E n v iro m ix

S p lit P h ase : A p p ly in g

C o m b u s tio n

P rin c ip le s

to

F la m e le s s

P y ro ly s is F u rn a c e s

S i m o n Kretzschmar

H a m w o r t h y C o m b u s t i o n Engineering Ltd ( H C E L )
Fleets Corner, P o o l e
Dorset, E n g l a n d

H C E L P r ocess Sales D e p a r t m e n t 2 0 1 1

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Enviromix Split Phase: Applying Flameless Combustion Principles to Pyrolysis Furnaces

By
Simon K retzschm ar

H am w orthy C om bustion E ngineering L td

Fleets C orner, Poole
D orset, E ngland

A bstra ct: As the drive towards reduced NOx emissions accelerates, the need to promote synergy between
a ll furnace components becomes paramount. One o f the most exciting methods o f reducing these emissions
is through the application o f the principles o f flameless combustion. Through high rates o f flue gas
recirculation into feed combustion air and/or fuel, and high combustion reactant injection velocities, the
traditional stable flame fron t o f a burner may be removed and from this a low peak temperature, distributed
combustion results. This significantly reduces the form ation o f thermal and prom pt NOx to levels not
attainable w ith conventional staged combustion methods. Achieving this, however, is far sim pler on p ilo t
furnaces and smaller single burner operations where the intricate flu id dynamics o f the interaction are more
easily influenced. The application in large scale, m ultiple burner, industrial furnaces such as those used in
the pyrolysis o f ethane and naphtha, is far more d iffic u lt. In spite o f these challenges, steps are being taken
to move traditionally accepted technology in this direction. A significant move has been made by
Hamworthy Combustion Engineering Ltd (H C E L) u tilisin g its E nvirom ix S p lit Phase pyrolysis furnace
burner (ESP). W hile not a true flameless combustion burner the design o f the ESP integrates many o f the
key aspects o f flameless combustion to provide a unique solution to the current requirements o f pyrolysis
furnace licensors and end users. The fin a l move to flameless combustion, or indeed to an accepted pseudoflameless combustion scenario, w ill rely significantly on the furnace to burner synergy. The goal, therefore,
o f this investigation is to promote discussion between a ll parties, licensor, EPC and burner vendor around
integration o f the technology and the pooling o f resources to fin d a m utually beneficial outcome.
K eyw ords: Flameless Combustion, Split Phase Burners, Pyrolysis Furnaces, N O x Reduction

1. Introduction
In the w orld o f process furnace design, a fine line is usually trodden during energy efficiency optim isation
between optimum operating conditions and the ever reducing N O x emission levels allowed from the
burners. W hile the furnace designers specific requirements remain, the burners are required to be:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)

Easy to maintain.
Provide the required heat flux.
Operate on a high turndown range.
Operate on a wide fuel range.
Capable o f providing stable and safe operation.
Able to meet local emissions legislation

In many applications the traditional air and fuel staging techniques required fo r low N O x operation are no
longer feasible as the alignment o f reducing N O x and high furnace temperatures create a situation where
meeting the emissions levels are no longer possible.
U ltra-low N O x burners requiring extreme staging and other techniques such as internal flue gas
recirculation may s till meet the current emission requirements however they have their own disadvantages
w ith regard to com plexity o f operation and instability at turndown. The lim itation fo r the current
technology is being reached, w hile N O x emission lim its steadily sink as countries endeavour to adhere to
the principles o f the Kyoto Protocol M ila n i et al (2001)1.
W hat is needed is a fundamental mindset change fo r certain combustion applications. This could either be
in the form o f de-NOx units attached to the flue stream or a complete redesign o f the burners themselves.
W a lke r J. et al (2004)9
Significant research has been conducted in academia and in some industrial applications into new modes o f
combustion. From in itia l FLO X recuperative and regenerative burners utilised in furnaces in the
m etallurgical industry in the early 90s, to their later incarnations, the development o f the technology has
continued W unning (2003)2. However, the mainstream application to the petrochemical and refining
process industry has been slow. This may be due to the low er operating temperatures o f many process
heaters (approximately 800 oC) whereas this technology is more suited to higher temperature applications
such as in the cracking and reform ing furnaces (> 1000 oC).
The purpose, therefore, o f this paper is to illustrate the developments that have been achieved by
Hamworthy Combustion Engineering Ltd (HCEL) as a burner manufacturer in w orking towards these
alternative technologies and to the promote open discussion between a ll parties involved, that is needed to
fu lly develop and integrate this technology into furnaces o f the process industry.

