Patents Examined by Edward G. Favors
  • Patent number: 5375540
    Abstract: A device for improved burning of bio-mass fuels such as corn wherein the fuel is supported within a fixed combustion chamber upon a continuous track which continuously intermittently moves such that as the fuel is consumed the ash produced thereby is continuously removed from the combustion chamber while new fuel is continuously added thereto so as to greatly increase the operational cycle of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 27, 1994
    Assignee: Federal Energy Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph Verrecchia, Irwin H. Loft
  • Patent number: 5375562
    Abstract: A catalytic incinerator system for oxidation/combustion of volatile organic compounds (VOC's). The system is relatively compact, is designed to accommodate the thermal stresses within the system without adversely affecting the system components, and to provide substantially uniform temperature distribution in the VOC's and combustion air. The system includes a dual shell housing having an inner shell and an outer shell, wherein the inner shell is capable of thermal expansion and movement relative to the outer shell. Also included is a multi-pass tube-type heat exchanger suspended or otherwise mounted within a heat exchange chamber. The heat exchanger is mounted within the heat exchange chamber so that one end is unfixed and thus the heat exchanger can freely expand and contract due to temperature fluctuations within the heat exchange chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 27, 1994
    Assignee: Joseph A. Brinck
    Inventors: Joseph A. Brinck, Stephen L. Reis
  • Patent number: 5371918
    Abstract: A water heater for a carpet cleaning system has a first chamber and a main heat exchanger disposed within the first chamber, the main heat exchanger utilizing heat from a first source, preferably an engine, to heat water to be used in the carpet cleaning process. A second chamber substantially surrounds the first chamber and utilizes heat from a second source, preferably a blower in fluid communication with the carpet cleaning system's water tank. The second chamber substantially surrounds the first chamber to provide a thermal barrier between the first chamber and the ambient environment. The use of such a thermal barrier substantially reduces undesirable heat loss from the first chamber to the ambient environment and thus increases the efficiency of the water heater. A third chamber in fluid communication with the second chamber is heated by a second source and provides heat from the second source to the second chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 13, 1994
    Inventor: William K. Shero
  • Patent number: 5372096
    Abstract: The particle separation and collection system for a circulating fluidized bed combustion system is incorporated inside of the combustor. One or more particle collecting cells are formed along one of the waterwalls of the combustor with the walls of the cells also being water cooled. The cells may contain heat exchange surface and means are provided at the bottom of each cell to control the flow of particles from the cells back into the combustor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 13, 1994
    Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard S. Skowyra
  • Patent number: 5372077
    Abstract: A garbage disposal system includes a garbage classifier unit, which consists of a cutting mechanism, a separation water trough, squeezers, and a blower separator, and is controlled to separate plastics and mineral from garbage; a garbage furnace controlled to burn garbage being delivered from the garbage classifier unit, a waste gas treatment unit controlled to treat exhaust gas from the garbage furnace, and a sewage treatment unit controlled to treat waste water from the garbage classifier unit and the waste gas treatment unit for a repeat use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 13, 1994
    Inventors: Chin-Ching Yen, Jen-Chieh Tai
  • Patent number: 5370084
    Abstract: A combustion subsystem with a circulating fluid bed boiler (12) having a pantleg configuration. The boiler includes front (22) and back (24) walls with external fluid bed heat exchangers (48) integral therewith. In addition to the conventional fuel inlets (54) which provide for entry of fuel into the side walls of the boiler through conduits connected to the seal pots (36) of solids recycle cyclones (30), supplemental fuel inlets (63, 66, 70, 72) are provided on the front and back wails of the boiler through the fluid bed heat exchangers or between adjacent fluid bed heat exchangers. The invention improves combustion efficiency in large boilers by reducing the theoretical mixing length within the boiler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard S. Skowyra, Bruce W. Wilhelm
  • Patent number: 5370086
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a hot gas recovery boiler comprising a substantially horizontal gas inlet duct, a gas deflection duct connected to the inlet duct and opening out into a generally vertical enclosure that contains a set of superposed and substantially horizontal heat exchange stages plus a flue gas exhaust duct at the top of the enclosure. At least one heat exchanger is disposed in the proximity of the outlet of said inlet duct.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Stein Industrie
    Inventors: Jean-Francois Saujet, Djamel Daoud
  • Patent number: 5370085
    Abstract: Steam generator comprising a supply of water to be evaporated, a steam outlet and a heat source, which steam generator is characterised in that it is formed by a casing subdivided into two chambers (2, 3) by a waterpermeable porous partition (4),one (3) of the two chambers accommodating the heat source (6),the other chamber (2) receiving the supply water (5).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignees: Trouvay & Cauvin, Armstrong International, Inc.
