Environmental issues, such as the global climate change, are emerging as defining factors in the design and operation of combustion equipments that will push the scientific community to a redefinition of the terms of the problem to better fit the industry needs and englobe more demanding requirements.

Burners will need to lower the emissions of both NOx, CO, and unburned hydrocarbons while achieving high thermal efficiency with different kinds of feed fuels and without any postcombustion controls. The need to operate at higher process temperatures, with more performing flame management controls for an improved burner safety, combustion efficiency, system reliability and easy integrability, will need advanced materials and enabling technologies.

In this respect, advanced, environmentally friendly process heating and burner technologies are already being introduced to respond to international efforts to reduce carbon dioxide, other greenhouse gas emissions and toxic compounds.

New automation, control and monitoring architectures will be demanded in the near future to gain high efficiency for any kind of fuel, including wastes or dirty fuels, to be burned cleanlier and cleanlier, to cope with fluctuating fuel availabilities and costs, highest safety standards, lowest lead times, quick response to changing operating requirements, and so on.

 

Advances in enabling technologies, including robust sensors and active-control feedback systems, will improve the performance of process heating equipments without compromising reliability.