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Services / Burners, combustion and emissions
Burner design, combustion analysis and emissions
Low NOx burners, fuel switching and emissions control, with CFD coupled to chemical kinetics. We design, specify the prototype and the measurement rig, and validate the result at your plant.
Prêmio Aço Verde do Brasil, ABM 2026, with Samarco, for the Low NOx burner for pelletizing furnaces: up to 37% less NOx measured in industrial tests, with one prototype validated in one week of tests.
Combustion and emissions track record
- Prêmio Aço Verde do Brasil, ABM 2026Sustainability category, with Samarco. ABM Proceedings, DOI 10.5151/2594-5327-41876.
- Up to 37% less NOxMeasured in industrial tests at the pelletizing furnace, at the same production rate.
- One prototype, one week of testsThe CFD++ design went straight to a single prototype validated at the plant.
- Two solutions patented by clientsFlame deflection in a pelletizing furnace, and an ejector for synthesized natural gas.
- Dispersion reports approvedPollutant dispersion studies for thermal power plants approved by the environmental agencies of Espírito Santo and Rio de Janeiro.
- CTF/AIDA certificateQualified to use AERMOD, AERMET and CALPUFF.
Aço Verde do Brasil Award, ABM Week 2026
The low NOx burner for pelletizing furnaces, designed with CFD++, received the Aço Verde do Brasil Award, Sustainability category, at the ABM Week 2026 Technical Recognition: up to 37 % less NOx measured in industrial tests, with a single prototype validated in one week of testing.
Complete solutions, from diagnosis to field validation
We prefer whole projects to isolated simulations: ATS responsible for the design, the prototype specification, the field test and the report.
A turnkey solution, end to end
Diagnosis at the plant, burner or chamber design, chemical kinetics, CFD of the configurations, prototype specification, measurement rig, field test and the final technical report. One company instead of separate consultants, software vendors and test labs.
Validated at your plant
The result is measured in the real equipment, at your production rate. Our reports can carry an ART (CREA) as the engineering responsibility record.
An example: Samarco Low NOx burner
Fifteen configurations studied with CFD++ and a reduced kinetic model validated against literature data. A prototype built from the best configuration, a measurement rig specified and built, and a test at the plant: NOx target reached at the same furnace production rate.
Need only a part? We define the scope with you.
What you receive
Burner or chamber design
Geometry, orifices, cooling and operating parameters, compared with your current equipment.
Emissions prediction
Thermal NOx and CO with a reduced kinetic mechanism, for each configuration and fuel.
Flame, heat flux and refractory
Flame shape and deflection, radiation load, and wall temperatures against refractory limits.
Prototype and measurement rig
Specification of the prototype and of the rig for the field test.
Field test support
Test plan and comparison of measurements with the predictions.
Technical report and dispersion study
Final report with ART, and air quality dispersion studies for environmental licensing.
Combustion, burners and kinetics
Combustion systems
Combustion systems are key to the generation of hot gases, heating in ovens and power generation in thermoelectric plants. Due to its peculiarity, Brazil produces very heavy fuels, which are more viscous at room temperature than those existing in markets abroad. Another thing is that the use of natural gas is a trend, as it does not produce SOx or particulates, which is an advantage for the environment. Other fuels such as biomass and hydrogen are being studied as an alternative to fossil fuels. To a lesser extent, fuels such as coke and charcoal or mineral are still used in some specific industrial processes.
Burners
The burners can be quite simple, like a lance, but they can have their own cooling system to reduce the temperature especially in areas exposed to radiation from the boiler or furnace. These systems use gases, water vapor or stagnant air mattresses. Higher temperatures can cause fuel to crack and even clog or change the discharge area. The turbulent mixing rate of the fuel with the oxidizer is critical to the development of the flame, where chemical reactions are generally faster than the turbulent mixing rate. Therefore the turbulent mixture controls the shape and length of the flame in the combustion chamber.
CFD modeling
The CFD modeling of burners and combustion chambers is quite challenging as it involves the simultaneous presence of transonic flow in the lance (Mach between 0.7 and 1) with low subsonic flow (Mach well below 0.3) in the chamber, boiler or oven. This requires a robust and precise tool like CFD++, which has the same set of equations in different regimes. In addition to these two regimes, there is also low Reynolds number flow near the walls, where heat and momentum transfer occurs. CFD++ can use wall functions (10 < y+ < 300), with or without roughness, or solve the flow to the wall down to the viscous sublayer (y+ < 1).
Chemical kinetics
Regarding chemical kinetics, experimental coefficients found in open literature can be used, or a chemical kinetics code such as Cantera. The evolution of local temperatures and pressures is considered to find the coefficients of the Arrhenius equation, which give the rates of appearance or disappearance of chemical species. It can also reduce reaction mechanisms for use coupled with CFD++. A complete methane mechanism might have more than 300 reactions, but a reduced one might have a few dozen. It all depends on the purpose of the chemical analysis. For each reaction, there is one more equation to be solved by CFD++.
