Development of a Catalytic Infrared Cooking Gas Burner

摘要

The catalytic oxidation of natural gas was investigated for application to an infrared stove-top burner. Project goals were to demonstrate stable catalytic combustion of natural gas in a burner, suitable for use in a stove top, that would have a thermal cooking efficiency of 70%, produce less than 10 ppm NOx and 50 ppm CO concentrations in the flue gas, and have a turndown ratio of five. Calculations were performed to estimate the length of the catalytic coating and burner dimensions; the fluid dynamics of flow through the burner was analyzed in order to size the venturi, and a test rig with two prototypes was constructed. The second prototype exhibited stable catalytic combustion, achieved a peak thermal efficiency of 59%, and satisfied the project goals for NOx and CO emissions.