    Inventor: Bernard Dangreau
  • Patent number: 5370065
    Abstract: Method for producing hot drying gas by a burning flowable biological refuse in an incinerator which comprises a vertical cyclone furnace. Fuel together with primary combustion air is tangentially injected into the vertical cyclone furnace, and secondary combustion air and tertiary combustion air are injected into a throat. A cooled rotating ash scrapper is provided in the bottom of the vertical cyclone furnace and waste gas is conducted through the throat to a secondary combustion chamber in which an incineration of residuals takes place and from which a drying gas is removed. A combustion retarding gas is injected into the hottest area of the vertical cyclone furnace so that a sintering and the formation of slag is avoided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Atlas Industries A/S
    Inventor: Jorgen S. Christensen
  • Patent number: 5370067
    Abstract: Urban waste is dried and burned in a mechanical grate furnace in a reducing atmosphere to reduce the formation of NO.sub.x. Consumption of the clinker is completed in a well at the base of which a device such as a plasma torch is provided for vitrifying the clinker. The combustion gases are burned in the presence of secondary air in a circulating fluidized bed furnace. Most of the fly ash is removed from the flue gases in a filter before the gases are passed through a boiler in which they are cooled. The flue gases then pass through a conventional cleansing area from which they are evacuated by a stack. There are very low concentrations of harmful products in the flue gases and in the clinker. The fly ash collected on the exit side of the fluidized bed is recycled with the clinker to be vitrified. Heavy metals evaporated in the furnaces are recovered via a purge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: T.I.R.V. - Traitement Industriel des Residus Urbains
    Inventor: Claude Finet
  • Patent number: 5368474
    Abstract: A burner having a first passageway for delivering a fuel/air mixture into a burner chamber is provided with an igniter spaced from the burner chamber and second and third passageways in fluid communication with the burner chamber and the igniter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 29, 1994
    Inventor: David P. Welden
  • Patent number: 5365887
    Abstract: The heat exchange structure comprises a series of tubes arranged in a circular pattern extending between upper and lower manifolds. Water flows from the upper manifold through these tubes to the lower manifold. Annular fins are stacked on these tubes. A larger tube is arranged concentric with each of the smaller diameter water-carrying tubes and hot gaseous products of combustion flow through these larger tubes in counterflow to the water flow through the water tubes. The fins have through-holes allowing the hot gases to pass through the stacks of fins. The combustion chamber is located centrally just above the lower manifold. Ambient air is introduced via perforations in the side wall of the casing near the upper manifold and flows downwardly past the heat exchange structure for recuperative effect before reaching the combustion chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 22, 1994
    Assignee: Frontier, Inc.
    Inventor: Gordon W. Fenn
  • Patent number: 5365864
    Abstract: A laboratory scale incinerator simulation system having a primary combustion furnace and an associated secondary combustion furnace with both such combustion furnaces being adapted so that they can function with combustion chambers of various volumes to permit study of a wide variety of combustion parameters for determining optimum incineration conditions in commercial incinerators for both liquid and solid materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 22, 1994
    Assignee: Southwest Research Institute
    Inventor: Walter G. Switzer
  • Patent number: 5365865
    Abstract: A flame stabilizer for a burner of solid fuel, such as pulverized coal or sander wood dust, is described whereby the swirl number is varied radially to enhance swirl inducement towards the periphery of the flame stabilizer while more axial flow occurs near the central conduit through which fuel is supplied. The amount of swirl and the amount of combustion air being selected so as to provide an integrated swirl number for the flame stabilizer in the range from about 0.6 to about 2.0. A pressure control ring is described with which the static pressure in the windbox is increased to a level where flame pulsations attributable to low static pressure in the windbox are reduced while the vortex is maintained. An enhanced axial combustion air flow around the discharge end of the fuel supply conduit is described to modify the position of the adverse pressure gradient boundary in a downstream direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 22, 1994
    Inventor: Richard J. Monro
  • Patent number: 5363781
    Abstract: The present invention comprises an apparatus for processing liquid or gas waste. The apparatus includes a high temperature plasma means for generating a high temperature in a plasma torch area. The apparatus further includes a jetting means for transporting and jetting the liquid or gas waste to the high temperature plasma torch area directly wherein a high temperature treatment of the waste is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1994
    Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
    Inventors: Kuo-Ching Chang, Shih-Tsung Tseng, Jain-Sheng Huang
  • Patent number: 5363778
    Abstract: A high efficiency exhauster which is capable of attaining operating efficiencies of up to 70% when employed in a solid fuel pulverizer firing system that includes a pulverizer which is operative to effect the pulverization therewithin of the solid fuel supplied thereto and a furnace into which the pulverized solid fuel is injected for combustion therewithin. The high efficiency exhauster includes a casing, an inlet ring supported on the casing, a rotor mounted on the casing for rotation therewithin, a multiplicity of blades, each of a preestablished length and width, mounted in spaced relation one to another on the circumference of the rotor so as to extend at a preestablished angle, and an outlet formed in the casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1994
    Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc.
