High-Efficiency Low-Dross Combustion System for Aluminum Remelting Reverberatory Furnaces, Project Final Report, July 2005

Soupos, V. ; Zelepouga, S. ; Rue, D.

Gas Technology Institute, Des Plaines, IL

关键词: Natural Gas;    Aluminium;    Combustion;    Wastes Aluminum Melting, Aluminum Dross, Low Dross, Staged Combustion, Flame Sensor;    Aluminum Melting, Aluminum Dross, Low Dross, Staged Combustion, Flame Sensor;   

DOI  :  10.2172/862149
RP-ID  :  DOE /ID/13903-1
RP-ID  :  FC36-00ID13903
RP-ID  :  862149

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

GTI, and its commercial partners, have developed a high-efficiency low-dross combustion system that offers environmental and energy efficiency benefits at lower capital costs for the secondary aluminum industry users of reverberatory furnaces. The high-efficiency low-dross combustion system, also called Self-Optimizing Combustion System (SOCS), includes the flex-flame burner firing an air or oxygen-enriched natural gas flame, a non-contact optical flame sensor, and a combustion control system. The flex-flame burner, developed and tested by GTI, provides an innovative firing process in which the flame shape and velocity can be controlled. The burner produces a flame that keeps oxygen away from the bath surface by including an O2-enriched fuel-rich zone on the bottom and an air-fired fuel-lean zone on the top. Flame shape and velocity can be changed at constant firing rate or held constant over a range of firing conditions. A non-intrusive optical sensor is used to monitor the flame at all times. Information from the optical sensor(s) and thermocouples can be used to control the flow of natural gas, air, and oxygen to the burner as needed to maintain desired flame characteristics. This type of control is particularly important to keep oxygen away from the melt surface and thus reduce dross formation. This retrofit technology decreases fuel usage, increases furnace production rate, lowers gaseous emissions, and reduces dross formation. The highest priority research need listed under Recycled Materials is to turn aluminum process waste into usable materials which this technology accomplishes directly by decreasing dross formation and therefore increasing aluminum yield from a gas-fired reverberatory furnace. Emissions of NOx will be reduced to approximately 0.3 lb/ton of aluminum, in compliance with air emission regulations.