Near Zero NOx Burner
Providing a cost-effective, low NOx burner technology that allows commerical facilities to meet air quality regulations.
Altex Technologies Corporation
Recipient
San Jose, CA
Recipient Location
10th
Senate District
25th
Assembly District
$347,884
Amount Spent
Completed
Project Status
Project Result
Altex designed, built, and tested a natural gas burner of 8 MMBtu/hr capacity, called the Near Zero NOx Burner (NZNB). The original goal was for the burner to achieve NOx emissions of 5 ppm without the need for a post-combustion selective catalytic reduction control, because use addition is too large and too expensive for the smaller burners operated from 2 to 8 MMBtu/hr. The results show the 5 ppm emission target can be achieved when operated between 3.1 to 6.8 MMBtu/hr. Detailed analysis is available in the final report. Future research is needed to reach the 5 ppm emission target for the full operating range. The final report was published in summer 2018. (Link: http://www.energy.ca.gov/2018publications/CEC-500-2018-016/CEC-500-2018…)
The Issue
The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) currently requires less than 9 parts per million (ppm) NOx emissions from commercial burners with thermal inputs of 2 Million British Thermal Units per hour (MMBtu/hr) or greater. It is desirable to further reduce this NOx limit to 5 ppm to improve air quality, but the only existing technologies that achieve this performance are industrial-scale and rely on the post-combustion Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) process. This process consumes expensive chemicals and requires bulky additional equipment and storage tanks, making SCR infeasible for commercial applications.
Project Innovation
This project includes the design, build, and testing of a commercial-scale special multi-flame zone burner that integrates a post-combustion Selective Non-Catalytic Reduction (SNCR) type process to achieve emissions of less than 5 parts per million (ppm) oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and 50 ppm carbon monoxide. This near zero NOx burner requires no additional chemicals and will occupy the same amount of space as existing 9 ppm commercial burners.
Project Goals
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Project Benefits
This burner or modified versions could be used to comply with strict NOx limits imposed by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) and other air quality agencies, allowing for the continued use of natural gas in air basins with ambient air quality problems.
Environmental Sustainability
The SCAQMD currently require less than 9 ppm NOx emissions from commercial burners. The newly designed burner achieves NOx limits to 5 ppm under some operating conditions. Using this technology in the South Coast region will reduce NOx emissions and improve air quality.
Meet the Team
Connect with the project team members that are helping California lead clean energy innovation.
Key Project Members
John T. Kelly
Subrecipients
The Avogadro Group, LLC
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