Relevant R&D Projects
Projects relevant to combustion and funded by other areas of the Industrial Technologies Programs (ITP) are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Adobe Reader.
Aluminum
Field demonstrations have shown that a new oxygen-enhanced combustion melting system increases productivity by 30%, reduces energy costs by 40%, and lowers emissions of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Project factsheet (PDF 78 KB)
Researchers have developed and demonstrated a novel, high-efficiency, high-capacity, low-NOx combustion system integrated with an innovative low-cost, vacuum-swing-absorption (VSA) oxygen system. The innovative combustion system uses a novel air-oxy-natural gas burner that achieves high productivity and energy efficiency with low NOx emissions. Project factsheet (PDF 78 KB)
Forest Products
Low-cost methane de-NOx reburn retrofits have been proven in commercial power plants for burning municipal solid waste and coal. They are now being adapted to burn high-volume biomass, wood wastes, and sludge to improve boiler energy efficiency and reduce wastes and emissions. Project factsheet (PDF 166 KB)
Research is being done to promote the application of the METHANE de-NOx reburn technology to the forest products industry in order to use the waste materials and biomass that are by-products of the industry in an efficient and environmentally friendly manner. Project factsheet (PDF 166 KB)
Oscillating Combustion
Oscillating combustion systems can increase efficiency and reduce NOx emissions in furnaces used by the steel, glass, petrochemical, aluminum, cement, and metal heating industries. Oscillating combustion is a retrofit technology that oscillates the fuel flow to a furnace. Field testing (which included a ladle preheater, a forging furnace, an annealing furnace, a glass melter, and a reheat furnace) showed that oscillating combustion can substantially increase furnace efficiency and reduce NOx emissions on many types of industrial furnaces using conventional burners. Efficiency gains of up to 5% and NOx reductions of 28%-55% were recorded. Project factsheet (PDF 60 KB)
Glass
Advanced Glass Furnace Model Commercialized and Receives R&D 100 Award - Six licenses were signed in 2004 for the advanced glass furnace model, developed by Argonne National Laboratory. The software was placed on Argonne's software shop, and licensing procedures were established. The model also received one of the prestigious R&D 100 awards in 2004. To maximize effectiveness and adoption, validation studies are continuing by industry partners and an industry user group is being formed.
Oxy-Fuel Fired Front-End System Readied for In-Plant Testing at Fiberglass Facility - Owens Corning and project partners have conducted preliminary work and prepared the demonstration host site in Jackson, Tennessee for installation of the technology. Analysis indicates that the technology will reduce fuel use in the front-end by over 60% and NOx emissions by over 90%, and will provide attractive financial returns, with payback of less than two years.
Design of Pilot-Scale Submerged Combustion Melter Underway - In the first full year of this project, the Gas Technology Institute has worked with project partners to design the pilot-plant unit, purchase necessary equipment, determine modeling parameters, conduct laboratory-scale testing, and finalize the consortium agreement. The pilot-scale unit will be constructed and testing initiated in FY 2005. Project factsheet (PDF 13 MB)
A 19-month development program was established with specific objectives to: 1) acquire baseline operating data on the host sideport furnace in Vernon, California, 2) evaluate secondary oxidant injection strategies based on earlier endport furnace results and through modeling of a single port pair, 3) retrofit and test one port pair with a flexible OEAS system, and select the optimal system configuration, 4) use the results from tests with one port pair to design, retrofit, and test OEAS on the entire furnace, and 5) analyze test results, prepare report, and finalize the business plan to commercialize OEAS for sideport furnaces. Full furnace testing confirmed a 35% NOx reduction with secondary oxidant containing 30 to 35% oxygen. Project factsheet (PDF 13 MB)
Steel
By creating fuel-rich and fuel-lean zones, oscillating combustion can increase heat transfer and reduce NOx emissions by up to 75 percent in many high-temperature, natural gas-fired furnaces. This low-cost, simple retrofit technology demonstrated significant NOx reductions and a 5-percent efficiency improvement at a ladle preheater in a steel mini-mill; currently, it is being demonstrated on a batch annealing furnace in a steel mill.
In commercial demonstration at a steel rolling mill site, dilute oxygen combustion systems require less fuel to heat steel and also generate lower flue gas temperatures. This technology allows reheat furnaces to economically operate at higher production rates without increasing NOx emissions. Project factsheet (PDF 59 KB)
Sensors
Video imaging and artificial intelligence techniques can be used to enhance control of natural-gas-fired furnaces. This project has the potential to reduce NOx emissions by 10 percent and fuel consumption by 0.5 percent, in large industrial furnaces. Project factsheet (PDF 697 KB)