A single-ended recuperative (SER) burner is a type of

gas burner A gas burner is a device that produces a non-controlled flame by mixing a fuel gas such as acetylene, natural gas, or propane with an oxidizer such as the ambient air or supplied oxygen, and allowing for wikt:ignition, ignition and combustion. ...

used in high-temperature industrial

kilns A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects made from clay into ...

and furnaces. These burners are used where indirect heating is required, e.g. where the products of

combustion Combustion, or burning, is a high-temperature exothermic redox chemical reaction between a fuel (the reductant) and an oxidant, usually atmospheric oxygen, that produces oxidized, often gaseous products, in a mixture termed as smoke. Combustion ...

are not allowed to combine with the

atmosphere An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...

of the furnace. The typical design is a tubular (pipe) shape with convoluted pathways on the interior, closed on the end pointed into the furnace. A gas burner fires a flame down the center of these pathways, and the hot combustion gases are then forced to change direction and travel along the shell of the tube, heating it to incandescent temperatures and allowing efficient transfer of thermal energy to the furnace interior.

Exhaust gas Exhaust gas or flue gas is emitted as a result of the combustion of fuels such as natural gas, gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, fuel oil, biodiesel blends, or coal. According to the type of engine, it is discharged into the atmosphere through ...

is collected back at the burner end where it is eventually discharged to the atmosphere. The hot exhaust can be used to pre-heat the incoming combustion air and fuel gas (recuperation) to boost efficiency. Such burners compete with electrical heating and can be more economical to operate than electric heat, particularly in larger furnaces and in most areas where the price of

natural gas Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...

per unit of available energy is lower than that of electricity. These particular furnaces are claimed to have a significant increase in efficiency over other types of furnaces, and are said to achieve efficiency up to 80 percent and higher.

References

Industrial equipment {{industry-stub