EP3992529A1 - Method and device for igniting a burner - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method in which a pilot flame with its own fuel supply (6, 10) is first ignited in a combustion chamber (15) in the vicinity of the main burner (14) and only then the main burner (14), the pilot flame igniting at the latest switched off with the main burner (14). The invention also relates to a device for igniting a main burner (14) for burning a premixed fuel-air mixture containing hydrogen in a combustion chamber (15) of a heating device (1), a pilot burner (11) having its own fuel supply ( 6, 10) in the combustion chamber (15) in the vicinity of the main burner (14), which can be ignited in an ignition process before the main burner (14) and whose proper functioning can be monitored by a sensor (13). The pilot burner (11) is arranged in such a way that its flame can ignite the main burner (14) but cannot be blown out by the air escaping through the main burner (14). The present invention allows a main burner (14) in a heating device (1) to be ignited safely and with little noise. It can be used with all types of fuel, in particular fuel gases, but is particularly advantageous with hydrogen or fuel gas containing hydrogen.

Description

The invention relates to a method and a device for igniting a (premix) burner, in particular when operating with hydrogen.

Burners operated with liquid or gaseous fuel are used in particular in heaters for heating and/or providing hot service water and should have high availability with low maintenance costs. Known burners are supplied with ambient air by a blower, to which fuel gas and/or a liquid fuel with a predeterminable proportion by mass is added via a fuel valve. The mixture is then ignited in a combustion chamber and then used in stable, controlled combustion to generate heat. The ignition process is an important part of the entire process. A mixture of air and fuel only ignites safely and in an environmentally friendly manner if the mixing ratio of air to fuel (the lambda air ratio) is in an ignitable and environmentally compatible range and is ignited at a suitable point in time. If this is not the case, (partially) unburned fuel may escape into the environment, possibly including carbon monoxide and/or an undesirable accumulation of ignitable mixture may occur which, if ignited at an unfavorable time, causes loud noises and/or undesirable pressure surges causes. For this reason, special attention is paid to the ignition process, i.e. the start of a combustion process in a burner.

According to the prior art, a blower is first switched on, which directs a predeterminable air flow, usually via a Venturi nozzle, into the burner. This air flow is fed to a fuel inlet, e.g. B. in front of the Venturi nozzle, fuel is added, which is done by opening a fuel valve. The fuel valve is only opened by a suitable sensor system and control when sufficient air is conveyed by the blower. Conversely, the fuel valve is closed if for some reason not enough air is being pumped. In addition, a so-called flame monitor ensures that the fuel supply is switched off if the flame goes out for any reason. In any case, there is a control unit for controlling or regulating the entire system, which can switch on the fan and adjust its speed and the position of the fuel valve according to predeterminable calibration data for safe operation of the burner at different loads. Such a regulation also includes the constant measurement of the speed of the blower and the monitoring of the position of the fuel valve.

However, all this does not prevent all types of errors during the ignition process itself. For various reasons, wear and other influences can cause the ignition process not to run optimally as soon as a burner is commissioned or later during operation. On the one hand, there are tolerances and/or contamination and/or wear for all components and parameters, which means that a desired value for a parameter cannot always be set precisely. On the other hand, there are different ambient temperatures, air humidity and/or even slight differences in the fuel composition during operation, which sometimes means that optimal ignition is not (or no longer) achieved with a given setting of fan and fuel valve. Although ignition sparks or a glow igniter are activated immediately when fuel is started, it may take a few seconds for a ignition occurs. In the period before ignition, a more or less ignitable mixture then gets into the combustion chamber and possibly also into an exhaust system, where it burns in a kind of deflagration during ignition and generates loud noises and/or pressure surges. In order to avoid this, an ignition process should be terminated after a limited time, for example 5 s [seconds], if no ignition has taken place by then, but this could result in unburned fuel being released into the environment.

For large premix burners z. B. of gas turbines are also so-called mostly centrally arranged in a main burner pilot burner (diffusion or also premix burner) known to stabilize the combustion process, which interact with the main burner.

