Glycerin burning system

Abstract

A glycerin burning system having a specialized atomizing burner capable of combusting a continuous feed of crude or pure glycerin. The burner preferably includes an impingement nozzle. The nozzle has an internal distributor which mixes two fluid feed streams (glycerin and air) and expels the fluid through an orifice. The distributor has channels which cause the air to swirl before mixing with the glycerin. An impingement pin is provided outside the orifice. The rapidly ejected glycerin/air mixture strikes a target surface on the impingement pin which transforms the mixture into a fine mist having a reduced velocity. The nozzle is located on the central axis of a turbulator which surrounds the atomized spray with rapidly revolving air. An outlet choke is provided on the combustion chamber to limit the speed of the flow so that steady combustion is maintained.

1 . A method for burning glycerin, comprising:
 a. providing a combustion chamber housing having a mounting wall on a first end and a choke wall on a second end opposite said first end;   b. providing a burner attached to said mounting wall and directed toward said choke wall, said burner including a central axis;   c. said burner including,
 i. a nozzle, 
 ii. wherein said nozzle includes a target surface, 
 iii. wherein said nozzle includes an orifice directed toward said target surface, 
 iv. wherein said nozzle includes a conduit for carrying said glycerin toward said orifice; 
 v. wherein said nozzle includes at least one swirl channel for mixing air into said glycerin traveling down said conduit before said glycerin is ejected through said orifice; 
   d. said burner including a turbulator surrounding said nozzle, said turbulator including,
 i. a cylindrical housing centered on said central axis, with a gap between said cylindrical housing and said nozzle, 
 ii. a plurality of radially-spaced vanes within said gap between said cylindrical housing and said nozzle, wherein each of said vanes is angularly offset from said central axis so that said plurality of vanes forces air flowing through said turbulator housing to rotate; 
   e. providing pressurized glycerin to said conduit in said nozzle;   f. providing pressurized air to said swirl channels within said nozzle, so that a mixture of pressurized glycerin and air is forcefully ejected through said orifice and impacts said target surface, thereby atomizing said mixture;   g. providing pressurized air to said turbulator, so that said pressurized air flows through said turbulator, with said turbulator causing said air to rotate as it flows past said nozzle, creating a swirling, atomized mixture of glycerin and air within said combustion chamber housing;   h. igniting said atomized mixture of glycerin and air within said combustion chamber housing, so that said mixture combusts and converts into combustion products; and   i. providing a choke outlet in said choke wall, with said choke outlet being sized to restrict the flow of said combustion products out of said combustion chamber housing in order to reduce the combustion speed of said mixture of glycerin and air below the flame propagation speed of said mixture.   
     
     
         2 . A method for burning glycerin as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a. providing a source of alternate fuel to said conduit in said nozzle;   b. prior to providing said pressurized glycerin to said conduit, providing said alternate fuel to said conduit in order to create an atomized mixture of said alternate fuel and air within said combustion chamber housing;   c. igniting said atomized mixture of alternate fuel and air;   d. continuing to burn said alternate fuel and air for a time period sufficient to produce stable combustion within said combustion chamber housing; and   e. thereafter switching said alternate fuel to said glycerin so that said mixture within said combustion chamber housing transitions to glycerin and air while combustion continues within said combustion chamber housing.   
     
     
         3 . A method for burning glycerin as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a. providing a source of alternate fuel to said conduit in said nozzle;   b. prior to providing said pressurized glycerin to said conduit, providing a mixture of said alternate fuel and said glycerin to said conduit in order to create an atomized mixture of said alternate fuel, said glycerin, and air within said combustion chamber housing;   c. igniting said atomized mixture of alternate fuel, glycerin, and air;   d. continuing to burn said alternate fuel, glycerin, and air for a time period sufficient to produce stable combustion within said combustion chamber housing; and   e. thereafter switching off said alternate fuel so that said mixture within said combustion chamber housing transitions to glycerin and air while combustion continues within said combustion chamber housing.   
     
     
         4 . A method for burning glycerin as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a. shutting off said pressurized glycerin to said conduit in order to terminate said combustion; and   b. providing a source of water to said conduit in said nozzle in order to flush said glycerin out of said nozzle.   
     
     
         5 . A method for burning glycerin as recited in  claim 1 , wherein:
 a. said combustion chamber housing is cylindrical; and   b. said choke outlet has a circular cross section.   
     
     
         6 . A method for burning glycerin as recited in  claim 2 , wherein:
 a. said combustion chamber housing is cylindrical; and   b. said choke outlet has a circular cross section.   
     
     
         7 . A method for burning glycerin as recited in  claim 3 , wherein:
 a. said combustion chamber housing is cylindrical; and   b. said choke outlet has a circular cross section.   
     
     
         8 . A method for burning glycerin as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said nozzle includes multiple swirl channels for mixing air into said glycerin traveling down said conduit before said glycerin is ejected through said orifice. 
     
