Metal powder ignition apparatus, metal powder ignition method, compact metal powder combustion apparatus and metal powder combustion method using water plasma

Abstract

A metal powder ignition apparatus using water plasma is provided. The metal powder ignition apparatus includes an ignition apparatus for igniting and combusting metal powder by injecting the water plasma into a mixture of the metal powder and steam functioning as an oxidizer for burning the metal powder.

1 . A metal powder ignition apparatus using water plasma, the apparatus for igniting and burning metal powder by injecting the water plasma to a mixture of the metal powder and steam functioning as an oxidizer for burning the metal powder. 
     
     
         2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the metal powder is manufactured using aluminum or magnesium, and the water plasma is high-temperature plasma of 1,000° C. or higher generated by ionizing the steam. 
     
     
         3 . A metal powder ignition method using water plasma, the method for igniting metal powder in a combustion chamber using the water plasma while feeding only a right amount of the metal powder and the steam into the combustion chamber. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein the metal powder and the steam stay inside a space unit of a limited length in the combustion chamber for a further extended period of time and proceed toward one side by swirl flow, and the water plasma is injected toward a center of the combustion chamber positioned at a core of the swirl flow, in a proceeding direction of the metal powder and the steam. 
     
     
         5 . A compact metal powder combustion apparatus using water plasma, the apparatus comprising:
 a combustion chamber;   a metal powder feeder for feeding the metal powder into the combustion chamber;   a steam feeder for generating steam of 200 to 400° C. and feeding the steam into the combustion chamber; and   a water plasma igniter for igniting the metal powder and the steam fed into the combustion chamber, using the water plasma.   
     
     
         6 . The apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein the combustion chamber includes: a tangential feed tube having a feed terminal connected to an outer circumference of the combustion chamber in a tangential direction, for generating swirl flow by feeding the metal powder and/or the steam into the combustion chamber in the tangential direction. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein the combustion chamber includes:
 a turbulence chamber having feed terminals of a first tangential feed tube for feeding the metal powder and a second tangential feed tube for feeding the water, arranged on the outer circumference at predetermined intervals, and forming a narrow disk-shaped mixing space unit in which the metal powder and the steam fed through the first and second tangential feed tubes  311  and  312  are mixed while swirl-flowing along an inner surface; and   a combustion chamber having a cylindrical structure that is longer than the turbulence chamber with a smaller cross-sectional area, in which one end is connected to a center portion of the turbulence chamber, and a mixture of the metal powder and the steam fed through a connection unit connected with the turbulence chamber spirally flows along the inner surface and proceeds toward the other end.   
     
     
         8 . The apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the turbulence chamber includes: a guide projection unit having an inner center projected toward the combustion chamber, for guiding proceed of flow toward the combustion chamber. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein the metal powder feeder includes:
 a powder tank for storing the metal powder, having an outlet for exhausting the metal powder and a carriage gas inlet for taking in carriage gas, respectively formed at an upper portion and a lower portion; and   a carriage gas feeder for floating some of the metal powder stored and stacked in the powder tank toward the outlet side by feeding the carriage gas into the powder tank  110  through the carriage gas inlet, and feeding the metal powder to the combustion chamber.   
     
     
         10 . The apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein the carrier gas feeder includes:
 a gas tank for storing the carriage gas;   a pressure transducer installed on a gas feed tube formed between the gas tank and the powder tank, for measuring pneumatic pressure;   an electronic scale for measuring an amount of the metal powder fed into the combustion chamber by measuring weight of the powder tank; and   a powder feed controller for controlling the amount of the metal powder fed into the combustion chamber with respect to supply of the carriage gas based on data measured using the pressure transducer and the electronic scale.   
     
     
         11 . The apparatus according to  claim 9 , further comprising:
 a purge gas feeder having a feed terminal connected to the powder feed tube formed between the powder tank and the combustion chamber so as to feed purge gas into the combustion chamber in place of the metal powder.   
     
     
         12 . The apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein the steam feeder includes:
 a steam generator for receiving electric power and water and generating super-heated steam; and   a steam feed controller for controlling an amount of the steam fed into the combustion chamber through a bypath branched from a steam feed tube formed between the steam generator and the combustion chamber.   
     
     
         13 . The apparatus according to  claim 12 , further comprising: a steam cooler for cooling and exhausting the super-heated steam passing through the bypath from the steam feed tube, through heat exchange with coolant. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein the water plasma igniter injects the water plasma, ionized hydrogen and oxygen plasma of 1,000° C. or higher using the steam as a supply gas, into the combustion chamber. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus according to  claim 5 , further comprising:
 a precipitator installed at a combustion gas exhausting terminal for exhausting gas in the combustion chamber, for precipitating metal powder slug generated in a combustion process so that the slug may not be exhausted outside.   
     
     
         16 . A metal powder combustion method using water plasma, the method comprising:
 a metal powder feeding step of feeding a right amount of metal powder and steam of 200 to 400° C. into a combustion chamber;   a mix and flow step of mixing the metal powder and the steam inside the combustion chamber by swirl flow;   an ignition step of igniting the metal powder and the steam in the combustion chamber using the water plasma, wherein the metal powder is a fuel, and the steam is an oxidizer; and   an ignition maintaining step   an ignition maintaining step of maintaining injection of the water plasma for a predetermined time period, as long as combustion of the metal powder is continued, although ignition of the metal powder succeeded.   
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 16 , wherein in the metal powder feeding step, the metal powder and/or the steam is fed into the combustion chamber in a tangential direction through mutually independent paths. 
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 16 , wherein in the metal powder feeding step, the metal powder is preheated by an energy recuperation system or a regenerative heat exchanger and then fed into the combustion chamber. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 16 , wherein the mix and flow step includes:
 a premixing step of mixing the metal powder and the steam fed into the combustion chamber in a tangential direction, by circulating the metal powder and the steam along an inner surface inside a disk-shaped mixing space unit of the combustion chamber  300  by swirl flow; and   a spiral flow step of feeding a mixture of the metal powder and the steam generated in the premixing step into a separate cylindrical space unit inside the combustion chamber, and proceeding the mixture to one side by spiral flow over a further extended staying time.   
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 16 , wherein in the ignition step, the steam is ionized into hydrogen and oxygen plasma of 1,000° C. or higher using the steam as a supply gas and injected into the combustion chamber. 
     
     
         21 . The method according to  claim 16 , further comprising: a combustion maintaining step of feeding only the metal powder and the steam into the combustion chamber and maintaining combustion of the metal powder while injection of the water plasma is stopped, after the ignition maintaining step.