APPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY:
- Oil refinery process heaters
- Duct burners used in air heaters, heat recovery steam generators, selective catalytic reduction (SCR) reheating and combined heat and power systems
- Induced draft heating systems (furnaces, boilers and water heaters)
- Chemical reactors where reaction products need to be isolated from the reactor assembly
ADVANTAGES:
- Low air emissions, particularly NOx, without post-combustion emissions controls
- Enables refineries to continuing using natural gas or refinery gas for process heating
- Safe in applications where electric spark generation is hazardous
ABSTRACT:
Robert Cheng and David Littlejohn of Berkeley Lab have invented a technology that allows Berkeley Lab’s Low Swirl Burner to operate in natural draft mode. This makes the technology useful in operations where electrically powered machinery poses a safety risk, such as refineries. With this technology, petroleum refineries can continue to use natural gas and refinery gas to efficiently heat their petroleum process heaters while significantly reducing air emissions, particularly NOx.
Refineries need to meet air quality regulations without adding complexity, high capital costs and maintenance resources. Berkeley Lab’s Ultra-low Emission Natural Draft Burner can reduce burner emissions for refineries without adding the high capital and maintenance costs, as well as constant monitoring requirements, of its main competitor, add-on selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems.
DEVELOPMENT STAGE: Bench scale testing completed.
STATUS: Patent pending. Available for licensing or collaborative research.
SEE THESE OTHER BERKELEY LAB TECHNOLOGIES IN THIS FIELD:
Ultraclean Low Swirl Combustion, IB-916
Lean Flame Stabilization Ring, IB-996
REFERENCE NUMBER: IB-2777
