Patent ID: 6805550
Filing Date: 2004-10-19
Classification: C01B,F23C,F23D,F27B,F27D,Y02P

Abstract:
A method of operating a furnace utilising a hydrogen-rich gas as furnace fuel, the furnace having a multiplicity of burners for burning fuel supplied thereto, which method comprises:(a) providing ignition means for lighting a flame at at least one predetermined burner selected from the multiplicity of burners; (b) supplying to each of the multiplicity of burners an oxygen-containing gas and a combustible gas comprising a hydrocarbon gas in amounts capable of forming an ignitable mixture; (c) igniting a flame at the at least one predetermined burner; (d) allowing a flame to propagate from the at least one predetermined burner to the other burners of the multiplicity of burners; and (e) altering the composition of the combustible gas over a period of time so as to replace at least a major part of the hydrocarbon gas by a hydrogen-rich gas until an at least predominantly hydrogen flame is established at each of the multiplicity of burners.