Thermal oxidizers reduce air pollution emissions from a variety of industrial processes.
Using the principle of “thermal oxidation,” a combustion process, the contaminants within the polluted exhaust gas react with oxygen in a temperature controlled environment. The chemical oxidation reaction destroys the contaminants in the polluted exhaust gas before discharging it back into the atmosphere. What is released is an innocuous emission of CO2, water vapor, and heat.
PCC thermal oxidizers operate on the principle mentioned above, which is thermally promoting an oxidation reaction between the pollutant compound in the exhaust gas and the available oxygen. PCC supplies two (2) types of Thermal Oxidizers: direct fired (afterburner) and recuperative thermal oxidizers.
1. Direct Fired Thermal Oxidizer – The simplest type of thermal oxidizer, it does not include any type of heat recovery system to recover a portion of the waste heat generated by the combustion process. A direct fired thermal oxidizer system typically includes:
- Burner
- Combustion chamber
- Blower
- Air/fuel train
- Instrumentation and controls
- Exhaust stack
Typically less expensive than other types of thermal oxidizers, direct fired thermal oxidizers will incur higher operating cost (fuel use) for waste streams that are endothermic.
2. Recuperative Thermal Oxidizer (Afterburner) – Basically, this system is a direct fired thermal oxidizer with heat recovery added at the discharge end of the combustion chamber. Recuperative thermal oxidizers incorporate downstream heat recovery equipment, such as gas- to-gas heat exchangers, waste heat recovery boilers, gas to liquid heat exchangers, etc… to maximize the thermal oxidizer system overall efficiency.
Downstream heat recovery equipment uses the available heat produced within the thermal oxidizer combustion chamber to reduce auxiliary fuel consumption, produce steam, heat a process air stream, or heat a liquid stream. A recuperative thermal oxidizer system can have a single heat recovery device, or multiple heat recovery devices.
Recuperative thermal oxidizers can treat multiple gaseous and liquid waste streams that are endothermic and/or exothermic.
For more detail on Thermal Oxidizer designs and applications, please click HERE or contact Scancorp Limited.
Process Combustion Corporation (PCC) has been headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania since 1969. Located in the South Hills, together with sister company Bloom Engineering, they are both member companies of Sterling Industries PLC.
PCC designs, engineers, and supplies thermal oxidizers, afterburners, incineration systems, and biofiltration technology that destroys liquids, gases, fumes, vapors, and malodorous compounds.
Their expertise and experience in hazardous waste incineration, VOC destruction, and acid gas systems is complemented by knowledge, understanding and practical know-how of heat recovery boilers, heat exchangers, wet scrubbers, baghouses, and electrostatic precipitators.
With more than 1,000 systems successfully operating throughout the world, they’ve custom designed systems for many Fortune 500 companies ranging from $5,000 to more than $11 million.