Integrated heat recovery systems and methods for increasing the efficiency of an oxygen-fired furnace

• Main Authors: BERTRAND LEROUX, REMI P TSIAVA, OVIDIU MARIN, ERWIN PENFORMIS
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 11.03.2010
• Subjects: AIR INTAKES FOR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; AIR SUPPLY; BLASTING; CHEMISTRY; COMBUSTION APPARATUS; COMBUSTION ENGINES; COMBUSTION PROCESSES; CONTROLLING FUEL SUPPLY IN AIR-BREATHING JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; DETAILS OR ACCESSORIES OF FURNACES, KILNS, OVENS, OR RETORTS,IN SO FAR AS THEY ARE OF KINDS OCCURRING IN MORE THAN ONE KINDOF FURNACE; DRAUGHT-INDUCING; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ENGINES USING SPECIAL WORKING FLUIDS OR CYCLES; FURNACES; FURNACES, KILNS, OVENS, OR RETORTS IN GENERAL; GAS-TURBINE PLANTS; HEATING; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS; KILNS; LIGHTING; MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; MANUFACTURE OF IRON OR STEEL; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; METALLURGY; METALLURGY OF IRON; METHODS OF STEAM GENERATION; NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, e.g. STEAMTURBINES; OPEN SINTERING OR LIKE APPARATUS; OVENS; RETORTS; STEAM ACCUMULATORS; STEAM BOILERS; STEAM ENGINE PLANTS; STEAM ENGINES; STEAM GENERATION; SUPPLYING NON-COMBUSTIBLE LIQUID OR GAS; WEAPONS

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and system for efficiently recovering thermal energy produced by an oxygen-fired furnace. SOLUTION: An air separation unit separates air into an oxygen-rich and oxygen-deficient gas. Fuel gas and the oxygen-rich gas are preheated at a heat exchanger through which hot flue gas flows. Combustion of the preheated fuel and oxygen-rich gases result in the hot flue gas. The hot flue gas is cooled at the heat exchanger and flows through a waste heat boiler. Water and/or steam flowing through the waste heat boiler absorbs energy from the cooled flue gas thereby producing heated steam. The heated steam flows through a turbine to produce power. The power is transferred to the air separation unit, thus reducing a power requirement of the air separation unit needed to separate the air. COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT