Gyro-Therm is a "leaner" and "greener" combustion technology that can lower operating costs and decrease NOx emissions. This technology can be applied to gas burners or gas/coal dual fuel burners and can give attractive payback through fuel and power savings. This revolutionary technology has been developed by FCT and the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Adelaide University, South Australia, following more than 10 years of research and development.

To achieve the unique fuel/air mixing, the FCT Gyro-Therm burner uses a patented "precessing jet" technology. A newly discovered fluid flow phenomenon is generated by the nozzle design that produces a gas jet leaving the burner in a gyroscopic-like precessing motion. This stirring action produces rapid large scale mixing in which pockets of air are engulfed within the fuel envelope without using high velocity gas or air jets.

The combustion then takes place in pockets within the fuel envelope under fuel rich conditions. With natural gas fuel, this results in cracking of the hydrocarbons with the creation of intermediate soot particles. This creates a highly luminous flame with its appearance resembling an oil flame rather than a gas flame. The characteristics of the flame created by the FCT Gyro-Therm ensures good radiative heat transfer. This overcomes one of the principle disadvantages of gas firing where radiative heat transfer is usually relatively low.

The benefits that an FCT Gyro-Therm burner can bring to direct process heating are numerous. While these benefits do vary depending on the application and process, most industries can expect:-

   

       
       
     
       
The FCT Gyro-Therm technology has a remarkable ability to slash NOx emissions by at least 30 per cent. In certain situations reductions of 70 per cent have been achieved.      
       
       
     
       
Production increases of more than 5 per cent as a result of the improved flame characteristics of the FCT Gyro-Therm flame have been achieved.    
     
     
   
     
Extensive testing of the FCT Gyro-Therm burner in manufacturing plants shows specific fuel savings of up to 8 per cent as a result of lower back end temperatures and more effective heat transfer in rotary kilns.    
     
     
   
       
An FCT Gyro-Therm burner has the ability to adjust the heat and temperature profile in a rotary kiln during operation by a simple valve adjustment. Some processes require a short, hot zone at the front of the kiln while others require a longer heat flux profile. Gyro-Therm easily caters for all.      
       
       
     
       

Compared to conventional burner technologies, Gyro-Therm burner requires no primary air to assist in fuel air mixing, and minimal air (3%) for burner cooling, thus saving fuel and electricity costs.

      



















Gyro-Therm burners have been installed in cement, lime, alumina and minerals processing kilns as well as trialled in the glass industry and black liquor boilers. The benefits for industry have been substantial and documented as;
  • Optimised and increased production
  • Improved quality
  • Reduced fuel consumption
  • Reduced NOx emissions
  • Improved refractory life

Payback of less than one year on average can be expected from an investment in a Gyro-Therm kiln burner.






To FCT home page.