Furthermore, there are so-called ignition flames in small heaters, which are generated by a small diffusion burner and burn continuously. When the fuel supply for a main burner is switched on, they ensure the ignition of the main burner and continue to burn with it and after it has been switched off. In order to avoid such constantly burning ignition flames (also for reasons of environmental friendliness), other types of igniters, in particular electrically operated glow igniters or spark igniters, are used in modern devices. So far, however, it has not been possible with devices according to the prior art to permanently eliminate the problems described above during ignition processes.

The object of the present invention is to at least partially alleviate the problems described with reference to the prior art and in particular to ensure reliable and low-noise ignition of a burner. The solution should be particularly suitable when hydrogen is used as a fuel or as a proportion in the fuel.

A method and a device as well as a computer program product according to the independent claims serve to solve this task. Advantageous refinements and developments of the invention are specified in the respective dependent claims. The description, in particular in connection with the figures, illustrates the invention and specifies further exemplary embodiments.

A method for igniting a main burner for the combustion of a premixed fuel-air mixture containing hydrogen contributes to this, in which first a pilot flame with its own fuel supply is ignited in a combustion chamber near the main burner and only then the main burner, whereby the pilot flame is switched off (preferably with or after ignition of the main burner or) at the latest with the main burner.

In this case, a fuel-air mixture is first preconditioned, that is to say in particular a concrete mixture formation for the combustion is set. This can include admixing a quantity of fuel adapted thereto to a predetermined air flow. The fuel includes hydrogen. This premixed fuel-air mixture containing hydrogen is fed to the main burner for combustion.

The pilot flame burns in an area in which the flames of the main burner are located during operation, so that when the pilot flame is burning, the fuel-air mixture escaping from the main burner is immediately and safely ignited and an ignitable mixture cannot accumulate for a few seconds . In principle, the pilot flame can also burn with a follow-up time after the ignition of the main burner, e.g. B. for at least 3 seconds, 5 seconds, 10 seconds or even 20 seconds. In this case, the pilot flame can provide further support precisely in the start-up phase of the main burner, with the operation of the pilot burner and/or main burner also being able to be matched to one another (only) in this run-on time.

The pilot flame is preferably generated with a diffusion burner, which is switched off after the main burner has ignited. Small diffusion burners have a very simple structure and are therefore hardly susceptible to faults. However, since they may produce more pollutants (e.g. nitrogen oxides) than premix burners, it makes sense to only let the pilot burn for the time it is needed, even if it only uses a negligible amount of fuel in relation to the main burner burns.

In particular, the pilot flame is ignited by a spark igniter or glow igniter sized and positioned to ignite the pilot flame. In previously known burner arrangements with only one main burner, the igniter for igniting this main burner has to be dimensioned and positioned, while according to the invention only the ignition of a relatively small pilot flame has to be ensured. Nevertheless, a dimensioning and position can also be selected that also enable direct ignition of the main burner, so that previous igniters can continue to be used and e.g. B. failure of the pilot burner can also be used as usual in the prior art with the disadvantages mentioned.

In a preferred embodiment, the presence of the pilot flame is detected by a sensor after the start of the ignition process in order to ensure that the pilot flame burns before the main burner is switched on. A temperature sensor is particularly suitable for this and can track the temperature profile in the vicinity of the pilot flame start the ignition process. It can also take on other functions during later operation of the main burner.

For safety reasons, the ignition process of the pilot flame, its fuel supply and thus the entire ignition process of the main burner can be stopped if after 3 to 20 s [seconds], preferably after 5 to 15 s, in particular after a specified time of more than 10 s pilot flame is detected. The specific period of time in the specified range can be specified (plant-specific or fixed) and/or optionally be (automatically) adjustable as a function of the current or previous combustion processes. Since only small amounts of fuel are supplied to the pilot burner, the ignition process of the pilot burner can also take much longer until unwanted amounts of fuel escape into the environment or larger amounts of an ignitable mixture form in the combustion chamber. This is just one of the advantages of the present invention.

In one embodiment, a control unit controls the entire ignition process of the main burner by first igniting the pilot flame and only when the pilot flame is present, the main burner is charged with a fuel-air mixture in a manner known per se and after the main burner has been ignited or at the latest when it is switched off, the pilot flame is switched off.

