초록 ▼

A furnace is provided having at least two regenerator beds for heat recovery. While a first bed is being heated by hot flue gases produced by combusting a fuel and an oxidant in the furnace, a second bed, heated during a previous cycle, is cooled through carrying out an endothermic chemical reaction

A furnace is provided having at least two regenerator beds for heat recovery. While a first bed is being heated by hot flue gases produced by combusting a fuel and an oxidant in the furnace, a second bed, heated during a previous cycle, is cooled through carrying out an endothermic chemical reaction therein, for example the reforming reaction of a hydrocarbon with water vapor and carbon dioxide and/or the dissociation of a hydrocarbon. Once the second bed is cooled by the endothermic reaction, the hot flue gases are redirected to it while the first bed, now hot, is used for carrying out the endothermic chemical reaction. Thereafter the cycle is repeated.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A process for recovering heat from hot flue gases produced by combusting a fuel with an oxidant in a furnace comprising:(A) passing hot flue gases from the furnace through a cooled first regenerator bed, thereby heating the first regenerator bed and producing cooled flue

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A process for recovering heat from hot flue gases produced by combusting a fuel with an oxidant in a furnace comprising:(A) passing hot flue gases from the furnace through a cooled first regenerator bed, thereby heating the first regenerator bed and producing cooled flue gases, while passing reactants comprising at least a portion of the cooled flue gases through a heated second regenerator bed and reacting the reactants in the second regenerator bed in an, endothermic chemical reaction, thereby generating reaction products and cooling the second regenerator bed; followed by(B) passing hot flue gases from the furnace through the cooled second regenerator bed; thereby heating the second regenerator bed and producing cooled flue gases, while passing reactants comprising at least a portion of the cooled flue gases through the heated first regenerator bed and reacting the reactants in the first regenerator bed in an endothermic chemical reaction, thereby generating reaction products and cooling the first regenerator bed.