Patent ID: 7014458
Filing Date: 2006-03-21
Classification: F23C,F23D,F23L,Y02E

Abstract:
1. An improved method of increasing combustion of a hydrocarbon fuel in a combustion chamber of a furnace using only air as an oxidant, comprising introducing part of the air into the combustion chamber near one or more fuel burners where it is combusted with the hydrocarbon fuel thereby creating a flue gas, and introducing a remaining portion of air into the combustion chamber at a first velocity at a plurality of locations downstream of the fuel burners where it is combusted with the flue gas, the improvement comprising: a) injecting oxygen-enriched gas in substitution for the remaining portion of air through a plurality of lances into the flue gas at the plurality of downstream locations, the oxygen-enriched gas having an oxygen concentration of no more than 2% greater than that of air, the second velocity being greater than the first velocity.