Furthermore, a device for igniting a main burner for combustion of a premixed, hydrogen-containing fuel-air mixture in a combustion chamber of a heater is proposed, which has a pilot burner in the combustion chamber in the vicinity of the main burner, which has its own fuel supply and at a Ignition process ignited before the main burner (and before or switched off again with this) and its proper function can be monitored by means of a sensor.

The fuel supply for the pilot burner is at least partially separate from that for the main burner, which in other words means in particular that the fuel supply for the pilot burner does not take place exclusively via the (non-ignited) main burner. In particular, the pilot burner has its own (integrated or attached) fuel supply connection. The fuel supply to the pilot burner can be set independently with its own adjustment means and/or control means, in particular independently of the operation of the fuel supply to the main burner.

Preferably the pilot burner is arranged so that its flame can ignite the main burner but cannot be blown out by air exiting through the main burner. The pilot burner is arranged in particular in such a way that its flame is quickly reached by the fuel-gas mixture flowing out of the main burner, ie in a typical flame range of the main burner. This means that the pilot flame can also be hit by air that can initially escape from the main burner during an ignition process. Shielding and/or appropriate sizing and positioning of the pilot burner can therefore be helpful to safely prevent the pilot from being blown out before it can ignite the main burner.

The correct function of the pilot burner can be monitored using (at least) one sensor suitable for this purpose. It is possible for the sensor to be arranged outside, on and/or in the combustion chamber. The sensor can, for example, evaluate a flame image optically or be temperature-sensitive. In particular, with the Generate sensor signals that enable an evaluation of the desired function or mode of operation of the pilot burner.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the pilot burner is a diffusion burner with a maximum output of less than 5%, in particular less than 1%, of the maximum output of the main burner. The small amounts of fuel consumed by the pilot burner and any pollutants produced are negligible compared to the main burner.

A spark igniter or glow igniter sized and positioned to ignite the pilot burner is provided as the igniter for the pilot burner. The igniter can (but does not have to) be adapted to the size of the pilot burner.

There is preferably at least one temperature sensor in the vicinity of the pilot burner for determining the presence of a pilot flame. In this way it can be determined whether and from when the temperature rises after the start of fuel supply to the pilot burner and its igniter, which is a sure sign of the presence of a pilot flame. The temperature sensor can later also take over tasks in controlling the combustion process of the main burner.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is a control unit by which the entire ignition process can be controlled from switching on the pilot burner to igniting the main burner. In principle, compared to the prior art, there is mainly a pilot fuel valve that can also be controlled by the control unit.

Furthermore, a computer program product is also proposed, comprising instructions which cause the device described to carry out the method steps mentioned above. In particular, a modern control unit contains at least one microprocessor and a data memory for calibration data, target values, characteristic diagrams and the like, with a program controlling the processes described. Data and program are generally updated from time to time, e.g. b. such a computer program product can serve.

The explanations of the method can also be used to characterize the device, and vice versa. The device can be set up in particular to carry out the method. The computer program product can be implemented in the control unit of the device.

Fig. 1:

schematisch eine Vorrichtung zum sicheren Zünden eines Brenners.

A schematic embodiment of the invention, to which it is not limited, and the way the method works will now be explained in more detail with reference to the drawing. It shows:

Figure 1:

schematically a device for safe ignition of a burner.

