A Flashback-Resistant Burner for Combustion Diagnostics and Analytical Spectrometry

Abstract

A general utility burner for the production of laminar, homogenous diffusion flames, which is immune to flashbacks, is presented. Because the fuel and oxidant mix on the surface of the burner rather than within the spray chamber, the flames cannot flashback. A wide variety of gas mixtures has been investigated, including oxygen, nitrous oxide, and nitric oxide as the oxidants. Any combination of fuel and oxidant can be safely burned to produced a stable, laminar, and audibly quiet flame. Flame temperatures can be varied over a wide range either by changing the fuel-oxidant ratio or by diluting the flame gases with an inert gas. In this manner, the optimum flame temperature and composition can be achieved. These burners are of general use in analytical emission, fluorescence, and photoacoustic spectrometry, as well as combustion diagnostics.

Keywords

Combustion diagnostics Surface burner Flame temperature Spatial profiles

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