c/EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
EPA/540/M5-89/008
April 1989
SUPERFUND INNOVATIVE
TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION
Demonstration Bulletin
The Pyretron Oxygen Burner
American Combustion Technologies, Inc.
TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION: The Pyretron is a
burner which is designed to allow for the injection of
oxygen into the combustion air stream for the
purpose of increasing the efficiency of a hazardous
waste incinerator. The SITE demonstration of the
Pyretron took place at the U.S. EPA's Combustion
Research Facility (CRF) in Jefferson, Arkansas from
November 16, 1987 to January 29, 1988. Two
Pyretron burners were installed on the Rotary Kiln
System (RKS) at the CRF for the demonstration. One
was installed on the kiln and one on the afterburner.
Valve trains for supplying these burners with
controllable flows of auxiliary fuel, oxygen, and air;
and a computerized process control system were also
provided.
A schematic of the system as it was installed at the
CRF is shown in Figure 1. The Pyretron burners use
the staged introduction of oxygen to produce a hot
luminous flame which efficiently transfers heat to the
solid waste which is fed separately to the kiln.
Oxygen, propane and oxygen-enriched air enter the
burner in three separate streams each concentric to
one another. A stream of pure oxygen is fed through
the center of the burner and is used to burn propane
in a substoichiometric manner. This produces a hot
and luminous flame. Combustion is completed by
mixing these hot combustion products with the stream
of oxygen-enriched air.
The system consists of an 880 KW (3MM BTU/hr)
rotary kiln incinerator, a transition section, a fired
afterburner chamber, a venturi-scrubber and a
packed-column scrubber. In addition, a backup air
pollution control system consisting of a carbon-bed
adsorber and a HEPA filter is installed downstream of
the previously mentioned air pollution control devices.
With the exception of the carbon bed and HEPA filter,
the system is typical of what might exist on an actual
r Measured
= = = =. Ef process
parameters
Ram feeder
Gas, air, and
Charge event oxygen flows to
x / the burners
Ash pit
Figure 1. Pyretron thermal destruction system process
diagram.
commercial or industrial incinerator. The carbon bed
and HEPA filter are installed to ensure organic
compound and particulate emissions to the
atmosphere are negligible.
WASTE APPLICABILITY: This technology is suitable
for almost any waste under consideration for
conventional incineration. Nitrogen containing wastes
should not be treated in an incinerator equipped with
a Pyretron because of the potential for forming and
emitting high levels of NOX.
DEMONSTRATION RESULTS: The waste
incinerated during the SITE demonstration was a
mixture of 60% decanter tank tar sludge from coking
operations (RCRA listed waste KO87) and 40%
contaminated soil from the Stringfellow Superfund
site. The K087 waste was included in the test mixture
-------
&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
EPA/540/M5-89/008
April 1989
SUPERFUND INNOVATIVE
TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION
Demonstration Bulletin
The Pyretron Oxygen Burner
American Combustion Technologies, Inc.
TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION: The Pyretron is a
burner which is designed to allow for the injection of
oxygen into the combustion air stream for the
purpose of increasing the efficiency of a hazardous
waste incinerator. The SITE demonstration of the
Pyretron took place at the U.S. EPA's Combustion
Research Facility (CRF) in Jefferson, Arkansas from
November 16, 1987 to January 29, 1988. Two
Pyretron burners were installed on the Rotary Kiln
System (RKS) at the CRF for the demonstration. One
was installed on the kiln and one on the afterburner.
Valve trains for supplying these burners with
controllable flows of auxiliary fuel, oxygen, and air;
and a computerized process control system were also
provided.
A schematic of the system as it was installed at the
CRF is shown in Figure 1. The Pyretron burners use
the staged introduction of oxygen to produce a hot
luminous flame which efficiently transfers heat to the
solid waste which is fed separately to the kiln.
Oxygen, propane and oxygen-enriched air enter the
burner in three separate streams each concentric to
one another. A stream of pure oxygen is fed through
the center of the burner and is used to burn propane
in a substoichiometric manner. This produces a hot
and luminous flame. Combustion is completed by
mixing these hot combustion products with the stream
of oxygen-enriched air.
The system consists of an 880 KW (3MM BTU/hr)
rotary kiln incinerator, a transition section, a fired
afterburner chamber, a venturi-scrubber and a
packed-column scrubber. In addition, a backup air
pollution control system consisting of a carbon-bed
adsorber and a HEPA filter is installed downstream of
the previously mentioned air pollution control devices.
With the exception of the carbon bed and HEPA filter,
the system is typical of what might exist on an actual
r
Ash pit
Figure 1.
Gas, air, and
fj Charge event oxygen flows lo
the burners
Pyretron thermal destruction system process
diagram.
commercial or industrial incinerator. The carbon bed
and HEPA filter are installed to ensure organic
compound and particulate emissions to the
atmosphere are negligible.
WASTE APPLICABILITY: This technology is suitable
for almost any waste under consideration for
conventional incineration. Nitrogen containing wastes
should not be treated in an incinerator equipped with
a Pyretron because of the potential for forming and
emitting high levels of NOX.
DEMONSTRATION RESULTS: The waste
incinerated during the SITE demonstration was a
mixture of 60% decanter tank tar sludge from coking
operations (RCRA listed waste KO87) and 40%
contaminated soil from the Stringfellow Superfund
site. The K087 waste was included in the test mixture
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