Tools, and where each one fits
Tools serve the engineering work. We say what each one does in the project.
| Tool | Role in the project | Status |
|---|---|---|
| CFD++ | Reacting flow in burners, chambers, boilers and furnaces, with radiation and conjugate heat transfer. | Licensed |
| Cantera (Python) | Mechanism selection and reduction, flame temperature, NOx and CO targets. | In use |
| WRF, AERMET, AERMOD, CALPUFF | Meteorology (WRF) and air quality dispersion up to about 50 km (AERMOD) and 200 km (CALPUFF). | Certified |
| Lakes AERMOD View and AERMET View | Lakes Environmental graphical interface for AERMOD and AERMET, with WRF meteorology (through MMIF). | Per project |
Evidence you can check
Client projects in mining, oil and gas and other industries.
Project work
| Project | What we did | Tools and tests | Result or venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samarco: Low NOx burnerProject | New Low NOx burner for a pelletizing furnace. | CFD++ with a reduced kinetic model, 15 configurations, prototype, measurement rig, test at the plant. | Up to 37% less NOx at the same production rate. Prêmio Aço Verde do Brasil, ABM 2026. |
| Samarco: methane combustion and CanteraProject | Substances and processes with the potential to reduce NOx in pelletizing furnaces. | Mechanism selection and reduction in Python-Cantera, then CFD with the reduced mechanism. | Theoretical NOx reduction, confirmed by tests. |
| Samarco: water injection in the burnerProject | Emissions of the natural gas burner of the furnace. | CFD of the current burner with 250 l/h of water. | 29% less NOx for the same burner power in simulation, and 22% to 27% measured in tests. |
| Samarco: flame deflection, pelletizing furnaceProject | Jet deflection in the combustion chamber eroding the chamber floor. | Six configurations simulated, then burner inclination and position for a second furnace. | Lower maintenance cost. Solution patented and validated by the client. |
| Samarco: refractory temperaturesProject | Refractory bricks eroding and breaking, poor cooling air distribution. | Wall temperatures against brick limits, cooling air collector flow. | Refractory redistributed along the furnace by wall temperature. |
| Braskem: burner nozzle degradationProject | Coal particulate accumulation and clogging of the burner nozzle after a fuel change. | Root cause analysis and new nozzle design. | Flame moved away from the nozzle. Solution tested successfully. |
| Braskem: tangential boiler, petrochemical plantProject | Vinyl-acetylene burner in a boiler that also burns oil and coal. | Burner cooling, radiation load with form factors, fireball flow with combustion. | Changes implemented by the client. Predictions confirmed and safety confirmed. |
| Ultragaz: lead recycling ovenProject | Burner for an oven used for lead recycling. | Jet momentum and flame penetration, complete heat transfer model of the charge. | Production rate increased. |
| Ultragaz: ejector for synthesized natural gasProject | Ejector to mix a specific LPG with air into synthesized natural gas. | Analytical approach, CFD and tests. | Innovative design. Patent for the client. |
| Tevisa: pollutant dispersionProject | Dispersion studies for thermal power plants in Espírito Santo and Rio de Janeiro. | AERMET and AERMOD. NO2, SO2 and CO for 1 h, 8 h, 24 h and 1 year. | Reports approved by the state environmental agencies. Monitoring station location defined. |
Examples
Select an image to see each example.
Original vs Low NOx
NOx in the original burner and in the Low NOx burner of the pelletizing furnace.
Request a technical proposalValidated in the field, with engineering responsibility
Field validation
Every design ends in a measurement at the real equipment: prototype, measurement rig, test at the plant and comparison with the prediction.
Engineering responsibility and approvals
Reports with ART (CREA). Dispersion studies approved by state environmental agencies. CTF/AIDA certificate.
Results the client keeps
Two solutions became patents of our clients, and the Low NOx burner earned the Prêmio Aço Verde do Brasil.
How an engagement runs
Problem at the plant
Emissions, flame, refractory or production target, with your operating data.
Geometry and fuels
Burner, chamber and fuels: natural gas, heavy oil, coal, bio-oil or hydrogen.
Kinetics
Mechanism selection and reduction, checked against literature data.
Configurations in CFD
Current equipment first, then the candidate designs, with emissions and heat load.
Prototype and field test
Prototype and measurement rig specified, test at your plant, measurements compared with predictions.
Report with ART
Final technical report and, when needed, the dispersion study for the environmental agency. All under NDA.
Related services
Questions engineers ask before they hire us
Can CFD predict NOx before building a burner?
Yes, with a reduced kinetic mechanism coupled to the flow. For Samarco the CFD++ design went to a single prototype, and the field test measured up to 37% less NOx at the same production rate.
Do you test at our plant?
Yes. We specify the prototype and the measurement rig, plan the test with your team and compare the measurements with the predictions.
Which fuels do you model?
Natural gas, heavy oil, coal and charcoal, bio-oil, LPG and hydrogen blends, choosing the kinetic mechanism for each fuel.
Do you issue an ART?
Yes. ATS can issue an ART (CREA) for its engineering services, recorded with the technical report.
Do you do air dispersion studies for environmental licensing?
Yes. We use AERMOD and AERMET, and CALPUFF for larger areas. Our dispersion reports for thermal power plants were approved by the environmental agencies of Espírito Santo and Rio de Janeiro.
Is our data kept confidential?
Yes. We work under NDA, and your process data and designs stay with you.
Tell us about the burner and the target
Send the equipment, the fuel and the emissions or production target.
sales@aerothermalsolutions.co+55 11 3854-4224An ATS engineer replies. We work under NDA.