Inventors:
M. Shannon Melton - Tulsa OK, US
Donald Zetik - Tulsa OK, US
Dan Loveless - Collinsville OK, US
Frank Pickell - Friendswood TX, US
John Varesic - Tiki Island TX, US
John Brinly - Houston TX, US
Gary Scoggin - Texas City TX, US
International Classification:
F23N001/00
US Classification:
431/009000, 431/010000, 431/012000
Abstract:
A method for combusting fuel in a fired heater having one or more burners, the method comprising: (a) combusting at least a portion of the fuel in the presence of an oxidizer in the burners, generating heat and producing a flue gas; and (b) recycling at least a portion of the flue gas to the burners; wherein step (a) and step (b) are conducted in a manner such that the combusting takes place in a combustion regime represented by
wherein w represents a mole fraction of oxygen in the oxidizer, x represents a recycle ratio of the flue as measured in moles of flue gas/mole of oxidizer; wherein y represents a temperature of the flue gas in Fahrenheit recycled to the burners; and wherein z represents a heating value of the fuel in Btu/scf LHV.