Method and apparatus for producing flame jet and controlling temperature and flame stability of same

Claim 1

A BURNER APPARATUS FOR BURNING LIQUID FUEL, OXYGEN AND A QUANTITY OF NITROGEN AT SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE AND PRODUCING A NITROGEN COOLED FLAME JET, SAID APPARATUS INCLUDING AN ENCLOSURE BODY HAVING AN ELONGATED MIXING SPACE FOR PREMIXING OXYGEN, NITROGEN AND LIQUID FUEL DROPLETS, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING COMPRESSED OXYGEN, NITROGEN AND LIQUID FUEL DROPLETS TO SAID MIXING SPACE IN INDIVIDUALLY REGULATABLE QUANTITIES, SAID ENCLOSURE BODY FURTHER HAVING A RELATIVELY LARGER COMBUSTION CHAMBER COMMUNICATING WITH THE PREMIXING SPACE, A FLAME STABILIZING WALL CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED TO SEPARATE THE PREMIXING SPACE AND THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER, SAID FLAME STABILIZING WALL BEING FORMED WITH A FUEL INJECTING PASSAGEWAY FOR CONDUCTING A FUEL MIXTURE FROM THE PREMIXING SPACE INTO THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER, SAID FLAME STABILIZING WALL FURTHER PRESENTING A FLAT ANNULAR FLAME STABILIZING SURFACE WHICH IS LOCATED AROUND AND WHICH EXTENDS ABRUPTLY AWAY FROM SAID FUEL INJECTION PASSAGEWAY, SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER HAVING A PREDETERMINED SIZE WHICH DEFINES A VOLUME LIMITED BY THE QUANTITY OF NITROGEN RELATIVE TO THE QUANTITY OF OXYGEN AND FUEL DROPLETS COMBUSTED THEREIN WHEREBY A RANGE OF STABLE BURNING ABOVE AND BELOW STOICHIOMETRIC RANGE IS REALIZED AND RECIRCULATION OF FLAME PORTIONS MAY BE INDUCED AGAINST THE SAID FLAME STABILIZING SURFACE IN A TOROIDAL PATH OF FLOW TO PROMOTE CONTINUOUS BURNING.