Abstract:
A premix burner assembly (14) for heating the combustion chamber (12) of a dryer (10) for an HMA plant, soil remediation plant, or the like is designed to meet the very low emission limitations that are imposed in certain areas such as the southern portion of California. The burner assembly (14) includes a burner (16), a primary nozzle (38), an air source (18) connected to the burner (16), a fuel source (20), and a fuel injection system (46) connected to the fuel source (20) and to the burner (16). Premixing is achieved through the supply of a gaseous fuel from the fuel injection system (46) into the burner upstream of the primary nozzle (38) so as to lead to nearly complete premixing of the air and fuel prior to discharge into the combustion chamber (12), thereby permitting combustion of the fuel with only very small amounts of excess air. Burner efficiency is increased and emissions are further reduced by employing air distribution and control devices (48, 50) upstream of the fuel injection system and by carefully controlling the supply of both air and fuel to the burner. Preferably, burner firing is controlled by three separate controllers including a master firing rate controller (106), a gas supply controller (110), and an air supply controller (108) which communicate with one another in different manners depending on whether or not the firing rate is increasing at a particular time.
Abstract:
A rotary heating device (20) having reduced NOx emissions including a recirculation system for recirculating gases downstream of a baghouse (12) to the heat source, such as a flame burner (28), and to a quenching ring (40) located at the end of a refractory combustion chamber (32) surrounding the burner flame (30). The addition of the recirculating gas to the burner (28) provides a cooler, turbulent flame (30). The addition of the recirculating gas via the quenching ring (40) to the end of the flame (30) reduces the length and temperature of the flame (30). The cooler, shorter, turbulent flame (30) provides sufficient heat for drying aggregate or for producing asphalt-aggregate mix while decreasing the production of NOx.