EP0072675A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Combustor installation and process for producing a heated fluid
Assignee: Dresser Industries Inc
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Filing: 1982-08-12
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2002-08-12
Abstract
Abstract A boilerless steam generator, e.g. for use in producing steam to flood an oil bearing formation comprises a catalytic combustor (11) in which a thermally self-extinguishing carbonaceous fuel/diluent admixture is combusted. Water from a source (15) is mixed with fuel from a source (16) in a mixer (14) and then formed into an emulsion in homogenizer (17). The emulsion is fed to combustor (11) and mixed with air containing stoichiometric quantities of oxygen before flowing through a catalytic combustion zone to directly heat the water to produce super-heated steam. Upon discharge from the combustion zone additional water is added to the steam/combustion product mixture and the resultant flow enters well casing (33). By keeping the ratio of dilient to fuel high, a low combustion temperature is obtained and this avoids the formation of thermal nitrous oxide, and avoids problems of catalyst stability.
Inventors
- 👤 James Anthony Latty
- 👤 Darwain Spencer Eisenbarth
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 21:01
CPC Classifications
F; F23; F23C; F23C13/00; C; C10; C10L; C10L1/00; C10L1/32; C10L1/328; E; E21; E21B; E21B36/00; E21B36/02; F23K; F23K5/00; F23K5/02; F23K5/08; F23K5/10; F23K5/12
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 24
Claim 1
Independent Claim
54 words
A combustor including means for catalytically combusting a fuel admixture of a non-combustible diluent and a carbonaceous fuel intimately mixed in a thermally self-extinguishing mass ratio so such combustion directly heats said diluent to produce a heated fluid, and means for providing relative quantities of said carbonaceous fuel and an oxidant for such combustion.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
54 words
A combustor including means for catalytically combusting a fuel admixture of a non-combustible diluent and a carbonaceous fuel intimately mixed in a thermally self-extinguishing mass ratio so such combustion directly heats said diluent to produce a heated fluid, and means for providing relative quantities of said carbonaceous fuel and an oxidant for such combustion.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
65 words
A combustor as defined by claim 1, wherein said means for catalytically combusting comprises a housing with an inlet chamber toward one end thereof and a discharge chamber toward the other end thereof, a catalyst supported within said housing between said chambers, means for mixing said admixture and said oxidant in said inlet chamber to form an inlet mixture preparatory to flow through said catalyst.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
80 words
A combustor as defined by claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said means for providing relative quantities of said carbonaceous fuel and an oxidant includes an admixture flow control, sensor means for detecting a characteristic of said heated fluid, control means connected between said sensor means and said admixture flow control for receiving a characterizing signal from said sensor means and sending a control signal to said admixture flow control in response thereto to vary the flow of said admixture.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
101 words
A combustor as defined by claim 3 wherein said admixture flow control includes a mass ratio control for setting the mass ratio of said non-combustible diluent relative to said carbonaceous fuel, said sensor means including a temperature sensor for said heated fluid, said control means being connected with said temperature sensor and providing for comparing the fluid temperature detected by said temperature sensor to a predesignated maximum temperature and sending another control signal to said mass ratio control as determined by said last mentioned comparison to increase said mass ratio for keeping said fluid temperature less than said predesignated maximum temperature.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
57 words
A combustor as defined by claim 4 wherein said control means further provides for comparing said fluid temperature to a predesignated minimum temperature and sending still another control signal to said mass ratio control as determined by this latter comparison to decrease said mass ratio for keeping said fluid temperature no less than said predesignated minimum temperature.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
49 words
A combustor as defined by claim 5 wherein said mass ratio control includes a diluent flow control and a fuel flow control, said latter controls being connected to said control means for receiving a control signal therefrom for setting the mass ratio of said diluent relative to said fuel.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
70 words
A combustor as defined by any of claims 3 to 6 wherein said means for providing relative quantities includes an oxidant flow control, said control means being further connected to said oxidant flow control for sending said control signal to said oxidant flow control for adjusting the flow of said oxidant to a specified relative quantity of said fuel and said oxidant to be delivered to said combustor for combustion.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
64 words
A combustor as defined by claim 7 wherein said control means being connected to said sensor means for receiving first and second time-spaced characterizing signals of said fluid, and for sending said control signal to said oxidant flow control to vary the flow of said oxidant so said heated fluid will be heated to a peak temperature for said mass ratio of said admixture.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
61 words
A combustor is defined by claim 7 wherein said sensor means includes an oxygen sensor for detecting the presence of oxygen in said heated fluid, said control means being connected to said oxygen sensor for receiving a signal . therefrom and for sending a control signal to said oxidant flow control for adjusting the flow thereof to said specified relative quantity.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
