Emergency exhaust system for hazardous waste incinerator
AssigneeShirco Infrared Systems, Inc.
InventorJames N. Welsh
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An emergency exhaust system (59) is provided for a mobile incineration system (10). A hinged gate (76) controls access to the emergency exhaust system (59), and operates only upon the sensing of a malfunction in one of a plurality of critical incineration system components (114, 36, 56) by sensors/relays (122-126). A malfunction as sensed by Sensors/relays (122-126) causes the power to be cut through switch (98) to the main incineration system components (114, 36, 56, 46, 116, 118, 22). In a preferred embodiment, the emergency exhaust system (59) comprises a plurality of water sprayers (64) to cool the volatile waste combustion products, and a granulated activated carbon column (68) to remove hazardous substances.
Claims28
An incineration system, comprising:
- an incinerator adapted for combusting waste materials;
- a main cleaning system coupled to the output of said incinerator for cleaning volatile combustion products from said incinerator, said main cleaning system including at least one component critical to either the processing of the hazardous waste into less hazardous form or the isolation of the hazardous waste from the environment, means for sensing a malfunction provided for said at least one component and for said incinerator;
- a normally inoperable emergency exhaust system coupled to said incinerator;
- said means for sensing a malfunction operable to render said emergency exhaust system operable in response to a malfunction of said incinerator or said main cleaning system.
In an incineration system including an incinerator for combusting waste material and a main cleaning system coupled to the output of said incinerator for cleaning volatile combustion products from said incinerator, the improvement comprising:
- an emergency exhaust system including at least one normally inoperable emregency exhaust system component, said emergency exhaust system communicating with said incinerator;
- means for sensing a malfunction provided for said at least one component and for said incinerator;
- means for rendering said at least one emergency exhaust system component operable in response to said means for sensing a malfunction in said incinerator or in said main cleaning system, said means for rendering also actuating means for diverting said volatile products into said emergency exhaust system.
An incineration system for hazardous wastes, comprising:
- an incinerator adapted for combusting waste materials;
- a first exhaust duct for removing volatile combustion products from said incinerator to a secondary process chamber;
- a second exhaust duct for removing said volatile products from said secondary process chamber to a main exhaust system, said main exhaust system including a scrubber for cleaning said volatile products before releasing them to the atmosphere, means for flowing said volatile products through said secondary process chamber and through said scrubber;
- an emergency exhaust system connected to one of said exhaust ducts, said emergency exhaust system including a plurality of emergency exhaust components operable to process said volatile products upon the sensing of a malfunction in said main exhaust system or said means for flowing;
- and
- means for diverting said volatile products from said main exhaust system into said emergency exhaust system upon the sensing of said malfunction.
A method for disposing hazardous wastes, comprising the steps of:
- incinerating a hazardous waste material in an incinerator;
- removing volatile combustion products from the incinerator;
- cleaning the volatile products in a main cleaning system before releasing the volatile products to the atmosphere;
- sensing a malfunction in the incinerator or the cleaning system;
- diverting the volatile products from the main cleaning system into an emergency exhaust system in response to sensing the malfunction;
- operating at least one emergency cleaning component of the emergency exhaust system responsive to sensing the malfunction;
- and
- cleaning the volatile products in the emergency exhaust system prior to releasing the volatile products to the atmosphere.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.