Heater and process suitable for lean gaseous fuels

Claim 1

A COMBUSTOR SUITABLE FOR A LEAN FUEL OCCURRING IN A PREDOMINANTLY INERT GAS MIXTURE, THE COMBUSTOR COMPRISING A SETTING WHICH DEFINES AN ELONGATED COMBUSION CHAMBER, THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER HAVING AN UPSTREAM PORTION AND A DOWNSTREAM PORTION SPACED LONGITUDINALLY FROM EACH OTHER, GASE INLET MEANS FOR INTRODUCING THE GAS MIXTURE INTO THE UPSTREAM PORTION OF THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER TO FORM A PLURALITY OF GAS STREAMS, A SOURCE OF A COMBUSTION-SUPPORTING GAS, COMBUSTION-SUPPORTING GAS INLET MEANS FOR INTRODUCING A COMBUSTION-SUPPORTING GAS INTO THE UPSTREAM PORTION TO FORM A PLURALITY OF COMBUSTION-SUPPORTING JETS, THE COMBUSTION-SUPPORTING GAS INLET MEANS ORGANIZED RELATIVE THE GAS INLET MEANS SO THAT EACH OF THE GAS STREAMS HAS AT LEAST ONE OF THE COMBUSTION-SUPPORTIN JETS DIRECTED THEREAGAINST FOR INTIMATE MIXING OF THE GAS MIXTURE AND COMBUSTION-SUPPORTING GASWHEREBY A COMINGLED MASS OF REACTING GASES IS FORMED. AT LEAST ONE BURNER MEANS PENETRATING THE SETTING INTO THE UPSTREAM PORTION OF THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER AND FIRING AN ALTERNATE FUEL TO HEAT THE LEAN FUEL ABOVE ITS KINDLING TEMPERATURE, THE GAS INLET MEANS AND THE COMBUSTION-SUPPORTING GAS INLET MEANS ARRANGED SO THAT THE GAS MIXTURE AND THE COMBUSTION-SUPPORTING GAS ARE INTRODUCED INTO THE COMINGLED MASS IN INCREMENTS ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE UPSTREAM PORTION WHEREBY CHILLING OF THE COMINGLED MASS IS AVOIDED, UNCOOLED REFRACTORY LINING THE INTERIOR OF THE CHAMBER SO THAT THE COMINGLED MASS PASSES IN SWEEPING RELATIONSHIP THEREOVER TO PROVIDE HEAT STORAGE IN THE REFRACTORY, THE SETTING DEFINING AN OUTLET COMMUNICATING IN FLOW SERIES WITH THE DOWNSTREAM PORTION OF THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER TO EXHAUST GASES THEREFROM SO THAT A FLOW GRADIENT IS DEVELOPED CAUSING THE COMINGLED MASS TO FLOW LONGITUDINALLY THROUGH THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER FROM THE USPTREAM PORTION FOR EXIT VIA THE DOWNSTREAM PORTION.