US 4,564,458 AGranted

Method and apparatus for disposal of a broad spectrum of waste featuring oxidation of waste

OwnerJames C. Burlesoninventor

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Abstract

In the preferred and illustrated embodiment, a deep well is utilized to form a reaction chamber for combustible waste in water. A stream of water borne combustible waste is delivered into a deep well, sufficiently deep to obtain a pressure and temperature in a bottom located reaction chamber at which the water becomes supercritical, there being a pipe for delivering oxygen under pressure for combusting oxygen dissolved in the supercritical water with the waste materials. The reaction is exothermic to sustain itself. It is started preferably by electric current flow to initially raise the temperature in the reaction chamber. The preferred structure is a cased abandoned well having a surrounding cement bond to the formation thereby retarding heat loss into the formation, the bottom located reaction chamber sustaining supercritical conditions.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A method of wet oxidation of organic waste materials in waste water comprising the steps of:

(a) flowing a stream of waste water including organic waste materials into an insulated well;
(b) compressing a flow of oxygen to be injected into the flowing stream of waste water;
(c) extending the flow of waste water to a depth such that pressure in the insulated well is increased to the pressure required for supercritical water;
(d) initially heating with a separate control means the waste water at the bottom of the insulated well by flowing an electric current through the water at the bottom of the insulated well to generate resistance heat for the water to initiate oxidation for sustaining supercritical conditions in the insulated well;
(e) oxidizing the organic waste materials in the waste water to liberate heat in the insulated well to sustain the temperature required for supercritical water wherein the initial heating step with the control means is ended after the oxidized wastes sustain exothermic oxidation;
and
(f) over a period of time, injecting the flow of oxygen into the insulated well with the waste water, and also removing water from the insulated well to enable continuous oxidation of waste in the insulated well at supercritical conditions to sustain supercritical temperatures.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.