Method and apparatus for treating waste gas flows laden with aerosol and dust

Method for treating waste gas with at least one regenerative thermal afterburning system (I), comprising at least four regenerators (1, 2, 3, 4) filled with ceramic heat accumulator bodies and connected to a common combustion chamber (5), the waste gas being admitted in a first phase, at least to a first regenerator (1, 2, 3, 4), whose heat accumulator bodies have been preheated, in order to burn the waste gas in the combustion chamber (5) to yield clean gas, the said waste gas being extracted by at least a second regenerator (1, 2, 3, 4), with simultaneous heating of the latter's heat accumulator bodies, and with at least a third regenerator (1, 2, 3, 4) that is flushed with clean gas extracted from the combustion chamber (5), the extracted flush air then being admitted to the waste gas,

• and in a second phase, the waste gas being admitted to the second regenerator (1, 2, 3, 4), whose heat accumulator bodies were heated during the first phase, in order to burn the waste gas in the combustion chamber (5) to yield clean gas, the clean gas then being extracted through the third regenerator (1, 2, 3, 4) with simultaneous heating of the latter's heat accumulator bodies, the first regenerator (1, 2, 3, 4) being flushed with clean gas that has been extracted from the combustion chamber (5), and the extracted flush air being admitted to the waste gas, with the waste gas,
• in a third phase, being admitted to the third regenerator (1, 2, 3, 4), whose heat accumulator bodies were heated in the second phase, in order to burn the waste gas in the combustion chamber (5) to yield clean gas, the said clean gas being extracted by the first regenerator (1, 2, 3, 4) with simultaneous heating of the latter's heat accumulator bodies, the second regenerator (1, 2, 3, 4) being flushed with clean gas that has been extracted from the combustion chamber (5), the extracted flush air being admitted to the waste gas, with the first, second, and third phases being repeated continuously, and the (at least one) remaining fourth regenerator (1, 2, 3, 4) extracting the clean gas from the combustion chamber (5), the said gas then being admitted to the waste gas via a fan (17) in order to remove deposits from the heat accumulator bodies of the fourth regenerator (1, 2, 3, 4) by means of pyrolysis, and the gas then being burned again in the combustion chamber (5) together with the waste gas.