2. Background: N O x fo rm a tio n and tra d itio n a l reduction techniques

In order to discuss the redesign o f the existing technology it is w orthw hile review ing the traditional NO x
reduction techniques.
The oxides o f nitrogen are formed from the NO produced in the flame. NO is further oxidised to NO 2 in
the presence o f additional O2, either in the furnace, stack or atmosphere.
The form ation o f NO in flames is generally accepted to fo llo w one o f three paths.
Table(1): M ethods o f N O x F orm ation
NO x F orm ation Type
Thermal

D escription
Formed from atmospheric nitrogen and oxygen and is a
function o f the combustion temperature.
Formed from the nitrogenous compounds in the fuel and is a
function o f the fuel composition
Formed from atmospheric nitrogen and fuel and is a function
o f stoichiometry.

Fuel
Prompt

Fuel N O x is not a factor in pyrolysis furnaces and prompt N O x is generally a lim ited contributor. As such
the main focus o f N O x reduction is on the most significant contributor: thermal NO x 3.
Thermal N O x is influenced by the furnace and flame temperatures and is dependent on O 2 concentration.
M ost methods o f emissions reduction in the latest generation burners o f today involve peak flame
temperature reduction11.
Flame temperature reduction has been achieved prim arily via air staging, fuel staging and flue gas
recirculation (FGR).
A ir and fuel staging methods (Figure (1.1) and Figure (1.2)) are based around introducing either the air or
fuel in sub or super stoichiom etric quantities into different regions o f the flame. This creates a fuel or air
(depending on the staging method) lean prim ary combustion zone. The remaining air or fuel is introduced
into the secondary combustion zone. By distributing the combustion the volume o f the exothermic
combustion reaction is increased reducing the peak flame temperature therefore reducing the thermal
N O x11.
F igure (1): T ra d itio n a l Staging M ethodology (1) - Staged A ir ;
(2) - Staged Fuel ; (3) Staged Fuel w ith FG R

(1 )
i

(2 )

(5)

'%

%
i /'V't i

_ k1
*I
;* j
if
* 'T' *
Tf
i1i*r
i 1 i
|L
-i
4 i
v ,
s
1

i* > 1

* * * I
m i L1
4 1 J i X'

4 J Li
*1
1.1

ft*
1

M i

)m

i
i1
i'

H*
lU I
*
t

A further method is that o f

flue gas recirculation. Here
the furnace flue gases are
induced into the flame. This
method is usually combined
w ith other methods o f NO x
reduction, such as the staged
fuel in Figure (1.3)
The high percentage o f
inerts chills
the flame
further by absorbing the heat
o f reaction.
The more
extreme the staging the
low er the N O x emissions,
however the price fo r this is
flame stability, turndown
a b ility and the risk o f CO
form ation.
The stability o f the flame is
therefore the lim itin g factor
in how much cooling (and
thus N O x reduction) can be
achieved. W hile a ll this is