     
         9 . A method for burning glycerin as recited in  claim 2 , further comprising:
 a. shutting off said pressurized glycerin to said conduit in order to terminate said combustion; and   b. providing a source of water to said conduit in said nozzle in order to flush said glycerin out of said nozzle.   
     
     
         10 . A method for burning glycerin as recited in  claim 3 , further comprising:
 a. shutting off said pressurized glycerin to said conduit in order to terminate said combustion; and   b. providing a source of water to said conduit in said nozzle in order to flush said glycerin out of said nozzle.   
     
     
         11 . A method for burning glycerin, comprising:
 a. providing a combustion chamber housing having a burner inlet on a first end and a choke outlet on a second end opposite said first end;   b. providing a burner mounted to said combustion chamber housing proximate said burner inlet, said burner being directed toward said choke outlet;   c. said burner including,
 i. an impingement nozzle with an orifice directing a pressurized stream against a target surface, 
 ii. wherein said nozzle includes a conduit for carrying said glycerin toward said orifice; 
   d. said burner including a turbulator surrounding said nozzle, said turbulator including,
 i. a cylindrical housing centered on said central axis, with a gap between said cylindrical housing and said nozzle, 
 ii. a plurality of radially-spaced vanes within said gap between said cylindrical housing and said nozzle, wherein each of said vanes is angularly offset from said central axis so that said plurality of vanes forces air flowing through said turbulator housing to rotate; 
   e. providing pressurized glycerin to said conduit in said nozzle, so that said pressurized glycerin is forcefully ejected through said orifice and impacts said target surface, thereby atomizing said glycerin;   f. providing pressurized air to said turbulator, so that said pressurized air flows through said turbulator, with said turbulator causing said air to rotate as it flows past said nozzle, creating a swirling, atomized mixture of glycerin and air within said combustion chamber housing;   g. igniting said atomized mixture of glycerin and air within said combustion chamber housing, so that said mixture combusts and converts into combustion products; and   h. wherein said choke outlet is sized to restrict the flow of said combustion products out of said combustion chamber housing in order to reduce the combustion speed of said mixture of glycerin and air below the flame propagation speed of said mixture.   
     
     
         12 . A method for burning glycerin as recited in  claim 11 , further comprising:
 a. providing a source of alternate fuel to said conduit in said nozzle;   b. prior to providing said pressurized glycerin to said conduit, providing said alternate fuel to said conduit in order to create an atomized mixture of said alternate fuel and air within said combustion chamber housing;   c. igniting said atomized mixture of alternate fuel and air;   d. continuing to burn said alternate fuel and air for a time period sufficient to produce stable combustion within said combustion chamber housing; and   e. thereafter switching said alternate fuel to said glycerin so that said mixture within said combustion chamber housing transitions to glycerin and air while combustion continues within said combustion chamber housing.   
     
     
         13 . A method for burning glycerin as recited in  claim 11 , further comprising:
 a. providing a source of alternate fuel to said conduit in said nozzle;   b. prior to providing said pressurized glycerin to said conduit, providing a mixture of said alternate fuel and said glycerin to said conduit in order to create an atomized mixture of said alternate fuel, said glycerin, and air within said combustion chamber housing;   c. igniting said atomized mixture of alternate fuel, glycerin, and air;   d. continuing to burn said alternate fuel, glycerin, and air for a time period sufficient to produce stable combustion within said combustion chamber housing; and   e. thereafter switching off said alternate fuel so that said mixture within said combustion chamber housing transitions to glycerin and air while combustion continues within said combustion chamber housing.   
     
     
         14 . A method for burning glycerin as recited in  claim 11 , further comprising:
 a. shutting off said pressurized glycerin to said conduit in order to terminate said combustion; and   b. providing a source of water to said conduit in said nozzle in order to flush said glycerin out of said nozzle.   
     
     
         15 . A method for burning glycerin as recited in  claim 11 , wherein:
 a. said combustion chamber housing is cylindrical; and   b. said choke outlet has a circular cross section.   
     
     
         16 . A method for burning glycerin as recited in  claim 12 , wherein:
 a. said combustion chamber housing is cylindrical; and   b. said choke outlet has a circular cross section.   
     
     
         17 . A method for burning glycerin as recited in  claim 13 , wherein:
 a. said combustion chamber housing is cylindrical; and   b. said choke outlet has a circular cross section.   
     
     
         18 . A method for burning glycerin as recited in  claim 11 , wherein said nozzle includes multiple swirl channels for mixing air into said glycerin traveling down said conduit before said glycerin is ejected through said orifice. 
     
     
         19 . A method for burning glycerin as recited in  claim 12 , further comprising:
 a. shutting off said pressurized glycerin to said conduit in order to terminate said combustion; and   b. providing a source of water to said conduit in said nozzle in order to flush said glycerin out of said nozzle.   
     
     
         20 . A method for burning glycerin as recited in  claim 13 , further comprising:
 a. shutting off said pressurized glycerin to said conduit in order to terminate said combustion; and   b. providing a source of water to said conduit in said nozzle in order to flush said glycerin out of said nozzle.