and the flame supported thereby so as to preheat the air to minimize the formation of ice at the eductor inlet. Generally horizontal and vertically disposed embodiments of the apparatus are useful as flare pilots for flaring gases in oil and gas production and refining operations. The combustion air inlet may be arranged to face the same direction as the flame nozzle to minimize the effect of wind blowing against the nozzle.

Abstract: Production of oxides of nitrogen during combustion of liquid fuel can be reduced by burning at relatively low temperatures of about 1400.degree. C., by first producing a special combustible gaseous mixture of superheated steam, fuel vapor, and combustion air. Water is fed (9) to the apparatus in quantities of about 2 to 4 parts for each part of fuel (10). Then the fuel is vaporized (8) in a stream of the superheated steam. This avoids fuel cracking and formation of long-chain hydrocarbons. Preheated air (13,14,15) is added (17) in slightly over stoichiometric proportions. The resulting mixture is burned (2) and the hot effluent is used to heat the evaporator (6,7,8) and the air preheating chamber (15), with a bypass (20) equipped with a throttle (22) being used for regulation of evaporator temperature. For start-up, an external hot air source (23) or electric heat (24) can be used. The remaining heat in the effluent can be captured in a conventional heat exchanger.

Abstract: An assembly using horizontally oriented heat exchange pipes (10, 10a) and a blower unit (11) for providing heated air adjacent to a furnace (100) and hot water heater (102) is described. The blower unit includes heat exchanger pipes with a downwardly inclined section (10d) and an upwardly inclined section (10e) from horizontal to and from a low point (10c) with a drain (12) for condensed liquids from the flue products exhaust pipe (10a) at the low point. The drain removes condensed liquids which are highly corrosive from the exhaust products pipe without allowing flue gases to pass through the drain.

Abstract: A regenerative burner having heat storage units with combustion effluent/combustion air ducts therethrough, fuel intake means and a burner body, wherein the burner is designed to suppress NOx formation and to control flame shape and characteristic in the regenerative system during combustion. The regenerative burner may include a burner baffle, or may include a plurality of gas jets entrained in generally converging fashion for control of the flame characteristics and shape dispositive of NOx formation. The burner may provide for staged combustion, either by means of sequential fuel injection or sequential provision of combustion air, or the burner may depress NOx formation by vitiation of combustion air with products of combustion. The present regenerative burners suppress NOx formation yet preserve the remaining characteristic features of regenerative systems.

Abstract: A regenerative burner system comprises two burners alternately fired and each having an air and fuel supply thereto traversing separate heat exchangers. The arrangement is such that the hot gases exhausted from the furnace during firing of the one and the other burners traverse the heat exchangers associated with the other and the one burners, respectively, relinquishing heat thereto whereby both the fuel and the air supply to each burner extracts heat from its associated heat exchanger during the firing cycle of that burner. By heating both the fuel and the air input to the regenerative system, fuels of low calorific value, e.g. blast furnace gas or any gases low in or devoid of hydrocarbons may be efficiently utilized to provide a stable high temperature flame without the need for enrichment with `pilot` fuels.

Abstract: A heating appliance particularly for a drier of a web of material comprising a combustion unit having a burner and a combustion chamber. The combustion chamber consists of an elongated first section extending away from the burner and merging into a second portion via a bend of 180.degree. said two portions defining an U-shaped path for the combustion gases and being approximately of equal lengths. The combustion chamber also being provided with one or more discharge openings for discharging part of the combustion gases, said opening(s) being controllable by means of a valve.

Abstract: A catalytic combustion device has a fuel supply means communicated with a fuel supply source, an air supply passage communicated with an air supply source, a premixing chamber for mixing together fuel supplied from the fuel supply means and combustion air supplied from the air supply passage to form a fuel-air mixture, a catalyst installed in a combustion chamber to cause oxidation reaction of the fuel-air mixture supplied thereto, thereby effecting catalytic combustion, and an exhaust passage for discharging combustion gas from the catalyst in the combustion chamber.