1 shows a device schematically. A heater 1 has a combustion chamber 15 with a heat exchanger 8 and an exhaust system 9 . In the combustion chamber 15 there is a main burner 14 with burner nozzles 16 (or outlet openings) for fuel-air mixture in the usual way. This is supplied by an air supply 4 via a blower 2 with combustion air to which fuel is added via a fuel supply 3 and a main fuel valve 5 . A control unit 7 controls these components during operation in a manner known per se by fan 2 and main fuel valve 5 being adjusted so that a desired, environmentally friendly Fuel-air mixture is supplied to the main burner 14 for a desired power. Usual safety devices and sensors, not shown here, are also connected to the control unit 7 . The control unit 7 also controls an ignition process when the heater 1 is to supply heat. However, this takes place differently than in the prior art. In the combustion chamber 15, a pilot burner 11 is arranged next to the main burner 14, preferably at a distance of 1 to 10 cm [centimeters], in particular 2 to 5 cm, which can be ignited by an igniter 12 (preferably a spark igniter or a glow igniter). and then creates a pilot flame. In the present example, the pilot burner 11 is a diffusion burner which is supplied with fuel (here fuel gas) via its own fuel line and its own pilot fuel valve 6 . A temperature sensor 13 measures the temperature in the vicinity of the pilot burner 11 (or in the vicinity of its flame area) and forwards the measured value to the control unit 7 . If an ignition process is to take place, the control unit 7 first opens the pilot fuel valve 6 via a control line and triggers the igniter 12 until the temperature sensor 13 reports a characteristic rise in temperature, which indicates the presence of a pilot flame. This may take longer than when igniting a main burner, for example up to 20 s, because only relatively little fuel is supplied to the pilot burner. If the pilot flame burns, the blower 2 is brought to a predeterminable setpoint speed and the main fuel valve 5 is opened to a predeterminable position. The resulting fuel-air mixture emerges from the burner nozzles 16 of the main burner 14 into the combustion chamber 15 and immediately ignites on the pilot flame of the pilot burner 11 without any delays and thus undesired deflagration, noise or pressure surges. Thereafter the pilot burner 11 can be switched off by closing the pilot fuel valve 6 . Combustion is then continued and regulated in a known manner using only the main burner 14 .

The present invention allows a main burner in a heater to be ignited safely and with little noise. It can be used with all types of fuel, in particular fuel gases, but is particularly advantageous with hydrogen or fuel gas containing hydrogen.

Reference List

1

heater

2

fan

3

fuel supply

4

air supply

5

main fuel valve

6

pilot fuel valve

7

control unit

8th

heat exchanger

9

exhaust system

10

pilot fuel line

11

Pilot burners (particularly diffusion burners)

12

Igniters (especially spark igniters or glow igniters)

13

Sensor (especially temperature sensor)

14

main burner

15

combustion chamber

16

burner nozzles

Claims (13)

Method for igniting a main burner (14) for the combustion of a premixed fuel-air mixture containing hydrogen, in which first a pilot flame with its own fuel supply (6, 10) is ignited in a combustion chamber (15) in the vicinity of the main burner (14 ) is ignited and only then the main burner (14), whereby the pilot flame is switched off at the latest with the main burner (14). Method according to Claim 1, in which the pilot flame is produced with a diffusion burner (11) which is switched off after ignition of the main burner (14). A method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pilot flame is ignited by means of a spark igniter (12) or a glow igniter sized and positioned to ignite the pilot flame. Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which the presence of the pilot flame is detected by means of a sensor (13). Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the ignition process of the pilot flame, its fuel supply and thus the entire ignition process of the main burner (14) is terminated if no pilot flame is detected after 3 to 20 s [seconds]. Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which a control unit (7) controls the entire ignition process of the main burner (14) by first igniting the pilot flame and only applying a fuel-air mixture to the main burner (14) when the pilot flame is present and after ignition of the main burner (14) or at the latest when it is switched off, the pilot flame is switched off. Device for igniting a main burner (14) for burning a premixed fuel-air mixture containing hydrogen in a combustion chamber (15) of a heating device (1), a pilot burner (11) with its own fuel supply (6, 10) in the combustion chamber (15) is present in the vicinity of the main burner (14), which can be ignited before the main burner (14) during an ignition process and whose proper functioning can be monitored by means of a sensor (13). Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the pilot burner (11) is arranged so that its flame can ignite the main burner (14) but cannot be blown out by air exiting through the main burner (14). Apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the pilot burner (11) is a diffusion burner with a maximum power of less than 5% of the maximum power of the main burner (14). Apparatus as claimed in claim 7 or 8, wherein there is a spark igniter (12) or glow igniter sized and positioned to ignite the pilot burner (11). Apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein at least one temperature sensor (13) is provided in the vicinity of the pilot burner (11) for detecting the presence of a pilot flame. Device according to one of Claims 7 to 11, in which there is a control unit (7) which can be used to control the entire ignition process from switching on the pilot burner (11) to igniting the main burner (14). A computer program product comprising instructions that cause the apparatus of any one of claims 7 to 12 to perform the method steps of any one of claims 1 to 6.

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