considered, the stability o f the flame is an im portant aspect o f combustion, not only ensuring functionality
but also fo r safety and efficiency ensuring that there is no release o f incomplete combusted fuels W unning
J. (2000)4. Eventually a lim it is reached where no more N O x reduction can be achieved w ith a stable flame
maintained.
3. Flameless C om bustion: D e fin itio n and principles
Lean combustion through staging and internal flue gas recirculation principles has become common
practice. The issue o f flame stability s till, however, remains and w ith this comes the issue o f a m inim um
flame temperature. The ideal case would be to remove this lim itation. In order to overcome this
considerable w ork has been conducted in the realm o f flameless combustion, an application firs t applied in
high temperature air combustion furnaces (H IT A C s) as long ago as the early 90s, Awosope et al (2005)5.
Also known as mild combustion and flameless oxidation M ila n i et al (2002) 6this method o f combustion
allows the extreme staging o f combustion to previously unconsidered degrees.
Flameless combustion is defined, according to W unning J. (2005)7, as ... stable combustion without a

flame and with defined recirculation of combustion products

A guile F et a l.8 summarise the method o f flameless combustion as being achieved by the injection o f the
combustion air and the fuel at high velocities into the furnace chamber. In order to achieve the correct
aerodynamics and high recirculation o f the combustion products, the design o f both the burner and the
chamber are then considered critical. These high temperature products are required to m aintain combustion
w ithout the need fo r a stabilised, defined flame. M ila n i et al (2001)1 describe this as volume combustion,
as opposed to typical flame front combustion. Due to the homogeneous nature o f the temperature and
composition in the chamber a defined flame boundary can no longer be seen and combustion is distributed
throughout the chamber hence the term flameless combustion.
Some o f the key features o f flameless combustion according to Awosope et al (2005)5 are:
1) H igh velocity injection o f the fuel and combustion air into a furnace designed to facilitate
significant flue gas recirculation.
2) Any methods that are designed to facilitate flame form ation at the burner (e.g. b lu ff bodies and
swirlers) are noticeably absent.
3) Significant quantities o f high temperature flue gas are recirculated either internally or
externally.
4) Heat removal.
The injection o f the reactants at high velocity and the removal o f b lu ff bodies ensure that combustion is
distributed and the correct flo w regime is developed w ith in the furnace w ithout the establishment o f a
flame front. The recirculation o f the high temperature flue gas ensures the stability o f the reaction. This is
required considering that the consequent dilution o f the reactants can result in local O2 concentrations o f
anywhere between 3 and 15% by volume A guile F et al8. The removal o f the heat is a requirement to
ensure non-adiabatic combustion.
The effects on N O x reduction are thus significant as a result o f two factors that come into play
simultaneously:
1) The very high internal recirculation leads to dilution o f the combustion air w ith the flue gas.
This reduces the local concentration o f O2 w hilst increasing the quantities o f inerts, thus reducing
the adiabatic flame temperature o f the m ixture. W unning J. (2000)4
2) The distribution o f combustion again contributes to the avoidance o f peak temperatures.
The result o f these two factors is that the thermal N O x form ation w hich is significantly influenced by the
peak temperatures is therefore suppressed.

4. Incorporating Flameless Combustion Principles into a Burner Design: The ESP

4.1 M eeting a m arket requirem ent
The movement away from traditional staging technology came fo r
Hamworthy Combustion during the development o f a burner fo r
the pyrolysis furnace market.

F igure (2): Furnace 14

(C ourtesy H C E L R & D
D epartm ent)

N O x reduction on these units is a matter fo r considerable debate.

The high operating temperature (1200 deg C +) together w ith the
high hydrogen (and therefore high adiabatic flame temperature)
fuels that can be associated w ith the burners on these furnaces
result in high N O x emissions. The compounding issue is that
many o f these units are located in countries where the emissions
legislations are stringent.
The data in Table(2) below illustrates typical emissions from
burners in these furnaces.
Table (2): T yp ica l Technology Associated Em ission L im its
B u rn e r Type
Conventional
Low N O x Technology

T yp ica l N O x Em ission
mg/Nm 3 *
430
135

Required

<90

* Corrected to 3% O2, Fuel Composition 80% H2 / 20% CH4.

W a lke r J. et al (2004)9 discuss in depth the d iffering methods
that may be considered to reduce N O x emissions. These include:
1.
2.
3.

