In situ thermal waste disposal system
AssigneeIndugas, Inc.
InventorKlaus H. Hemsath
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An in situ system for thermally cleansing hazardous and toxic waste disposal sites is disclosed. The system includes a perimeter wall extending into the site which is sealed to a roof structure surrounding the site to encapsulate the site. A plurality of tubes are sunk into the encapsulated site in a geometric pattern and are directly heated to indirectly heat the site. In time, the temperature of the entire site is raised to a level where the waste is volatilized and the volatiles are collected in the roof and subsequently incinerated.
Claims26
An in the ground, in situ system for thermally cleaning contaminated soil, sludge and the like from a site designated as a hazardous and/or toxic waste site without significantly disturbing the site comprising:
- (a) thermal barrier means extending into the soil at the site and about the perimeter of the site for a predetermined depth to prevent substantial heat exchange with the soil adjacent to the site;
- (b) roof barrier means extending above the site preventing exposure of the site to the atmosphere and including sealing means to positively seal said roof means with said thermal barrier means to sealingly encapsulate said site;
- (c) means for heating the soil at the site to a temperature whereat the contaminants in the soil are volatilized;
- (d) means associated with said roof barrier means for collecting and incinerating said volatilized contaminants as they leave the soil at the site;
- and
- (e) said means for heating including a plurality of heat type tubes extending into the soil to a predetermined depth at said site and spaced apart from one another at predetermined distances and burner means mixing combustion air and a combustible gas for heating said tubes so that heat from products of combustion will indirectly heat the soil and the like at said site to volatilize the contaminants therein without substantially disturbing the site.
An in the ground, in situ system for thermally volatilizing the toxic and/or hazardous waster substances contained within a site without significantly disturbing the physical condition of said site comprising:
- (a) means extending within said site about its periphery and above said site to sealingly encapsulate said site from the atmosphere;
- (b) a plurality of tubes extending into said site for a fixed depth at which the site is to be minimally cleansed and spaced from one another in a regularly repeating geometric array;
- (c) means for heating said tubes from the bottom up to pyrolyze said toxic and/or hazardous substances;
- and
- (d) means for incinerating said volatiles after they exit from the surface of said site.
An in situ, in the ground method for thermally cleansing a site designated as a toxic and/or hazardous waste site without substantially disturbing said site comprising the steps of:
- (a) encapsulating said site by inserting about the perimeter of the site a thermal shield extending into the site a fixed distance and sealing a roof structure to said shield;
- (b) providing a plurality of tubes;
- (c) inserting said tubes within said encapsulated site at generally regularly repeating intervals until said tubes permeate the site to be cleansed;
- (d) heating said tubes from the bottom up until the contaminants in said site are volatilized;
- and
- (e) incinerating said volatilized contaminants after they leave the surface of said site.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.