100 words
A combustor as defined by claim 1 or 2 wherein said means for providing relative quantities of said carbonaceous fuel and an oxidant includes an oxidant flow control, sensor means in said combustor housing for detecting a characteristic of said heated fluid, control means connected between said sensor means and said oxidant flow control for receiving a characterizing signal from said sensor means and sending a control signal to said oxidant flow control in response thereto to vary the flow of said oxidant for obtaining relative quantities of said fuel and said oxidant for said mass ratio of said admixture.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
122 words
A combustor as defined by claim or 2 wherein said means for providing relative quantities of said carbonaceous fuel and an oxidant includes an admixture flow control, and oxidant flow control, sensor means in said combustor for detecting a characteristic of said heated fluid, and control means connected between said sensor means and said flow controls for receiving said signal from sensor means and said flow controls for receiving said signal from said sensor means and sending at least one control signal to at least one of said flow controls in reponse thereto to vary the relative mass flow between said admixture and said oxidant for obtaining relative quantities of said fuel and said oxidant for said mass ratio of said admixture.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
14 words
A combustor as defined by claim 2 including means for preheating said inlet mixture.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
42 words
A combustor as defined by claim 12 wherein said means for preheating includes a device supported within said housing for conducting a portion of the heat of combustion of said inlet mixture to at least one of said admixture and said oxidant.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
46 words
A combustor as defined by claim 13 wherein said device includes a heat-conducting passage connected between said discharge chamber and said inlet chamber for a portion of the products of combustion to flow from said discharge chamber into said inlet chamber for preheating said inlet mixture.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
24 words
A combustor as defined by claim 14 wherein said catalyst is a graded-cell catalyst with larger catalytic cells disposed toward the inlet end thereof.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
101 words
A combustor as defined by claim 2 including a post-combustion injector for spraying a non-combustible cooling fluid with a high heat capacity into said heated fluid for cooling purposes, a cooling fluid control, a temperature sensor for said heated fluid for detecting the temperature thereof prior to injection of said cooling fluid, control means connected between said sensor and said flow control for transmitting a control signal to said cooling-fluid flow control to cause said flow control to adjust the flow of said cooling fluid into said discharge chamber for lowering the temperature of said working fluid to a selected temperature.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
77 words
A combustor as defined by claim 1 6 including a post-injection temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of said heated fluid after injection of said cooling fluid, said control means being connected with said latter sensor and including a computer for comparing said post-injection temperature to said selected temperature and transmitting an appropriate signal to said cooling fluid flow control to adjust the flow of said cooling fluid to cool said working fluid to said selected temperature.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
25 words
A combustor as defined by claim 17 including a conduit extending from said discharge chamber through said housing and to a source of cooling fluid.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
34 words
A combustor as defined by claim 2 wherein said means for mixing said admixture and said oxidant includes a spray nozzle connected to said housing and through which said admixture enters said inlet chamber.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
39 words
A combustor as defined by claim 2 including an igniter mounted in said housing within said inlet chamber for igniting a thermally combustible start-fuel to bring said catalyst to its light-off temperature before combusting said admixture in said housing.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
26 words
A combustor as defined by claim 2 including an electrical heating element within said housing for raising the temperature of said catalyst to its light-off temperature.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
94 words
A process for producing a heated working fluid by combusting a carbonaceous fuel in a combustor comprising the steps of: (a) mixing the carbonaceous fuel with a non-combustible diluent to form a fuel-mixture which has a mass ratio of diluent to fuel that is thermally self-extinguishing, (b) providing a substantially stoichiometric quantity of oxidant to the fuel-mixture for substantially stoichiometric combustion, and (c) catalytically combusting said fuel-mixture and oxidant to directly heat the diluent in the mixture to produce a heated working fluid comprised of the heated diluent and the products of such combustion.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
94 words
A process for producing a heated working fluid by combusting a carbonaceous fuel in a combustor comprising the steps of: (a) mixing the carbonaceous fuel with a non-combustible diluent to form a fuel-mixture which has a mass ratio of diluent to fuel that is thermally self-extinguishing, (b) providing a substantially stoichiometric quantity of oxidant to the fuel-mixture for substantially stoichiometric combustion, and (c) catalytically combusting said fuel-mixture and oxidant to directly heat the diluent in the mixture to produce a heated working fluid comprised of the heated diluent and the products of such combustion.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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