# US 5,333,146 A · On-site, biohazardous waste disposal system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 5,333,146 A - Document ID: US5333146A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 08/083,893 - Filed: 1993-06-28 - Granted: 1994-07-26 - Earliest claimed: 1992-07-27 - Inventors: Murry Vance - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5333146A ## CPC - H05H 1/44: using more than one torch - F23G 5/085: {High-temperature heating means, e.g. plasma, for partly melting the waste} - F23G 5/448: {in which the waste is fed in containers or the like} - H05B 7/18: Heating by arc discharge - F23G 2204/201: Plasma - F23G 2207/101: for temperature - F23G 2207/102: for pressure - F23G 2207/20: Waste supply - F23G 2207/40: Supplementary heat supply - F23G 2207/50: Cooling fluid supply - F23G 2209/20: Medical materials - F23G 2900/51001: using arc discharge electrodes to provide heat - F23J 2217/50: by cleaning fluids (washers or scrubbers) - F23J 2219/80: Quenching - Y10S 588/90: Apparatus - H05H: PLASMA TECHNIQUE (apparatus or processes specially adapted for producing X-rays H05G2/00); PRODUCTION OF ACCELERATED ELECTRICALLY-CHARGED PARTICLES OR OF NEUTRONS; PRODUCTION OR ACCELERATION OF NEUTRAL MOLECULAR OR ATOMIC BEAMS - F23G: CREMATION FURNACES; CONSUMING WASTE PRODUCTS BY COMBUSTION - H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL - F23J: REMOVAL OR TREATMENT OF COMBUSTION PRODUCTS OR COMBUSTION RESIDUES; FLUES (combustion apparatus for consuming smoke or fumes, e.g. exhaust gases, F23G7/06) - Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS ## Abstract An incinerator for the disposal of biohazardous waste has a sealed enclosure defining a combustion chamber with upper, first level intermediate, second level intermediate and lower portions. The upper chamber portion is an inclined chute with a door into which a plurality of cylindrical metal containers of waste are loaded. The bottom run of the chute has a stepped, centrally expanding dimension so different sized containers will be self-centered. A pair of laterally-spaced drums is disposed in the first level intermediate portion, at a constriction which stops further descent down the chute of the leading container. Banks of first level TIG torches are arranged to arc to the drums, providing heat for "cooking" waste in the unopened containers in the upper portion with rising gases and for opening the leading container and incandescently acting on solid materials spilled therefrom. A large ribbed drum, laterally-spaced from another drum, in the second level intermediate portion provides a second more secure constriction to limit the size of particles passed to a solid residue collection hopper in the lower portion. Second level TIG torches are to the second level drums to further act on the waste. Heated gases are collected at the top of the chute and recirculated to the second level intermediate portion. Heavier gases are passed to scrubbers, and the hopper is emptied to a residue discharge bin in the lower chamber portion. The torches are cyclically fired by high voltage delivered sequentially from coils by distributors, and sustained by direct connections through diode arrays to common power sources. The cyclic firing provides mechanical agitation to the waste during processing, and common electrode arrangements redirect power to clear shorts. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An incinerator for the processing of waste, comprising: a sealed enclosure defining a combustion chamber having upper, intermediate and lower chamber portions; said upper chamber portion comprising means for introducing waste into said enclosure; said intermediate chamber portion comprising an internal cavity communicating with said upper chamber portion to receive said introduced waste and including a constiction; at least one drum located in said internal cavity at said constriction; at least one arc transfer device arranged adjacent said drum; and means providing arcing between said arc transfer device and said drum for generating heat; said constriction and drum being relatively dimensioned, configured and adapted to deliver said received waste into said heat; and said lower chamber portion communicating with said internal cavity and said constriction for receipt of residue produced by action of said heat on said waste. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) An incinerator as in claim 1, wherein said arc transfer device comprises an electric arc transfer torch having an electrode; and wherein said means providing arcing comprises means connecting said electrode to a first terminal of an electrical power source, and means connecting said drum to a second terminal of said electrical power source. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) An incinerator as in claim 2, wherein said incinerator further comprises a hollow cable connected to supply cooling fluid to said torch; and wherein said means connecting said electrode to said first terminal comprises means connecting said hollow cable to said power source. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) An incinerator as in claim 2, wherein said drum comprises a shaft, and a hollow metal shell mounted on said shaft; wherein said shaft has an end passing externally through said enclosure; and wherein said means connecting said drum to said second terminal comprises an electrical contact brush positioned to drag on said shaft end. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) An incinerator as in claim 2, wherein said torch is an elongated member having an axis of elongation and a blunted leading end with an annular, gas delivering nozzle; said electrode is axially-disposed within said gas delivering nozzle; said drum has a cylindrical shell with a top; and said torch is mounted with said axis of elongation at a 14.degree. tilt angle to a tangent drawn horizontally at said top. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) An incinerator as in claim 5, wherein said nozzle is positioned relative to said drum, to discharge gas over said top at 30.degree. outwardly, away from said nozzle, of a point of tangency of said tangent with said top. ### Claim 7 An incinerator for the processing of waste, comprising: a sealed enclosure defining a combustion chamber having upper, intermediate and lower chamber portions; said upper chamber portion comprising means for introducing waste into said enclosure; said intermediate chamber portion comprising an internal cavity communicating with said upper chamber portion to receive said introduced waste and including a constriction; first and second drums located in said internal cavity, laterally spaced across said first first constriction; first and second arc transfer devices, respectively arranged adjacent said first and second drums; and means providing arcing between said arc transfer devices and said drums for generating heat; said constriction and drums being relatively dimensioned, configured and adapted to deliver said waste into said heat; and said lower chamber portion communicating with said internal cavity and said constriction for receipt of residue produced by action of said heat on said waste. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) An incinerator as in claim 7, further comprising means rotating said drums in counterrotation, with adjacent surfaces of said drums moving in downward ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) An incinerator as in claim 8, wherein said drums have cylindrical outside surfaces; and further comprising first and second wipers respectively disposed at innermost projections of said first and second drums; said wipers including upwardly directed knife-blade shaped wiping edges dimensioned, configured and adapted for wiping solid materials away from said drum outside surfaces. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) An incinerator as in claim 7, wherein said constriction is a first constriction; and wherein said intermediate chamber portion further includes a second constriction; third and fourth drums located in said internal cavity, laterally spaced across said second constriction; a third arc transfer device arranged adjacent said third drum; and means providing arcing between said third arc transfer device and one of said third and fourth drums for generating additional heat; said second constriction and third and fourth drums being relatively dimensioned, configured and adapted to deliver said waste also into said additional heat. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) An incinerator as in claim 10, wherein said third drum has a rotational axis; wherein said first drum has an innermost part closest to said second drum; and wherein said third drum is located so that said innermost part is located radially of said third drum relative to said third drum rotational axis. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) An incinerator as in claim 11, wherein said third drum is larger than said fourth drum; said third drum includes an outer surface; said second drum has an innermost part closest to said first drum and spaced across a gap from said first drum innermost part; and said third drum is positioned so that all of said gap is located above said third drum outer surface. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) An incinerator as in claim 12, wherein said third drum has a top in line with said radius between said third drum rotational axis and said first drum innermost part; and wherein said third drum and gap are relatively dimensioned, configured and adapted so that all of said gap is positioned above said third drum outer surface on an arc extending 30.degree.-45.degree. from said third drum top in a direction toward said fourth drum. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) An incinerator as in claim 13, further comprising means moving said third and fourth drums in the same rotational direction, with surfaces of said third drum adjacent said fourth drum moving downwardly, and surfaces of said fourth drum adjacent said third drum moving upwardly. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) An incinerator as in claim 14, wherein the spacing between said third and fourth drums is less than the spacing between said first and second drums. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) An incinerator as in claim 15, further comprising a conduit connecting said upper chamber portion with said second constriction outside of said internal cavity, said conduit being dimensioned, configured and adapted for recirculating heated gases between said upper chamber portion and said intermediate chamber portion. ### Claim 17 A method for processing waste, comprising the steps of: providing an enclosure defining a combustion chamber having upper, intermediate and lower chamber portions; introducing the waste into said enclosure at said upper chamber portion; generating heat at a constriction of an internal cavity in said intermediate chamber portion by arcing between a drum located in said internal cavity at said constriction and an arc transfer device arranged adjacent said drum; delivering the waste to said constriction to be acted upon by said generated heat; and delivering solid residue of said action of said heat on said waste to said lower chamber portion. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) A method as in claim 17, wherein said arc transfer device is an electric arc transfer torch having an electrode; and wherein, in said heat generating step, said electrode is connected to a first terminal of an electrical power source, and said device is connected to a second terminal of said electrical power source. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) A method as in claim 18, wherein in said introducing step, the waste is introduced into said enclosure contained in a plurality of closed containers; wherein, in said delivering step, said containers are delivered by means of gravitational feed; and wherein, in said heat generating step, said heat is generated by arcing between a plurality of drums and a plurality of torches respectively arranged adjacent said drums, said drums being laterally spaced across said internal cavity and acting to block further gravitational feed of a leading container until said leading container size has been reduced. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) A method as in claim 17, further comprising a step of recirculating gases which are generated by said action of said heat on the waste and which rise to said upper chamber portion through said internal cavity, back to said constriction outside of said internal cavity.