Incinerator

An incinerator comprising a rotary furnace of highly heat resistant steal, having a horizontal axis of rotation and comprising a drying chamber and an incinerating chamber;

• drive means for rotating said furnace;
• charging means for feeding refuse to said drying chamber;
• a burner projecting into said drying chamber;
• afterburner means for recombusting any incompletely burned refuse leaving said incinerating chamber and for ridding combustion gases of solids;
• means for supplying preheated comburent air to said furnace;
• and means for cooling and exhausting said combustion gases;
• wherein said furnace further comprises:
• first and second cylindrical sections connected by a hollow, frustoconical connecting piece which is shorter than both said first and second sections, said first section containing said incinerating chamber, said first section being shorter in length and larger in diameter than said second section so that said drying chamber is shorter in length and has a larger inside diameter than said incinerating chamber and has a laterally closed-off portion;
• a refuse entry gate disposed at the end of said first section remote from said section and having an inside diameter smaller than that of said first section, said laterally closed-off portion of said drying chamber being situated below the level of said entry gate and said incinerating chamber for preventing liquid refuse from flowing out of said drying chamber;
• a slag and cinder outlet opening disposed at the end of said second section remote from said first section;
• a screw conveyor disposed on that portion of the inside wall of said drying chamber nearest said entry gate;
• a first series of conveyor blades disposed on the remainder of said inside wall of said drying chamber;
• a second series of conveyor blades disposed on the inside wall of said connecting piece;
• a third series of conveyor blades disposed on the inside wall of said incinerating chamber from the junction thereof with said connecting piece to the vicinity of said outlet opening;
• and
• a fourth series of conveyor blades disposed immediately adjacent to said outlet opening, said blades of said first series having an angle of pitch, relative to said axis of rotation, which is greater than that of said third series but less than that of said second and fourth series, and said blades of said second series having an angle of pitch, relative to said axis of rotation, which is less than that of said fourth series, said refuse thereby being rapidly carried away from the region of said entry gate by said screw conveyor upon rotation of said furnace, then moved relatively slowly through said drying chamber by said first series of blades for the purpose of drying and pre-heating, thereafter transported relatively quickly through said connecting piece into said incinerating chamber by said second series of blades, and moved on by said third series of blades within said incinerating chamber more slowly than in said drying chamber for being incinerated until the resultant ash reaches said fourth series of blades and is rapidly removed thereby from said rotary furnace through said outlet opening;
• and said incinerator further comprising for cooling the outer wall of said furnace:
• a stationary cooling chamber in which said furnace is mounted for rotation,
• at least one pusher fan for supplying cooling air to said cooling chamber,
• adjustable air-flow control means disposed between said at least one pusher fan and said cooling chamber for adjusting the rate of flow of said cooling air through said cooling chamber, and
• air-flow chanelling screens disposed on each side of the upper half of said rotary furnace and spaced therefrom for directing said cooling air around said upper half of said furnace, said screens defining an elongated opening above said furnace for the excape of said cooling air from said cooling chamber.