The gaseous fuels are much cleaner fuels than other fossil fuels.  It has many advantages compared to other fuels be it liquid or solid.  There is no emission problems, less particulate matter, low NOx emission and no residual ash.  Natural gas is an eco-friendly fuel and is regarded as the fuel of the millennium.  Equipment running on natural gas incur low maintenance cost and downtime, enabling higher productivity.  Its potential can be summed up in the following dictum:  

      "If coal was the fuel of the 19^th century

        Oil was the fuel of 20^th century

        Then natural gas is the fuel of 21^st century"

The Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP)) Dehradun, a premier national research institute in petroleum sector under the "Council of Scientific and Industrial Research" (CSIR), New Delhi have designed and developed Improved indigenous gas burners with new concept of design for industrial applications with the active cooperation of Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Gas Authority of India Ltd. (GAIL) and Encon Thermal Engineers, Faridabad. 

        In the conventional gas burners, the general method of mixing gas with air is
   injection of gas by air or vice versa, by cross flow etc.  In the gas burners
   developed by IIP, the concept of splitting gas or air into tiny jets has been
   applied.  Both air and gas streams are divided into tiny jets and allowed to mix
   together before passing for combustion.  

        In an another concept of design, the air is divided into two streams which impinge
   the gaseous fuel stream both from inside as well as outside.  In these gas burners,
   an intimate mixing of gas and air takes place resulting in complete combustion with
   lesser amount of excess air.  

        Typical Specification of the improved gas burners

       Three models of gas burners have been developed as per following specifications
  after successfully completing the field trials.

Main features of the improved gas burners    

• A unique method of mixing of gas and air

• Simple and robust design

• No intricate parts used

• Low maintenance cost

• Improved combustion performance

Advantage of the improved gas burners 

• Cost effective indigenous gas burners.

• Suitable for medium and small scale engineering industries.

• Substantial reduction in gaseous fuel consumption.

• Higher turn down ratio.

• Operation at low percentage of excess air resulting in higher flame and furnace temperature.

• Substitution of liquid fuels which otherwise can be used for other applications.

• Reduction in atmospheric pollution.

• Can replace the existing burners without replacing the accessories like burner block, blower etc.

Applications

     These burners can be widely used for small and medium scale engineering industries for the following application;

• Steel industry:

• ·          Reheating furnaces

• ·          Forging furnaces

• ·          Heat treatment

• ·          Melting

• ·          Open hearth furnaces

• ·          Galvanizing zinc bath for indirect heating of zinc

• ·          Ceramic industry

• ·          Glass melting

• ·          Air dryers

• ·          Tea processing

• ·          Ladle heating etc.