U n it Turndown
Fuel Switching
Steam Injection

However, a ll o f these methods impact the operation o f the furnace

reducing productivity and constraining p ro fit margins. W a lke r J.
et al (2004)9 in particular point out that switching from waste fuel
gas to natural gas can double the costs o f ethylene production.
The requirement therefore falls either to the use o f catalytic deNO x units or finding a burner capable o f emissions typical o f
ultra-low N O x technology but which has stable flames, high turndown ratios, and low susceptibility to
coking, W a lk e r J. et al (2004)9 , w hilst providing the highly specific heat flu x distribution required o f
these furnaces C olannino J. (2008) 10 .
The firs t phase o f this new burner development began in 2001, w ith the construction o f furnace 14
Figure(2) at the HCEL Advanced Technology Centre in Poole. This fu ll sized section o f a site furnace is
rated to 6 M W and capable o f firin g m ultiple burners, w hilst measuring the effects o f the heat flu x from the
burners via arranged water tubes. Thus the burners were developed under conditions that replicated what
was to be expected on site.

4.2 The ESP: Burner Design and Operation

W ith the requirements on emissions, stability and operational ease that have already been outlined, the
E nvirom ix S plit Phase (ESP) burner was developed. W hilst the fu ll design methodology o f the ESP
fa lls out o f the scope o f this paper, the most significant points to note were the complete absence o f a flame
stabilising body and the u tilisation o f significant flue gas recirculation. However it can be seen that the
design o f this burner is aided by its application: that o f a high temperature pyrolyis cracking furnace. The
high operating temperatures typical o f these furnaces are ideal in supporting the stability o f distributed
combustion.
F igure (3): ESP B u rn e r Layout Isom etric
C om bustion A ir T h roat
V e n tu ri E x it Ports
Fuel Gas / Flue Gas M ix in g
Chambers
Flue Gas V e n tu ri In le t P orts

Com bustion A ir In le t
P ilo t / S ta rt-u p Lance Gas In le t
N orm al O peration Gas In le t

F igure (4): ESP B u rn e r Layout Sectioned Isom etric

P ilo t / S ta rt up Lance Gas

Nozzle

N orm al
O peration
Gas Nozzle

The key to the burner s design is the

asymmetrical refractory block, w hich takes
advantage o f the positioning o f these
burners against the vertical w alls o f the
furnace. This refractory block incorporates
two adj acent venturi ports facing the
furnace w alls and w hich are open to the
furnace chamber. On the forw ard section
o f the burner, facing the process tubes, is
the main combustion a ir throat w hich is
continuous to the combustion a ir w indbox
o f the burner.
A p ilo t / start up lance is located in the
combustion air throat. The normal
operation gas lances extend through the
furnace flo o r and into the flue gas venturi
ports.
The burner lights up w ith the p ilo t/ start up
lance firin g into the combustion air. This
allows fo r stable operation u n til a safe
auto-ignition temperature o f 750 oC is

reached in the furnace. The p ilo t is monitored w ith an ionisation detection lance. The start-up flames in
Figure (5) are typical o f conventional burner operation.

Figure(5): ESP Burners

firin g on start-u p
(C ourtesy O M V )

Once a bulk autoignition temperature has

been reached in the furnace the normal
operating fuel gas lances are fired. The
lances are fitted w ith nozzles that have a
single large diameter d rillin g (see
Figure(4)). This significantly reduces the
possibility for coking in the nozzles and
thus allows the firin g o f a wide range o f
gas m ixtures, even those containing
components susceptible to coking such as
olefinic and aromatic compounds.

