How Oil-Gas Dual-Fuel Burners Achieve Fuel Balance

How Oil-Gas Dual-Fuel Burners Achieve Fuel Balance

Oil-gas dual-fuel burners are capable of burning both liquid fuels (such as diesel or heavy oil) and gaseous fuels (such as natural gas or LPG). To achieve balanced operation between the two types of fuel, the burner needs to incorporate a range of design and control features to ensure combustion stability, efficiency, and safety. Here are the key elements that enable oil-gas dual-fuel burners to balance between oil and gas:

1. Dual-Fuel System Design

• Separate Fuel Supply Systems: Oil-gas dual-fuel burners are typically equipped with two separate fuel supply systems—one for liquid fuels and one for gaseous fuels. Each system has its own fuel pumps, pipelines, valves, and control devices to ensure a rapid and stable fuel supply when switching between fuels.
• Shared Burner Head: Although the fuel supply systems are independent, the burner head is usually shared and designed to accommodate the combustion requirements of both liquid and gaseous fuels. This design ensures that the burner can maintain good combustion performance when using either fuel.

2. Automatic Switching Function

• Automatic Fuel Switching: Modern oil-gas dual-fuel burners are often equipped with automatic switching functions, allowing them to switch between oil and gas based on preset conditions (such as fuel availability, price fluctuations, or process requirements). The control system automatically adjusts the burner's parameters according to the fuel's characteristics to ensure combustion stability.
• Seamless Switching: To achieve seamless switching, the burner's control system gradually reduces the supply of the current fuel while gradually increasing the supply of the new fuel. This gradual transition prevents combustion instability caused by sudden changes.

3. Combustion Control System

• Fuel-Air Ratio Control: To balance between the two fuels, the combustion control system must precisely regulate the fuel-to-air ratio. Whether using liquid or gaseous fuel, the control system can automatically adjust the dampers and fuel valves to maintain optimal combustion conditions, ensuring efficient operation of the burner under any fuel.
• Automated Control: Advanced burners are equipped with automated control systems that monitor key parameters during combustion, such as combustion temperature, flame status, and emission levels. When anomalies are detected, the system can automatically adjust the fuel supply and air intake to ensure balanced and safe combustion.

4. Fuel Adaptability Design

• Compatibility with Fuel Characteristics: Oil-gas dual-fuel burners must accommodate the different combustion characteristics of liquid and gaseous fuels. Liquid fuels typically require atomization before combustion, while gaseous fuels burn directly through the nozzle. Therefore, the burner must be designed to ensure good atomization and mixing effects when using either fuel.
• Multi-Stage Adjustment: Depending on the fuel characteristics, burners often feature multi-stage adjustment functions. For example, the design of oil nozzles and gas nozzles, the shape of the burner head, and the layout of air channels are optimized to meet the combustion requirements of both oil and gas fuels.

5. Safety Control and Monitoring

• Safe Switching Mechanism: When switching fuels, the burner's control system conducts a series of safety checks to ensure that current combustion is stable and free of abnormalities before allowing the switch. These checks include flame monitoring, fuel pressure detection, and burner temperature monitoring.
• Emergency Handling: If an abnormality occurs during switching, such as insufficient fuel supply, flame extinction, or combustion instability, the system will immediately switch back to the stable fuel or enter emergency shutdown mode to prevent safety incidents.

6. Ease of Operation and Maintenance

• User-Friendly Interface: Oil-gas dual-fuel burners are usually equipped with intuitive interfaces, allowing operators to easily select the fuel type and monitor the combustion process. The interface displays real-time data and provides alerts when necessary.
• Maintenance-Friendly: The burner's design takes maintenance convenience into account. For example, the independent fuel systems and easily replaceable components allow the burner to switch fuels without requiring complex adjustments or repairs.

Conclusion

Oil-gas dual-fuel burners achieve balanced operation between liquid and gaseous fuels through precise dual-fuel system design, intelligent control systems, and safe and reliable switching mechanisms. These burners offer industrial users greater flexibility, allowing them to choose the optimal fuel solution based on actual conditions, thereby improving production efficiency, reducing operating costs, and ensuring the safety and stability of the combustion process.