Heat recovery apparatus and method suitable for lean concentrations of a burnable gas

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR THE COMBUSTION OF CARBON MONOXIDE FROM A PREDOMINATELY INERT GAS MIXTURE HAVING A LEAN CONCENTRATION OF THE CARBON MONOXIDE, THE APPARATUS COMPRISING A SETTING WHICH DEFINES AN ADIABATIC COMBUSTION ZONE THEREIN, THE SETTLING DEFINING AN ENCLOSURE HAVING END WALLS AND SIDE WALLS BETWEEN THE END WALLS; GAS INLET MEANS FOR INTRODUCING THE GAS MIXTURE INTO ONE END OF THE COMBUSTION ZONE; GAS DIRECTING MEANS AT SAID ONE END FOR FLOWING THE GAS MIXTURE IN A VORTICAL PATH IN THE ZONE; AIR INLET MEANS AT SAID ONE END FOR INTRODUCING AIR INTO THE ZONE SO THAT OXYGEN FROM THE AIR WILL OXIDIZE THE CARBON MONOXIDE; AIR DIRECTING MEANS AT SAID ONE END FOR CIRCULATING THE AIR IN A VORTICAL PATH IN CLOSE PROXIMITY WITH AND IN AN OPPOSITE ROTATION SENSE FROM THE VORTICAL PATH OF THE GAS MIXTURE; MEANS IN THE ZONE ADJACENT SAID ONE END FOR CAUSING THE COMMINGLED GAS MIXTURE AND AIR TO FLOW TOGETHER WHEREBY THE CARBON MONOXIDE AND OXYGEN ARE FURTHER COMMINGLED; START-UP MEANS ADJACENT SAID ONE END FOR INITIALLY HEATING THE GASES IN THE ZONE TO A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF 1200*F. TO 1500*F.; THE ZONE HAVING A VOLUME SUFFICIENTLY LARGE TO ACCOMMODATE LIBERATION OF A MAJOR PORTION OF THE COMBUSTION HEAT; A LOW THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY REFRACTORY SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY LINING THE END AND SIDE WALLS, THE WALLS BEING FREE OF HEAT ABSORBING MEANS, BY WHICH SAID COMBUSTION ZONE IS SUBSTANTIALLY ADIABATIC; THE REFRACTORY AND WALLS ARRANGED SO THAT HOT COMBUSTION GASES PASS IN SWEEPING RELATIONSHIP THEREOVER TO HEAT THE REFRACTORY TO INCANDESCENCE WHEREBY HEAT IS RERADITED FROM THE END WALLS AND SIDE WALLS TO THE ZONE; EXHAUST MEANS IN A WALL AT AN END OF THE COMBUSTION ZONE REMOVED FROM SAID ONE END FOR REMOVING THE PRODUCTS OF COMBUSTION FROM THE ZONE.