Figure(6): ESP Burners

firin g d u rin g norm al
operation. (C ourtesy O M V )

The firin g o f these lances switches the

burner over to non burner stabilised lean
combustion and therefore ultra-low NO x
operation. The position o f these lances in
the venturi ports has been optimised to
entrain the maximum amount o f flue gas
w hile m aintaining stable operation.
These recirculated gases m ix w ith the fuel
gas to create the lean, low calorific value
fuel/ flue gas m ixture. This m ixture is
then contacted w ith the combustion air
from the combustion air throat to form an
extended zone o f combustion as can be
see in Figure(7). The com bination o f the
injection o f significant quantities o f inerts and high fuel gas velocities results in the highly extended
reduced peak temperature combustion zone. The combustion in this zone is stabilised by the high
temperature o f the furnace and the high temperature o f the fuel / flue gas m ixture. The flame front is
d iffic u lt to determine in the distributed combustion as can be seen in Figure(6).
A fte r extensive m atrix testing and scale up work, Ham worthy Combustion Engineering Ltd has produced a
range o f burners that can operate on a range o f parameters outlined below in Table (3). The high content o f
the H 2 in the fuel (80%) represents the typical desired fuel to be fired in these furnaces.
Table(3): Sum m arised O perating Param eters
B u rn e r
Burner Liberation Range [M W ]
Turndown [ratio]
Excess A ir [% ]
Combustion A ir RD L [mmH2O]
Fuel Pressure [barg]
Noise [dB (A )]
NO x [mg/Nm 3]

ESP
0.5 - 4.0
8:1
10 - 15
5 - 40
1.5-3
< 80
< 90 * **

^Corrected to 3% O2 dry, 1200 0C furnace temperature, 10% excess air

** Fuel composition 80% H2 / 20% CH4

All this is done w hile still m eeting the application requirem ents of:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Required Heat Flux

U ltra-low N O x Emissions
H igh turndown
Stable Operation
W ide range o f operation fuel gases

V alidation o f the operation o f the burners both in site installed furnaces and in the HCEL test furnace 14
w ith CFD, u tilisin g ANSYS Fluent, has been an im portant aspect o f the development o f the ESP burner.
The peak predicted temperature shown below in Figure(7) o f 1752 K ( 1479 0C) is considerably below the
approximately 1960 0C adiabatic flame temperature o f the 80% H 2 / 20% CH 4 m ixture and shows the
efficiency o f the temperature reduction techniques.
F igure (7): ANSYS CFD S im ulation - Tem perature and V e locity P rofiles

As can be clearly seen in the CFD validation, true flameless combustion has not yet been achieved on this
burner, evident by the isolated hotspots Figure (7). Indeed it cannot be i f the heat flu x requirements o f this
ethylene furnace application, together w ith the current aerodynamic design o f the chamber remain.
However the main achievement o f this burner is the meeting o f stringent emissions legislation u tilisin g
techniques associated w ith flameless combustion.

5. Current Installations and References

The success o f the burner can be seen in the three installations Table(4) w hich are in operation. It must be
noted that CFD m odelling has become integral to the design and optim isation o f these burners, and has
been utilised on each installation.
Table(4): ESP Reference L is t
C ontract No
Year
GUSG0488
2007
GUSG0408
2006
GUSG0297
2004

EPC
C ou ntry
SFPC
USA
Selas Linde
Germany
Selas Linde
Germany

End User
C ountry
Borouge Ruwais
Abu Dhabi
BP Geslenkirchen
Germany
O M V Schwechat
Austria

E quipm ent

Service

420 ESP

Ethylene Cracker

180 ESP

Ethylene Cracker

48 ESP

Ethylene Cracker

Equipm ent

Service

420 ESP

Ethylene Cracker

A fourth site is awaiting the installation o f the burners.