    Inventors: Stanley E. Kmiotek, Peter L. Stanwicks
  • Patent number: 5363780
    Abstract: Burners for burning waste, comprising a conventional fuel nozzle and a waste slurry nozzle. Waste slurry nozzles, comprising a first conduit, a second conduit and an acceleration zone comprising a mixing chamber and an acceleration conduit. Waste slurries comprising a continuous phase and a solids phase, the solids phase consisting essentially of solids having at least one dimension less than about 1/8 inch and solids having no dimension less than 1/8 inch and no dimension larger than about 5/8 inch. Methods for burning waste, comprising feeding a slurry of cement raw materials to an up end of a rotating kiln, and ejecting a waste slurry from a burner such that a portion of the waste slurry lands in the calcining zone of the kiln.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1994
    Assignee: Rineco Chemical Industries
    Inventor: John P. Whitney
  • Patent number: 5363812
    Abstract: Bed temperature in a circulating fluidized bed (CFB) reactor is controlled by varying a recirculation rate of particles collected by a secondary particle separator back to the CFB reactor. Particle storage means, sized to contain sufficient inventory required for bed inventory/temperature control due to fuel/sorbent variations and/or load changes, stores particles collected by the secondary particle separator. The storage means can be either directly below the secondary particle separator or at a remote location. Particles collected by the secondary particle separator rather than by the primary particle separator are preferred due to their smaller size and lower temperature. A bed temperature control system controls the recirculation rate of these particles back to the reactor. Level sensing devices are provided on the storage means. A solids storage level control system that interacts with the bed temperature control system controls the solids inventory in the storage means via a purge system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1994
    Assignee: The Babcock & Wilcox Company
    Inventors: Felix Belin, Kiplin C. Alexander, David E. James
  • Patent number: 5363776
    Abstract: An inlet venturi for coal-side exhauster fan structure used to deliver pulverized coal to a combustion chamber. Generally, the inlet venturi has an axial length comparable to that of the exhauster fan inlet, resulting in a shallow, smooth transition angle from the venturi to whizzer ring or similar structure for guiding the coal flow into the center of the fan assembly. The inlet venturi includes a back plate or collar portion which prevents eddy effects and pressure drop between the venturi throat and the exhauster fan inlet, and further serves to accurately position the venturi in the exhauster fan inlet. The inventive inlet venturi structure additionally permits the removal of some or all of the "whizzer" structure commonly used on such fans, resulting in substantial savings in power needed to drive the fan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1994
    Assignee: Sure Alloy Steel Corporation
    Inventor: Rickey E. Wark
  • Patent number: 5363779
    Abstract: The invention relates to combusting contaminants on foundry sand in a container (13) rotating about an axis (A) at a particular angle with a particularly placed oxygen-fuel burner (32). As the container (13) rotates about the axis (A), the oxygen-fuel burner (32) fires a flame and excess oxygen at a particular angle to enhance pyrolysis of the contaminants. The amount of excess oxygen is such that the resulting off gas contains at least 2% oxygen by volume, thus preventing or substantially minimizing products of incomplete combustion from leaving the container (13). After having pyrolyzed the contaminants, the firing of a flame and excess oxygen from the oxygen-fuel burner (32) may be replaced with oxidant dispersion an the bottom of the foundry sand. The resulting off gas from the container (13) may be treated in a post combustion furnace (7), a flue gas cooling means (8), a filtering device (9) and/or a pollutant removing means (11).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 15, 1994
    Assignee: Praxair Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Roland P. A. G. Bury