Sonotech, Inc.

Georgia Tech Research Corporation

Brady R Daniel

Ben T Zinn

Andrew B Rabhan

Nehemia Miller

An improved flame holder based tunable pulse combustor, and a processing system employing same. The processing system is for thermal, chemical, and physical processes which employ natural acoustic modes in a processing chamber to enhance the processing. An acoustically resonant processing chamber is provided as the processing vessel. A frequency tunable pulse combustor comprising a flame holder is positioned to excite natural acoustic modes in the processing chamber. Material introduced into the processing chamber is thereby subjected to acoustic pulsations while the material is being processed. The acoustic excitations in the system result in improved moisture removal and particle heating. Also disclosed are various embodiments of frequency and amplitude tunable pulse combustors which may be employed to excite the natural acoustic modes in the processing chamber, including axially translatable acoustic decoupler and flame holder configurations.

Tunable pulse combustor

Method and apparatus for conducting a process in a pulsating environment

An improved pulsating processing system for thermal, chemical, and physical processes which employs nonlongitudinal acoustic modes in a processing chamber to enhance the processing. An acoustically resonant processing chamber is provided as the processing vessel. A frequency tunable pulse combustor or other selectively variable frequency acoustic exciter is positioned to excite natural nonlongitudinal acoustic modes in the processing chamber. Material introduced into the processing chamber is thereby subjected to nonlongitudinal acoustic pulsations while the material is being processed. Also disclosed is an improved frequency and amplitude tunable pulse combustor which may be employed to excite the natural acoustic modes in the processing chamber. One disclosed embodiment is a system for drying a slurry of material such as kaolin. The nonlongitudinal acoustic excitations in the system result in improved moisture removal and particle heating. Also disclosed are other various modulation devices for exciting longitudinal and nonlongitudinal natural acoustic modes.

A pulse combustor apparatus including a combustor tube having open ends and containing at least one combustion zone where combustion of a fuel occurs and heat is released, resulting in the formation of a standing acoustic mode with nodes and anti-nodes in the tube. The combustion zone is located approximately half the distance between the acoustic pressure node and anti-node where the acoustic pressure oscillation lags the acoustic velocity oscillation by approximately one-quarter wavelength of the oscillation. Furthermore, the combustion air must flow towards the acoustic pressure anti-node. The fundamental principle relating to the occurrence of the pulsations in the combustor is the interaction between the combustion processes and both the non-zero acoustic velocity and acoustic pressure oscillations at the designated combustion zone location. In a preferred embodiment employing a vertical combustor tube, the combustion zone is located one quarter of the length of the tube away from the bottom of the combustor tube and a heat exchanger is located three quarters of the length of the combustor tube away from the bottom of the combustor tube.

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Stone Mountain, GA, United States of America

Brady R Daniel