Table(5): ESP Reference L is t
C ontract No
Year
GUSG0644
2009

EPC
C ou ntry
SFPC
USA

End User
C ountry
Borouge Ruwais
Abu Dhabi

6. Conclusions
The principles associated w ith flameless combustion may be applied readily in the design o f burners fo r the
process pyrolysis industry, as can be seen w ith the ESP burner. The ESP thus represents a significant
mindset change away from conventional staging technology. W hile true flameless combustion has not yet
been achieved the pseudo nature o f this burner can be seen as a result o f applying these combustion
principles to a conventional application.
As can be seen in Table(2) and Table(3), the success o f this design is reflected in the typical emissions
lim its that are expected from these burners compared w ith traditional staging and conventional technology.
These emissions are typical o f ultra-low N O x operation in these furnaces. It must be noted however that
the burner has a ll the benefits o f ultra-low N O x technology w ithout the lim itations o f instability, low
turndown and complex operation.
The high turndown satisfies operator control, w hilst the simple robust design allows fo r easy maintenance.
The large nozzle d rillin gs prevent coke form ation and allow the burner to operate on wide ranges o f fuel
gas. A significant cost saving both in fuel duties (due to not having to im port natural gas) and maintenance
may therefore be realised.
CFD validation is s till a significant aspect o f burner integration into pyrolysis furnaces, both in the
positioning o f the burner, and also in m inor m odifications to the burner its e lf to achieve optim al
performance.
Burners no longer are sim ply catalogue additions to a furnace, rather they are bespoke designs that require
complex burner / furnace synergy investigations to meet the stringent requirements o f today s process
industry.
The key point now is what can be done to integrate burner / furnace design further. O nly by taking
advantage o f the combustion aerodynamics o f the chamber can true flameless combustion be approached.
This is the next step in furnace optim isation as only by further distributing combustion and reducing the
NO x emissions can increased efficiency through alternative fuels and operating characteristics be achieved
w ithout compromising N O x lim its.
Further movement towards more distributed combustion w ill alter the sensitive heat flu x profiles provided
by the burners. This w ill require reassessment o f the furnace design to ensure that productivity losses are
not encountered.
This leads back to the fin a l purpose o f this paper; namely to promote discussion w ith across the industry,
from academia to burner vendors, EPCs and licensors about the best direction to take in the application o f
this technology to the process industry.

7. Acknowledgements
This paper is an expression o f the efforts o f many individuals at Hamworthy Combustion Engineering Ltd,
however special credit must be given to the fo llo w in g fo r their invaluable advice and contribution.
H am w orthy C om bustion Engineering L im ite d - Poole , Dorset U K :
M r Richard W ithnall
M r M ichael Booth
M r Darren Gordon
D r Anand Odedra
M r B ill Gooderham
M r M ark Young

Sales D irector (Process)

Regional Sales Manager (Process)
Senior Sales Manager (Process)
CFD Engineer
Group Development Manager (Process)
Technical Manager (Process)

John Z in k Com pany - Tulsa, O klahom a USA:

M r Erw in Platvoet

- D irector Process Burner Engineering

8. References
1) Milani A. and Saponaro A., Diluted Combustion Technologies, IFRF Combustion
Journal Article Number 200101 ISSN 1562-479X, 2001
2) Wunning J., FLOX - Flameless Combustion, Thermprocess Symposium, 2003
3) Mullinger P. and Jenkins B., Industrial and Process Furnace Principles, Design and
Operation, Butterworth -Heinemann, 2008
4) Wunning J., Flameless Combustion in Thermal Process Technology, Second
International Seminar on High Temperature Combustion - Stockholm(Sweden), 2000
5) Awosope IO. and Lockwood F.C, Prediction of Combustion and NOx Emission
Characteristics of Flameless Oxidation Combustion, IFRF Combustion Journal Article
Number 200501 ISSN 1562-479X, 2005
6) Milani A. and Wunning J., What is Flameless Combustion, IFRF Online Combustion
Handbook ISSN 1607-9116, 2002,
7) Wunning J., Flameless Oxidation, 6th HiTACG Symposium, 2005
8) Aguile F. et al, Studies of Flameless Oxidation for Steel Industry Applications,
www.kgu.or.kr/download.php, Access date 02/03/2011
9) Walker J. and Salbilla D., Analysis of NOx Reduction Techniques on an Ethylene
Cracking Furnace NPRA, 2004
10) Colannino J., Ethylene Furnace Heat Flux Correlations , PTQ Q1, 2008
11) Baukal C., John Zink Combustion Handbook, CRC Press, 2001
12) Poe R. et al, Advanced Combustion Sytems for Cracking Furnaces, Fifteenth Ethylene
Forum, 2006